Disaster Strikes as Cancer Cells Star in Channel 4's Bold Animated Promo

To promote their "Stand Up to Cancer" fundraising night, Channel 4 and Cancer Research U.K. have created an animated film that aims to give a face to the disease. Directed by in-demand animation duo Smith & Foulkes (whose other recent work includes TalkTalk's "The Mission" and Coke's "Building"), it depicts cancer cells as an unpleasant minion-like race who are suddenly thrown into a disaster movie.

All the disaster-movie cliches are there: newspaper headlines saying "Don't Panic," a president who says it's all under control and lots of screaming. But this time, it's humans who are responsible for the destruction; the blue goo that's destroying the cancer-minions is being administered by a scientist in a lab. The film will run across U.K. television and in cinemas, promoting a fundraising night of live TV which takes place on October 17.