One act of kindness spawns another and then another in this touching pay-it-forward Xmas ad from retailer John Lewis & Partners and groceries/wine chain Waitrose out of agency adam&eveDDB, London.
The spot deployed the talents of different animators, illustrators and makers. The different styles of animation were blended and brought together by director Oscar Hudson of Pulse Films in a series of vignettes. The acts of kindness aptly translate into the title “Give A Little Love,” fitting for the yuletide, particularly in a tumultuous year ravaged by the coronavirus pandemic.
Animators who brought their talent and artistry to the piece include Sylvain Chomet, Anthony Farquhar-Smith, Chris Hopewell, Anna Mantzaris, Anete Melece, MegaComputeur, and Shotopop.
The commercial starts with a girl helping a boy to get his lost ball out of a tree with her umbrella, and a domino effect is set in motion. The boy comes to the rescue of a melting snowman, who then lends a hand replacing the tire of a broken-down car whose passengers deliver a bag of Waitrose shopping. The recipient connects with his lonely neighbor, a barber, who gives a boy an extra-special heart-shaped haircut. The boy passes a symbolic heart to his little brother while a flock of pigeons watch through a window. Touched by the boy’s act of kindness the pigeons help a hedgehog fly (he just wants to be in their gang!). The heart-shaped trail from the hedgehog plane is spotted by a nurse – who, inspired by the symbol of love, helps a little girl (the one we saw at the start of the film) to fix her glasses.
The action unfolds to a music track, “A Little Love,” performed by Celeste who also teamed with Jamie Hartman to write the song.
Credits
Client John Lewis, Waitrose Agency adam&eveDDB, London Richard Brim, chief creative officer; Matt Gay, Feargal Balance, creative directors/creatives; Genevieve Grandsen, Selma Ahmed, creatives; Sally Pritchett, TV producer; Nia Maclean, Adaeze Ndakoji, assistant producers; Simon Adamson, executive content director; Jessica Taylor, head of content; Lauren Booty, social media director; Phoebe Wright, social media manager; King Henry: Scott Silvey, Danny Tompkins, Paul Knowles (John Lewis) & Alex Fairman (Waitrose), designers/typographers; Anthony Falco, chief production officer; Ben Sharpe, Cave Ellson, head of integrated production; Martin Beverley, chief strategy director; Hugh de Winton, strategy director. Production Pulse Films Oscar Hudson, director; James Sorton, exec producer; Neil Andrews, producer; Ben Burdock, production manager; Anthony Farquhar-Smith, animation consultant; Daniel Landin, DP; Luke Moran-Morris, production designer; Selina Wong, costume designer; Kharmel Cochrane, casting director. Music “A Little Love,” performed and written by Celeste; Celeste, Jamie Hartman, songwriters; Leland Music, music supervison; Polydor, record label; Warner Chappell Music/Reservoir Media, publishers. Sound Design & Mix Factory Anthony Moore, Jack Hallett, sound designers/mixers; Deborah Whitfield, audio producer. Editorial Trim Paul hardcastle, Elise Butt, editors; Polly Kemp, offline edit producer; Ben Elkaim, assistant editor. Postproduction/VFX Untold Studios, London Neil Davies, ECD; Bruno Fukumomthi, VFX supervisor; Ian Berry, EP; Ellie Joseph, producer. Tom Humphrey, Emre Aypar, Jack Fisher, Antony Allen, Aurelien Ronceray, Leandro Vazquez, Lee Matthews, Thiago Vilas Boas, Richard Harris, James Pratt, Felicia Petersen, Solveig Lynde, Untold Post Production artists. (Toolbox: Flame, Nuke, Photoshop, Houdini, Maya, Z-Brush, Mari, Substance, Arnold) Animation Production HUSH London Sylvain Chomet, animation director; Ru Warner, Lydia Russell, producers; Ed Roberts, lead animator; Aaron Lampert, animator. Animation Production Not To Scale, London Anthony Farquhar-Smith, animation director, stop motion animator; Dan O’Rourke, EP; Marcela Ferri, sr. producer; Malcolm Hadley, Matthew Day, DPs. Andy Biddle, Steve Warne, stop motion animators. Animation Production Black Dog/Jacknifefilms, London Chris Hopewell, animation director; Rosie Brind, producer; Jon Davey, DP; Cadi Catlow, animator; Holly Jo Beck, set designer; Harry Jenkins, Jonathan Minto, modelmakers. Animation Production Passion Animation Studios Anna Mantzaris, animation director & animation; Lisa Hill, producer; Belle Palmer, EP; Donna Wade, DP; Hugo Vieites Caamano, VFX supervisor (shot at Arch Film Studio); MegaComputeur, animation director; Belle Palmer, EP, Mike Turoff, head of production; Anna Cunningham, producer; Jason Nicholas, head of CG; Dave Walker, VFX supervisor; Tim King, editor; Colin Perrett, SIM. Animation Production Anete Melece, character & background design; Stefan Holaus, animation. Animation Production Shotopop Casper Franken, illustrator/designer; Dipankar Senguptak, animation director (motion) and cel animation; Carin Standford, art direction; Samantha Friend, illustrator; Jong-ha Yoon, cel animator; Leo Evans, compositor; Georgi Chalakov, animator; Eliza Bone, Donna Marie-Howard, producers. Puppets Arch Model Studio Andy Gent, puppets; James Ward, character design.
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
