Motion Collabs (+60) | Miki Matsubara – Stay With Me

A love letter to the ’80s: global animators revive Miki Matsubara’s ‘Stay With Me’ in nostalgic tribute. Step into 1980s Tokyo—a haze of cigarette smoke, neon-lit alleyways, and the magnetic crackle of city pop drifting from cassette tapes. Miki Matsubara’s ‘Stay With Me’ wasn’t just a song; it was a heartbeat for a generation, a bittersweet anthem of longing that seeped into the city’s very soul. Now, 60 animators from across the globe have resurrected that era in a collaborative visual symphony, transforming the track into a kaleidoscopic journey through memory, art, and urban twilight.

Each frame pulses with the essence of city pop’s golden age—lush gradients, retro-futuristic grids, and silhouettes swaying under flickering signs. Yet every scene is a fingerprint: one artist reimagines Matsubara’s wistful vocals as raindrops sliding down a taxi window; another conjures a dizzying dance of geometric shapes echoing Yamaha synths. The result is a seamless tapestry where personal nostalgia collides with collective cultural memory. Hand-drawn textures melt into digital gloss, mirroring the song’s own blend of analog warmth and electronic precision.

This project is more than a tribute—it’s a testament to art’s power to transcend time and borders. The animators, hailing from São Paulo to Seoul, channeled their own interpretations of ‘lonely nights” and “eternal dreams,’ proving Matsubara’s lyrics are universal currency. As the final montage fades, leaving only the echo of a Walkman’s rewind, it’s clear: ‘Stay With Me’ is a reborn, a bridge between past and present, inviting us to wander Tokyo’s endless night once more.

Orignal idea by Motion Collabs

Create & Animated by (in Alphabetic Order):

Abbie Bacilla
Alex Bugg
Amanda Jean
Ash Beezmohun
August Florén
Bent Hillerkus
Brandon Morgan
Brett Streckenbach
Chris Maher
Cristina Pina
Daire O Suilleabhain
Darren Hawk
Frances Matos & Daniel Filipe
Garrett Lee
Gina Valvo – Eliphosys
Gordon Howie
Grant W
Harry Flaherty
Ignacio Vega
Ivan Miguel
Jacey Robinson
Jason Corcoran
Jasper Corcoran
João R.
John McColgan
Jonti Rudd
Juan Pablo Francés
Justice Dunne
Kaj Alexander
Karthik Sunil
Kermit Thomas Stevenson III
Keri Birmingham
Kenny
Kira Grissom
Laura Porat
Leigh
Louise
Magdalena Olchawska
Meg Aki
Mia Moore & Skarp Arnason
Mike Wechsler
Neus Vich
Patrick Whitehorn-Schmidt
Rancky Sam Huang
Rebeka Nagy
rooroo
RoyBoyShaw
Sam Burton
Sam Leonard
Sophie Calhoun
Terry Poveda
Tetiana Kartashova
Trey Morgan
UNIQ
Venese Rengasamy
Vicci Entenfellner
Vontesse – DonutDespair
Zachary
Zev Frank
Zoe Prosser