Continuing its partnership with Airbnb, animation studio BUCK collaborated with the client’s in-house creative team on “Santastrophe,” a film designed to draw attention to the humorous hurdles that Santa Claus encounters when delivering gifts to a hotel. Through Santa’s eyes, we see that some trips are merrier in an Airbnb.
In addition to online and social buys. the film will play ahead of Wicked and Gladiator 2 in AMC theaters (U.S.) through the end of December, and in seven international markets with five languages.
The miniature world builds on a style BUCK developed with Airbnb in 2022 and features real-life, actual Airbnbs, all the way down to the teeny tiny furniture. Some more details in this spot, include the gold stitching on Santa’s red coat which evokes the Airbnb logo. Blending the old with the new, the film begins with narration in rhyming verse inspired by the poem “A Visit from St. Nicholas” by Clement Clarke Moore and closes with Run-D.M.C.’s “Christmas in Hollis.”
Credits
Client Airbnb Animation BUCK Joe Mullen, group creative director; Andy Lyon, creative director; Kirsten Collabolletta, executive producer; Fernanda Garcia Lopez, sr. producer; Laura Garcia Lopez, associate producer; Ruoyu Wen, Matty Deans, Tucker Klein, Rodney Lambright, Deco Daviola, Khylin Woodrow, Harry Teitelman, Song E Kim, storyboard artists; Heather Bartholomae, Lenny Mesina, storyboard editors; Shannon Rollins art director; Ben Nichols, Grace Park, Grace Poole, Joel Plosz, Matteo Berton, Matthew Kam, Mike Ellis, Rodney Lambright, Tuo Kan, Yukyung Lee, Carmel Gatchalian, designers; Fernando Utreras, Stan Chan, Felipe Hansen, Dae-Han Y, concept artists; Tinghe Yang, Junyi Xiao, 2D animators (cel); Alex Dingfelder, head of 3D/3D supervisor; Jens Lindgren, technical director; Peter DeSalvo, 3D animation supervisor; Tyler Lancaster, 3D animation director & 3D animation editor; Joshua Studebaker, Michele Herrera, 3D leads; Alfonso Petersen, Ash Samet, Chloe Tu, Danesh Taraporevala, Dave Soto, Eugene Goryachev, Paul Kim, Pedro Conti, Rui Huang, Tina Chao, Michele Herrera, Arvid Volz, modelers; Ernesto Ruiz Valasco, rigging supervisor; Hernan Ares, Juan Carlos Barraza Mendoza, Regina Cicone, riggers; Alvaro Michelena, Cesar Tafoya, Chris Meek, Hillary McCarthy, Ida Zhu, Josh Baum, Tommy Rodricks, May Lee, 3D animators; Glenn Suhy, Paul Hargrave, Sarah Chalek, Michele Herrera, Joshua Studebaker, Tina Chao, Rui Huang, lighters; Brinton Jaecks, Michele Herrera, Joshua Studebaker, Tina Chao, Eugene Goryachev, Sarah Chalek, Rui Huang, Paul Hargrave, compositors; Adam Webber, FX artist; Hernan Ares, Ernesto Ruiz Velasco, Juan Carlos Barraza Mendoza, Regina Cicone, cloth simulation artists; Ben Rohel, colorist; David Vendette, Talia Mazzarella, Heather Bartholomae, editors. Color Roast ‘N Post Sean Wells, colorist; Crystal Villamayor, producer
After losing part of his right leg due to cancer, Terry Fox campaigned to raise national awareness and funding for cancer research by running his Marathon of Hope, a cross-Canada 42-km daily run, on his prosthetic leg. Fox, who died in 1981, is a national hero. His image will be on Canada’s new $5 bill.
In this two-minute video titled “Finish It,” the Marathon of Hope is recreated. It’s all done in one take, and it features an actor/marathon runner who uses a prosthesis on the same leg as Fox. CGI was deployed to make him look more like Fox. To further ensure the actor represented Fox accurately, not only did the actor and team watch and study many videos of Terry, but Terry’s brothers, Fred and Darrel, coached the actor on Terry’s running style and mannerisms. They also created a copy of Terry’s prosthesis for the actor to use for the shoot.
The message is clear. As the Marathon of Hope now marks its 45th anniversary, we now have the opportunity to “Finish It” for Fox, raising money and awareness to get a cure for cancer over the finish line, completing the work that Fox started. The public service film starts with Fox on the marathon run, eventually joined by a crowd of other dedicated runners from all walks of life who take over the race.
Mark Zibert directed via production company Scouts Honour for Toronto agency Diamond. The video features a never-before-heard version of the song “Courage” from Canadian band The Tragically Hip.
“We wanted to create a campaign that captures the magnitude of Terry Fox’s legacy while driving meaningful action,” said Peter Ignazi, chief creative officer at Diamond. “By revisiting the Marathon of Hope with such care and reverence, we aimed to reignite Terry’s mission and... Read More
