The South Korean romcom Tastefully Yours has been a surprise hit on Netflix, becoming the most-watched series in 21 countries and the second-most watched non-English language series overall.
If you've been watching, you may have been won over by the cute intro sequence as much as the blend of food, love and personal growth in the series itself. The adorable opening animation blends 3D scenes with 2D characters, leading many viewers to wonder how it was made.
Well, the studios behind the piece have revealed behind-the-scenes footage giving a glimpse into their process (you might want to see our roundup of the best animation software).
Created by Giantstep with 2D character animation from Studio Pivote under animation director Jeyoon Jung, the Tastefully Yours animation sequence is built around the idea of a single day at Jeongje, the K-drama's restaurant setting.
The studios reimagined the eatery as a miniature world, with the 3D environment carefully designed to reflect the set and objects from the show. Close attention was paid to lighting to reflects the transition from morning to night and also capture the analog charm of the miniatures and the warm tone of the story.
The decision to mix the precision of 3D with the expressive boldness of 2D animation was taken to reflect and amplify the tone of the show. While the 3D work provides the setting, the 2D character animation drives the story in the piece, with the exaggerated motion capturing the playful energy and rhythm of the comedy and drama between two characters with contrasting personalities and backgrounds.
"We put just as much thought into how these two visual styles – 3D and 2D – could live together," art director Hyunji Yoon writes on Vimeo. "By blending the two into one cohesive flow, we hoped to visually reflect the theme of 'harmonizing relationships' where differences are embraced and slowly merge into something greater together."
For more animation inspiration see the BBC's handcrafted Wimbledon animation and Euro 2025 animation.
