I really love the opening animation sequence for Good Omens. That sequence was created by Peter Anderson Studio in London. It captures the flavor of the show perfectly.
The character animation style in that sequence is a direct quote of the groundbreaking character animation style of the video for Little Talks by Of Monsters and Men. That earlier music video was created in 2012 by WeWereMonkeys in Montreal, run by Mihai Wilson and Marcella Moser.
As far as I can tell, there is no connection whatsoever between the two sets of creators. It seems that the highly innovative style of the earlier piece was simply lifted wholesale to create the later piece.
I realize that there are no copyright laws protecting “style”. Still, the whole thing gives me an uneasy feeling. As far as I can tell, something truly new and innovative was simply taken from its original creators, and my gut tells me that there should have been some sort of legal protection for those original creators.
Perhaps I am wrong, and there was indeed some sort of collaboration between the two studios. If so, that would be delightfully good news.
“Great artists steal”
Pablo Picasso, though it is rumored that he stole that quote.
There are certainly similarities, especially in how the characters move, but they feel different, too. To me, the Good Omens sequence feels more like a Terry Gilliam (Monty Python) paper cutout animation, while the Little Talks music video looks more like a 3D-modeled imitation of a plasticine stop-motion animation.
[I was unfamiliar with both of these, so I just watched them (without sound) at the links you provided.]
Actually, viewing the Little Talks video and the Good Omens opening with the sound helps to underscore the similarity.
The music by Of Monsters and Men and by David Arnold, respectively, both have a particular driving beat that works well with walking animation.
The style of exaggerated high-stepping movement of those thin cut-out legs walking in profile is the real innovation. It’s something you don’t see in Terry Gilliam or in anything else before the Little Talks video.