Winning the J.D. Powers and Associates award for customer satisfaction is a big deal to Harris Bank. So much so that the company and agency Element 79 celebrated by calling on <a href="http://(www.calabashanimation.com)/”>Calabash Animation to bring to life their beloved icon Hubert the Lion – seen often in print, but not on television for over a decade.
“Animating characters mostly known in print can be tricky,” Sean Henry, Calabash Executive Producer says. “Cartoon illustrations often use a sort of graphic “shorthand” that doesn’t always translate well into animation when the character has to move. Hubert has been absent from TV ads for the past 20 years, although he has appeared often in print. We worked closely with the creatives at Element 79 and Harris Bank’s marketing team to ensure that his animation design would be handled with great sensitivity to the way he has been traditionally portrayed.”
First illustrated by noted animator Sam Koukios, Hubert the Lion is one of those rare animated icons targeted to adults. His personality is somewhat professorial, but not in stuffy kind of way. It fell to Calabash Creative Director Wayne Brejcha to bring that out.
In the spot <a href="http://(www.calabashanimation.com)/movies/view.asp?file=515a_Harris_Bank_PawsVers_sm.mov”>”Paws” we see a shot from inside a Harris Bank of the JD Powers Associates award on a table in the foreground, while in the background it’s business as usual. Up pops Hubert, who gives the camera a nod and slowly slides the award off camera as if anxious to put it back in a safe place. In “Tail,” we see a similar shot of the award inside the bank, but this time when Hubert emerges he gives the award a quick dusting with his tail and winks to the camera, adding a touch of whimsy to his customary dignity.
Although the spots may seem straight-forward there was a lot of detailed work involved, particularly when animating Hubert, whose body is often seen through the glass of the J.D. Powers award, and reflected in all the shiny surfaces around the bank.
“There were so many reflections on the set,” Brejcha, who was on-hand during the production to supervise, says. “A lot of exactitude was needed when compositing Hubert into the live action. The granite table, the glass award the brightly lit bank environment and shadows — all of it added to the challenge. This is the type of project where if no one notices what you did then you know it was done right. It’s a thankless job to some extent, but one that’s crucial to making Hubert work.”
“With this campaign, we wanted to honor both Harris customers who voted Harris number one in customer service and the employees whose exceptional customer service made the award possible,” said Alan Spindle, Creative Director at Element 79. “At the same time we wanted to acknowledge the spirit embodied by Hubert and the role that Sam played in the rich history of Harris Bank.”
Click here to watch the Harris Bank ads:
http://(www.calabashanimation.com)/movies/view.asp?file=515a_Harris_Bank_PawsVers_sm.mov
http://(www.calabashanimation.com)/movies/view.asp?file=515b_Harris_Bank_TailVers_sm.mov
Creative Credits
Client: Harris Bank
Project: “Paws.” “Tail” (both :30s)
Agency: Element 79, Chicago, IL
Creative Director: Alan Spindle
Production: Resolution Digital Studios, Chicago, IL
Animation: <a href="http://(www.calabashanimation.com)/”>Calabash Animation, Chicago, IL
Creative Director: Wayne Brejcha
Executive Producer: Sean Henry
About <a href="http://(www.calabashanimation.com)/”>Calabash Animation
Led by Creative Director Wayne Brejcha and Executive Producer Sean Henry, <a href="http://(www.calabashanimation.com)/”>Calabash Animation, Inc. is the Chicago, IL-based animation production studio, known for its award-winning cel, 3D and stop-motion animation for the advertising and entertainment industries. <a href="http://(www.calabashanimation.com)/”>Calabash Animation is perhaps best known for their creative development of some of America’s most beloved brand icons. In addition to working on some of today’s top advertising the company has also produced several acclaimed short films. It’s 2002 short ”Stubble Trouble” was nominated for an Academy Award in 2002. Its most recent “Botnik” will hit the festival circuit in Fall 2008. Click here for more info about <a href="http://(www.calabashanimation.com)/”>Calabash Animation: <a href="http://(www.calabashanimation.com)/”>(www.calabashanimation.com)
