Seed Matters, an initiative of the Clif Bar Family Foundation, has rolled out “Mr. Seed,” an animated short conceived by The Butler Bros., a brand design studio in Austin, Texas, and directed by L.A.-based animation company Buck. Mr. Seed is also the protagonist in this short. He’s a clean-living organic seed who at times has a potty mouth (voiced by comedian Pete Holmes), calling out the big agrichemical companies that are feeding the world with unhealthy fare.
The film opens with an animated ad for fictional Pharm Foods, panning across an idyllic farm and a family at the dinner table. Only ominous cues—dead birds, anthropomorphized food—hint that something isn’t right in this world.
Mr. Seed emphasizes the benefits of organic seed compared with the chemically-dependent alternative. “Is this what America wants to eat?” the film’s hero asks. “Unlike those GMO bros, organic seeds like me can feed the world without ruining it because we keep it clean. We don’t dirty ourselves with all those pesticides.”
Seed Matters advocates for the improvement and protection of organic seed to ensure healthy, nutritious and productive crops are able to feed people now and in the future. Its mission is to conserve the genetic diversity of crops, promote farmers’ roles and rights as seed innovators and stewards and reinvigorate public seed research and education.
Credits
Client Clif Bar Family Foundation Creative The Butler Bros. Adam Butler, creative director/copywriter; Marty Butler, creative director/art director; Jeremy Spencer, Ryan Honey Erik Enberg, copywriters; Allie Nordstrom, art director; Craig Crutchfield, Hoang Nguyen, designers; Vincent Calderon, Bridget Liddy, Christine Lopez, producers. Production Buck Buck, director; Ryan Honey, executive creative director; Maurie Enochson, exec producerd; Joe Mullen, creative director, design; Doug Wilkinson, head of CG; Emily Richard, producer; Kaitlyn Mahoney, production coordinator; Laura Yilmaz, art director, storyboards, concept art & matte paintings; Kenesha Sneed, character design & design; Kendra Ryan, Craig Yamamoto, storyboards; Scott Huntsman, Susan Yung, design, concept art & matte paintings; Audrey Lee, Rasmus Bak, Xoana Herrera, Vincent Tsui, Jenny Ko, design; Alex Dingfelder, CG lead, modeling, look development lead, lighting direction, compositing lead; Wing Sze Lee, John Niehuss, Mingoo Park, Jens Lindgren, Eyad Hussein, Arvid Volz, Brice Linane, Rie Ito, modeling; Wing Sze Lee, Eric Pagtaconan, Jens Lindgren, John Niehuss, Mingoo Park, look development; Ernesto Ruiz Velasco, rigging TD, character TD; Eyad Hussein, character TD; Albert Omoss, pipeline and FX TD; Lee Wolland, additional rigging; Alessandro Ceglia, animation director, 3D animation; Tyler Lancaster, Dony Permedi, Adam Floeck, 3D animation; Vincent Tsui, Debora Cruchon, Rafael Araujo, Nicole Stafford, 2D screen animation; Michele Herrera, lighting, look development; Jens Lindgren, Alex Dingfelder, Eric Pagtaconan, lighting; Wing Sze Lee, look development, compositing. Pharm Foods commercial within the short: Gunnar Pettersson, design; Laura Yilmaz, animation director/animation; Laura Yilmaz, Kendra Ryan, Nick Petley, Vincent Tsui, Rafael Araujo, Debora Cruchon, Nicole Stafford, animation. End Credits: Kevin Walker, associate creative director; Rasmus Bak, design, animation; Esteban Esquivo, animation. Music & Sound Design Antfood Voice Pete Holmes (voice of Mr. Seed)
Lead agency Serviceplan’s new cross-media campaign for Lufthansa, “All it Takes is a Yes,” includes this short film which follows a protagonist who is magically transported from her daily office life to dream destinations with just a simple tap on the Lufthansa app.
We accompany her on a wonderful journey, discovering inspiring local experiences along the way. We see her at a dumpling shop in Shanghai, swimming in the turquoise waters near Rio de Janeiro, grabbing a sandwich at a New York deli, exploring the bustling streets of Mumbai, dancing at a wedding party in Rome and marvelling at the desert in South Africa. Along the way she connects with a character who’s seemingly following her. Inspired by magical realism, director Niclas Larsson via production house Iconoclast has crafted a stunning visual journey that perfectly blends reality and dream.
The campaign was developed and implemented by an international Serviceplan team under the creative lead of Serviceplan Germany chief creative officer Till Diestel, and global executive creative directors Erick Barrios Hernández and Wolfgang Warzilek.
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