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
Director Sune Sorensen of production company Hey Baby teamed with The Wonderful Agency on this lovely story to ring in the holiday spirit for floral delivery service Teleflora.
The spot introduces us to Matty who’s hospitalized during the holiday season when a magical encounter with a snowman ensures. There’s something unusual--and familiar--about this snowman. And thanks to Make-A Wish, Matty sees the person whom the snowman represents--his father who’s away on naval duty.
The production was shot in Vancouver, Canada, and includes local talent and crew. Sorensen related, “It’s hard enough to find strong, believable, child actors let alone one who has to not only carry the story but also deliver complex emotions on cue.” Clearly, he found one. “When Aaron Stansberry auditioned, the entire room starting crying. I don’t remember the last time that has happened. It was clear that he understood what it meant to his character in a very profound way. His tears felt genuine.”
The commercial is part of the “Power of Wishes” campaign which empowers Americans to help Teleflora donate $250,000 to the nonprofit organization Make-A-Wish. More than 4,000 children will receive a devastating diagnosis this holiday season and through this partnership, Teleflora will help Make-A-Wish grant life-changing wishes to children with critical illnesses. Donations are triggered when consumers order qualifying seasonal bouquets on Teleflora’s website, like the Teleflora and Make-A- Wish collaboration posts on Instagram or Facebook, or through an in-person activation at Rockefeller Center in New York City, where passersby can build a snowman on December 11. Teleflora will donate $10 to Make-A-Wish for every snowman built during the activation.
“This is the... Read More
