Among Final Frontier's projects was in support of trans athlete Caster Semenya.
Final Frontier may be a production company, but there’s nothing Star Trek about them. On its website, the firm bills itself as “a visionary production company driven by the creation of beautiful things” that specializes in “animation for advertising and entertainment, experiential, and artistic developments.” They’ve worked with a veritable all-star team of clients, including Apple, Nike, Porsche, and many more. What makes Final Frontier unique is their focus on marginalized and underrepresented communities—namely, the disability community.
The company is fully cognizant of the dichotomy at play. On one hand, disabled people (myself included) make up the largest marginalized group on the planet. On the other hand, however, disabled people rank smallest representationally. The harsh reality is, even amongst the staunchest DEI proponents, disabled people are often forgotten,
“It’s important for people of all genders, creeds, colors, and abilities to be represented in art, no matter which medium,” said Final Frontier executive producer Chris Colman in an interview with me earlier this month. “Animation is a particularly powerful medium, because it’s a universal language which appeals to pretty much every kind of person imaginable. There is enormous potential for the makers of animation to spread powerful messages. Where possible, we want to support those.”
Disability representation in film and television has been a topic covered in this column innumerable times over the last few years, particularly since tech titans such as Apple have dedicated sizable portions of their massive war chest to roll their own streaming video service. In Apple’s case, their push to put disability representation front and center in original programming like See, Little Voice, and Best Foot Forward is reflective of the company’s institutional ethos on inclusiveness. And of course, the fact that CODA won last year’s Best Picture Oscar—and Troy Kotsur won Best Supporting Actor—was not merely a breakthrough for Apple as the platform owner. It also was an absolute breakthrough for the Deaf community and for real-life CODAs everywhere, like me.
The Kool-Aid Man himself couldn’t have had a stronger breakthrough.
All told, the recognition is heartening. As with accessibility and assistive tech, there is more work yet to be done—but the disability community is finally getting its due with earnest, authentic depictions in Hollywood.
Colman told me the Final Frontier team is fully aware and supportive of these developments. The confluence of diversity, disability, and Hollywood is a synergy that makes sense in myriad ways, not the least of which lies in how a technology company can use its megabucks to connect the dots between disability, inclusivity, and technology.
“It’s for the betterment of every aspect of society that all kinds people are represented in art,” Colman said of DEI. “It can be about celebrating people’s differences or gifts, or it can be simply about normalizing what may previously have been stigmatized or labeled as ‘abnormal’ by our popular cultural narratives. Projects will only engage and move people, and leave an impact, if they are well-made and the stories well-told. CODA told a compelling story with interesting characters. The more films emerging that reach that standard, the better.”
Looking industry-wide, Colman noted a couple trends. First, he explained diversity in commercials is increasing, due in large part to brands becoming “aware of the cultural shifts” towards prioritizing inclusivity at all times. He attributed the gains to either genuine values or economic pragmatism—truthfully, it’s likely a little of both—but ultimately said whatever the reason(s), “it’s a positive evolution.” The second trend is less positive. In terms of DEI efforts overall, Colman told me there remains a lack of representation in animation spaces, especially in senior roles. Despite some exceptions, Colman said, “the majority of directors in the industry are men.” One example of said exception exists in Final Frontier’s own ranks. Director Yukai Du expresses often she feels, according to Colman, like she’s “the only woman on the entire animation team and needs to work extra hard to prove herself.”
Colman shared an anecdote about LUX and Wunderman Thompson approaching Final Frontier about working on the former’s Born This Way campaign. The campaign, which supported trans athlete Caster Semenya after she was banned from competing as a runner when authorities deemed her “too masculine” to compete in female events.
“The concept was that the greatest and most celebrated athletes are born with extraordinary biology, so why should any athlete be punished for harnessing those gifts,” Colman said of the campaign’s premise. “We felt it was not only an important discussion that deserved extra exposure, but also that animation, with its ability to visualize the extraordinary, was a perfect medium to present this concept. It was the kind of opportunity for impactful storytelling that we are excited to get behind."
“Although progress has been made, more needs to be done to elevate and encourage women in the industry. There is no quick fix for richer and, crucially, genuine DEI in the industry,” Colman said of the imperative for diversity. “There needs to be a drive to find solutions at all levels—governmental, educational, societal, and within private industry.”
When asked about some favorite projects of which he’s been a part, Colman responded by mentioning the film the company worked on for Doritos’ #PrideAllYear campaign released for Dia De Los Muertos as a standout. “It’s the perfect combination of charming, relatable, beautifully designed characters, and a positive message of inclusivity and acceptance,” Colman said of the ad. “Namely in this case, a deceased grandfather who has found his true self and true love in the afterlife.”
