“Once Upon a Tree” is the story of two button-cute nutcracker bears who, after a year of being tucked away together, find themselves on separate sides of the Xmas tree. Distraught at the thought of spending the holidays apart, a series of heroic efforts to reconnect include zip-lining along a string of lights and collapsing a gingerbread house. With a little help from Air Canada, in a dramatic and final leap of faith, the tiny wooden bears reunite with a heartwarming embrace.
Blending the latest CGI technology with hand-painted brushstrokes, in both the French and English renditions, the creative storybook-style visuals are perfectly complemented by the voice of Montréal singer-songwriter Charlotte Cardin, who returns to Air Canada’s holiday campaign for the second year. In addition to recreating the enchanting 90s hit “Une Chance Qu’on S’a” by legendary Montreal crooner Jean-Pierre Ferland in the French ad spot, the four-time Juno Award winner also puts her beautiful new spin on Bryan Adams’ iconic 1991 classic “Everything I Do (I Do It For You)” in the English spot – bringing together two of the country’s great classics in a new stirring symphony.
FCB handled strategy and creative, with animation by Hornet and Dan Marsh serving as director. The spot is available in 90, 60, 30 and 15 second cutdowns, and will live on both paid and organic social media, Air Canada’s in-flight entertainment system, and be shown on television and in cinemas across Canada.
Credits
Client Air Canada Agency FCB Toronto Nancy Crimi-Lamanna, chief creative officer; Danilo Boer, global creative director; Jeremiah McNama, Andrew MacPhee, executive creative directors; Hussein Rumaithi, Caleb McMullen, associate creative directors; Franca Piacente, broadcast producer; Kendra Plantt, VP, director of studio production; Chris Costa, sr. integrated producer; Jesse Reid-Smith, sr. production artist; Jean-Pierre De Leon, sr. art director; Leslie Couto, production artist; Alexandra Zuniga, production manager; Vince Piscopo, facilities manager; Shelley Brown, chief strategy officer; Shelagh Hartford, VP strategy. Agency FCB Montreal Sylvain Dufresne, VP creative; Nicolas Baudry, sr. copywriter; Olivier Laplante, copywriter; Anick Rozon, producer. Production Company Hornet Dan Marsh, director; Hana Shimizu, managing partner; Karen Lawler, director of production; Kristin Labriola, head of creative development; Greg Bedard, exec producer; Sam Mason, creative director; Dez Stavracos, head of production; Sean O’Loughlin, producer; Matthew Sandager, sr. editor; Cole Bannick, assistant editor; Judy Tam, production coordinator; Lizzy Dolce, talent coordinator; Camillo Clauser, storyboard artist; Anya Butler, Vincent Gallut, Hannah Kim, Toshiki Nakamura, Kaycee Nwakudu, character designers; Chiara Benedetti, Kim Dulaney, Bryan Jimenez, Hannah Kim, environment designers; Sami Healy, animation lead; Josh Brennan, Matt Corsillo, Kaycee Nwakudu, Paris Powell, Fabien Rousseau, Patrick Sholar, Camille Vincent, animators; Josh Brennan, Sami Healy, Kaycee Nwakudu, Fabien Rousseau, Camille Vincent, cleanup animators; John Kalaigian, CG supervisor; Sam Mason, creative director; Justin Zurrow, CG lead; Krista Albert, Moises Gomes, CG modeling; Ali Jamili, Will Moody, look dev; Andrew Boccio, Matt Corsillo, previsualization; Jared Eng, CG layout; Ali Jamali, Laney Lai, Nicole Noel, Stacie Plassche, Rui Zhu, light & rendering; Eric Concepcion, compositing lead; Herc Fernandez, Alex Harding, Andy Malvasio, Dhruv Shankar, Shandy Tam, compositors; Evan Schoonmaker, colorist; Sami Healy, Justin Zurrow, Eric Concepcion, lead CG/motion graphics. Audio Cult Nation Charlotte Cardin, artist; Laurie Chouinard, artist manager; Tanguy Meunier, exec producer & music arrangement & mix; Lubalin, Sam Avant, Paul-Antoine Aubry, music arrangement; Melissa Hassing, music coordinator; Arnaud Coutray de Pradel, audio producer; Fahey Martin, audio coordinator; Rene-Pierre Guerin, François Bélanger and Tanguy Meunier, sound design. Music Search (English) OSO Audio, Soundtree, Barking Owl. Music Licenses Bryan Adams, “Everything I Do (I Do It For You)”; Universal Music Publishing Group & Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd
Stain remover Vanish presents this emotional short film--created by BETC Havas, Sao Paulo, and produced by LOBO--that explores the profound consequences of bullying and highlights the importance of open conversations between parents and children. Titled The Bully Monster, the animated film premiered at the Maquinaria Festival in Rio de Janeiro on February 15 in a special edition featuring family-focused programming.
The film’s protagonist is a boy who experiences bullying at school but keeps silent about his suffering. Isolation turns sadness into insecurity, creating invisible emotional scars that only grow in the absence of dialogue. When his mother notices stains on his uniform, these marks become the starting point for a revealing conversation. As words find space to make themselves heard, the stains begin to fade.
This initiative aligns with the Vanish Saves Your Uniform campaign, which, for the past three years during the back-to-school season, has engaged with parents by positioning the brand as a trusted partner in preserving school uniforms. This year, Vanish decided to broaden the conversation, bringing bullying into the debate as the real stain that can impact a child’s life.
The Bully Monster is being screened as preshow material in movie theaters starting February 20 and will also be available on streaming platforms and digital channels. In addition to the film, the campaign will include out-of-home activations and school initiatives through a partnership with Abrace – Preventive Programs, the founding organization of the “Bullying-Free Schools” program, which has been equipping institutions with resources to combat school violence for 12 years.
“Research indicates that stains on a uniform can... Read More
