Just when a young girl is finding it hard to believe in the spirit of the holidays, she and her brother discover a pen with magical wish-granting powers. The siblings then spread the magic of giving and generosity throughout town–one wish at a time.
Filip Engstrom of Smuggler directed this short film for Macy’s out of J. Walter Thompson New York.
This flagship short leads to the story continuing digitally with a Santa letter-writing app inviting kids to write their most magical letter to Santa. The app also includes 12 games and activities that teach how the spirit of generosity makes the season brighter:
Furthermore the campaign entailed the creation of The Wish Writer product. A magical pen that is inspired by the one in the film (and meant to accompany the app), this product will be on the shelves at Macy’s stores across the country, and is a physical invitation to the holiday campaign. Keeping in Macy’s tradition of generosity, a portion of the proceeds from all app and Wish Writer purchases will go to the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
Credits
Client Macy’s Agency J. Walter Thompson New York Jon Zast, Andy Carrigan, executive creative directors; Jordan Young, sr. art director; Carl Mallia, sr. copywriter; Matt Eastwood, worldwide chief creative officer; Adam Kerj, chief creative officer, NY; Lisa Setten, head of integrated production; Jennifer Usdan McBride, head of digital production; Mary Ellen Verrusio, executive producer, broadcast; Chad Utsch, sr. producer, broadcast; Savannah Enright, project manager; Paul Greco, director of music. Production Smuggler Filip Engstrom, director; Shannon Jones, exec producer; Leslie Vaughn, producer; Jakob Ihre, DP. VFX/Design The Mill LA. Sue Troyan, exec producer; Anastasia Von Rahl, producer; Katrina Slater, production coordinator; John Shirley, shoot supervisor/2D lead artist; Robert Sethi, creative director; Rasha Shalaby, 3D lead artist; Jason Bergman, Alex Candlish, Don Kim, 2D artists; Brett Angelillis, Blake Guest, Charles Storniolo, Jason Monroe, Kenzie Chen, Kelvin Liang, Juan Zavala, Nick Lines, Sharlene Lin, James Ma, Jason Jansky, Martin Rivera, Katie Yancey, 3D artists; Gawain Liddiard, Jie Shou, Michael Aceves, Zach Christian, matte painting; Brett Lopinsky, Matthew Dobrez, Kelsey Napier, Gary Marschka, art department; Adam Scott, colorist. Editorial Rock Paper Scissors, NY Aaron Tompkins, Christopher Mitchell, editors; Luke Thorpe, assistant editor; Eve Kornblum, exec producer; Jenny Greenfield, producer. Music Yessian/New York Brian Yessian, chief creative officer; Dan Zank, composer/arranger; Marlene Bartos, exec producer; Weston Fonger, sound designer; Gerard Smerek, music mixer. Audio Post Yessian/New York Weston Fonger, audio engineer.
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 filmโs 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 childโs 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 โ Preventive Programs, the founding organization of the โBullying-Free Schoolsโ program, which has been equipping institutions with resources to combat school violence for 12 years.
โResearch indicates that stains on a uniform can... Read More
