TBWALondon has teamed with A+C Studios to create a film launching the 2014 Christmas campaign for luxury department store Harrods. Titled “The Land of Make Believe,” the film is running on Harrods website, social media platforms and in-store; it will also run in cinemas throughout the U.K.
Created by TBWALondon, “The Land of Make Believe” tells the story of Peter Pumpernickel, a tiny mouse who wants to help Father Christmas. Created using stop-motion animation, the fairy-tale film captures the magic of Harrods during the festive season and tells the charming story behind the world-famous Harrods Christmas lights.
Peter Souter, chairman of TBWALondon, added, “Winning Harrods has been a fairy tale for TBWA. So it’s kind of appropriate that our first campaign for them is also a fairy tale…well, mouse tale. The animation is a beautiful, nostalgic take on the store’s traditions. The Harrods Christmas displays are a London icon, and this year’s will be more thrilling than ever.”
The spot combines handcrafted and original stop-motion techniques with experimental ideas and design. The sets were made from illustrated artwork, which was then constructed in 3D in the studio. The 2D backgrounds gave the animation a real storybook feel, as if the illustrations had come straight off the pages of the Christmas story. The stop-motion animation process took 28 days to complete before going on to the in-house digital team, who created the visual effects as well as removing rigs and blue screens.
