A scene from 19/2000, the third video from Gorillaz (left) and a striking profile of 2D from Clint Eastwood.

With so many hands working on a vision originating with two very individually minded artists, one might think that certain creative compromises would be made, or at the very least some feathers ruffled. Oddly enough, this does not seem to be the case at all.

"We wanted them [Passion] to be the animation company. They always want to make sure I'm pleased. They had to do the characters the way I created them. The first few videos I was very hands on, but Pete got his head around it. I trust them," explained Hewlett.

"Both Jamie and Damon have watched the project very closely. Jamie works very closely with Pete on the storyboard, art direction and original designs for each video and comes into the studio regularly to look at work in progress," explains Ruhemann. "Trust in Pete and the animation team at Passion has built up as the project has progressed. They have been very open to ideas that Pete and others in the team have brought to each project."

Building on the Vision
Wasn't there any trepidation on the part of Gorillaz's record label, Virgin, for signing and promoting such an unusual act? David Wolter, Senior Director of A & R at Virgin, explains: "An animated band wouldn't work if it not for great music. In this instance, we had brilliant ahead of the curve artwork which I felt touched upon anime, video games, and in general, youth culture."

Even so, some at the label did remain hesitant about committing to such an eccentric project. "As with anything great, there are always instances of people not seeing the vision. Fortunately, there were a small group of us who believed in the project and would stop at nothing short of success," says Wolter. "The non-believers slowly jumped into our little group until our little group was the entire record company. This project was a victory the entire label was able to celebrate."

With numerous animation awards, neither the Gorillaz nor their creators are resting on their laurels, however. The Gorillaz team is currently working with Henson in the U.K. to develop the band to where the members can be interviewed in real-time using Pulse technology. An interactive TV show has been given the greenlight and a toy line is also in the works.