Evoking empathy for a homeless woman this holiday season is a chart-topping Salvation Army PSA directed by Moth Studios via Hornet Inc., for The Richards Group, Dallas.

Also in the mix is a "Moz the Monster" creation for John Lewis, an electrical high-wire act that's for the birds–and for an energy company, the birth of a ram who eventually meets its match in the form of a VW, and UFOs that put the New York Lottery into perspective.

So get an eyeful of the best this quarter has to offer on the visual effects and animation fronts.

1:  Top Spot of the Week: Hornet Inc., Moth Studio, The Richards Group Team On Salvation Army’s “Emma”

Client The Salvation Army Agency The Richards Group, Dallas Todd McArtor, creative director/art director; Danny Bryan, creative director/writer; Dan Case, art director; Tara Robinson, writer; Bridget Fontenot, broadcast producer. Production/Animation Hornet Inc., New York Moth Studio, director; Hana Shimizu, exec producer; Sang-Jin Bae, head of production; Kristin Labriola, development producer; Eva Dahlqvist, Dez Stavracos, producers; Daniele Baiardini, Stephanie Andreou, editors; Moth Studio, Leonie Despres, Mandy Wickens, design; Moth Studio, storyboards; Carlos De Faria, Tyler DiBiasio, Anne-Louise Erambert, Anne Escot, Reg Isaac, Tucker Klein, Jennifer Zheng, 2D animation; Bianca Beneduci Assad, Carlos De Faria, Tyler DiBiasio, Lior Wolff-Epshtein, Anne-Louise Erambert, Anne Escot, Freya Hotson, Tucker Klein, Harry Slinger-Thompson, Mick O’Sullivan, Jennifer Zheng, cleanup; Luke Carpenter, Luke Doyle, Lindsay Horner, CG animation; Daniele Baiadini, Quian Shi, compositors; Stef Roberts, editing assistance. (Toolbox: TV paint, C4D, After Effects, Flash, Premiere, Photoshop) Music Pierre O’Reily. composer/conductor/arranger/piano; James Fitzpatrick, orchestra contractor/session producer; The City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra; Jan Holzner, recording engineer; Triona O’Neill, vocals; Tom Bullen, recording engineer; Nick Taylor, mixed and mastered music. Sound Design Box of Toys Audio Post Matt Cimino, audio engineer. Postproduction Mark Sullivan, online Flame artist; Jennifer Brannon, sr. producer.

2:  Partizan’s Michel Gondry Directs John Lewis’ “Moz The Monster” For adam&eveDDB

Client John Lewis Agency adam&eveDD, London Ben Priest, group chief creative officer; Richard Brim, chief creative officer; Patrick McClelland, copywriter; Feargal Balance, art director; Russell Taylor, producer; Raluca Anastasiu, assistant producer. Production Partizan Michel Gondry, director; Jenny Beckett, exec producer; David Stewart, producer; Richard Wilson, production manager; Tim Maurice Jones, DP; Andrew Kelly, production designer. Modelmaking Millenium FX Postproduction/VFX The Mill Alex Fitzgerald, VFX exec producer; Imogen Pai, production coordinator; Milo Paterson, Sam Driscoll, VFX shoot supervisors; Neil Davies, VFX exec creative director; Jorge Monteil, creative director; Gianluca Di Marco, 2D lead aratist; Sam Driscoll, 3D lead artist; Milo Paterson, Theajo Dharan, Stefan Susemihl, Lucas Carracedo, Gary Driver, James Pratt, 2D artists; Josh Curtis, Robert Moore, Maria Carriedo, Jack Powell, Will Burdett, Clement Granjon, Daniel Kmet, Perrine Renard, Andrew Bartholomew, Margaux Huneau, Vaclav Cizkovsky, Tony Atherton, Maxime Cronier, Jesus Parra, Peter Agg, Joshua Barlow, Philip Maddock, Pavel Mimichev, 3D artists; Seamus O’Kane, colorist. Music “Golden Slumbers” by The Beatles, performed by Elbow. Music Supervision Leland Music Abi Leland, Ed Beilie, music supervisors. Sound Factory Anthony Moore, sound design & mix; Jack Hallett, audio book sound design & mix. Editorial Whitehouse Post Russell Icke, editor.

3:  The Best Work You May Never See: Sehsucht Gets Animal Kingdom High On Green Energy

Client EnBW (German energy company) Agency Jung von Matt/Neckar, Hamburg, Germany Tassilo Gutscher, Peter Sigg, creative directors; Dennis Cicioglu, copywriter; Joshua Enzig, producer. Production Sehsucht GmbH, Hamburg Hans-Christoph Schultheiss, director; Jan Tiller, exec producer; Tanya Curnow, producer; Andre Ljosag, Caroline Goehner, Axel Brotje, design; Daniel Jahnel, 3D lead; Thure Koch, Jannes Kreyenberg, Heinrich Loewe, Deniz Kreb, Timo von Wittken, Martin Chatterjee, Sebastian Welti, Max Zachner, Rafael Vicente, Mario Reitbauer, Francesco Di Luisi, Sofia Oliveira, Juan Brockhaus, 3D artists; Norbert Kiehne, animation lead; Jakob Schulze-Rohr, Frank Spalteholz, animation artists; Steven Cormann, Julius Brockelmann, matte painting; Florian Zachau, compositing. (Toolbox: SideFX Houdini, Numerion Carbon Plumage, Pixologic Zbrush, Allegorithmic Substance Painter, Autodesk Maya, Solid Angle Arnold Render) Sound Design & Mix Hastings Voiceover Leonhard Malich, Tobias Meister, Dietmar Wunder, Charles Rettinghaus Consulting keller.io, Center of Natural History @University Hamburg, Tankred Lerch

4:  Director Nick Gordon, MPC Deliver “Born Confident” Ram For VW

Client Volkswagen Agency adam&eveDDB, London, abd DDB Berlin/Hamburg Ben Priest, group chief creative officer; Rick Brim, executive creative director; Patrick McClelland, copywriter; Feargal Ballance, art director; Lucie Georgeson, producer; Natasha Alderson, jr. producer; David Golding, group chief strategy officer. Production Somesuch Nick Gordon, director; Alwin Kuchler, DP; Seth Wilson, exec producer; James Waters, producer. Postproduction/VFX MPC Life/MPC Anandi Peiris, exec producer; Carsten Keller, VFX creative director; Fabian Frank, VFX 3D supervisor; David Bryan, CG animation lead; Dan Sanders, VFX 2D supervisor; George K, colorist. Audio 750mph Sam Ashwell, sound design and mix; Mary-Ann D’Cruz, audio producer. Editorial Final Cut Dan Sherwen, editor Music Supervision Leland Music Abi Leland, Toby William, Ed Bailie, music supervisors.

5:  The Best Work You May Never See: Animation Studio J.J. Sedelmaier Casts A New Light On Hospice Care

Client Regional Hospice & Palliative Care Production J.J. Sedelmaier Productions, Inc., White Plains, NY J.J. Sedelmaier, director; Andy Friz, animator; John Colquhoun, creative director/designer/artist; Marvin Waldman, creative director/writer/producer; Stephen Hersh, creative director/writer. Audio The Sound Distillery, NYC Glenn Navia, audio

6:  PayPal’s “Scarlett Moffat—Training #TurkeyDash”

Visual Effects/Animation: Aardman, Bristol, UK; Darren Dubicki, dir., character & set designs, visual development; Andy Lavery, dir, modeler/texture artist; Jason Fletcher-Bartholomew, prod.; Heather Wright, EP; Joe Wood, storybds & animatic; Sylvia Bull, character designs; Graham Carter, Thomas Fox, visual development; Rich Webber, puppet sculptor; Rich Spence, CGI sup., modeler/texture artist; Mat Rees, Daniel Gerhardt, Davide Profita, Adam Zienowicz, Chris Delloyd, James Young, Jaroslav Polensky, Benjamin Mars, Rosie Ashforth, Matthew Morris, Gaston Di Tommaso, CGI animators; Rikke Planeta, Lee Bowditch, Signe Cold, Ben Toogood, Tom Lord, modelers/texture artists; Rikke Planeta, Tessa Mapp, modelers/texture artists & ltg; Marine Goalard, David Capon, ltg; Andreas Niklas, motion graphics; Jim Lewis, comp sup.; Dan Blore, Fernando Lechuga, Oliver Street, compositors, (Toolbox: Myer, ZBrush, Arnold, Nuke, Adobe Premier) Agency: Crispin Porter+Bogusky, London Production: Aardman, Bristol, UK Darren Dubicki, Andy Lavery, directors

7:  M&M’s/Mars Wrigley Confectionery’s “Faint 2: A Very Yellow Sequel”

Visual Effects/Animation: HouseSpecial, Portland, Ore. Kirk Kelley, animation director/creative director; Lourri Hammack, exec producer; Zilpha Yost, sr. producer; Rex Carter, Flame artist; Chris Ohlgren, Suzanne Twinging, animators; Patrick Van Pelt, TD; Cam Wiliams, editor; Trevor Mazzaglia, aimation intern; Tyler Bay, texture intern; Johnny Nam, lighting intern; Emma Van Hasema, Alex Webster,production assistants. (Toolbox: Maya, Arnold, Nuke Flame, Photoshop, Shotgun) Agency: CLM/BBDO Paris Production: La Pac, Paris; Reynald Gresset, director

8:  MJZ Director Tom Kuntz, McCann NY Launch “UFO” For New York Lottery

Client New York Lottery Agency McCann New York Eric Silver, North American chief creative officer; Sean Bryan, Tom Murphy, chief creative officers, NY; Mat Bisher, Dan Donovan, executive creative directors; Jason Ashlock, Dominick Baccollo, creative directors; Johan Leandersson, sr. art director; Andy Sciamanna, sr. copywriter; Nathy Aviram, chief production officer; Tamara Lecker, sr. producer; Eric Johnson, SVP, executive music producer; Dan Gross, music producer; Laura Frank, VP, strategy director. Production MJZ Tom Kuntz, director; David Zander, president; Ericks Krumins, sr. exec producer. Editorial Rock Paper Scissors Carlos Arias, editor; Eve Kornblum, exec producer; Maria Lee, assistant editor; Taylor Colbert, producer. VFX Eight VFX, bicoastal Jean Marc Demmer, ECD/VFX supervisor; Baptiste Andrieux, managing director/exec producer; Abbe Daniel, exec producer; Shira Boardman, exec producer; Luc Job, sr. lead flame artist; Julien Aucouturier, flame artist; Gavin Guerra, CG supervisor/animation; Santosh Sailesh, CG animation; Hilary Downes, producer; Keigo Tanako, VFX coordinator.  (Toolbox: Maya, Flame, Nuke). Music Cavalry Audio Post Heard City Telecine Company 3

9:  Director Steve Rogers, Venables Bell & Partners Meet In “Parking Lot” For Audi Holiday Spot

Client Audi of America  Agency Venables Bell & Partners, San Francisco Paul Venables, founder/chairman; Will McGinness, partner, executive creative director; Justin Moore, Erich Pfeifer, creative directors; Tedd Wood, copywriter; Cody Pate, art director; Craig Allen, director of integrated production; Hilary Coate, producer. Production Biscuit Filmworks, Los Angeles Steve Rogers, director; Shawn Lacy, Holly Vega, exec producers; Karen O’Brien, line producer; Alwin Kuchler, DP. Editorial Exile Kirk Baxter, editor; Paul Jarolimekproner, assistant editor; CL Weaver, exec producer; Remy Foxx, producer. VFX/Finish Electric Theatre Collective, Santa Monica, Calif. Adam Watson, VFX lead supervisor; Kate Hitchings, VFX exec producer; Scott Boyajan, VFX producer; Adam Watson, Eric Mason, Dave Damant, Kevin Jones, Brian Magarian, Phoebe Britton, Gretchen Capatan, James Aguilar, James Gorman, Mikey Smith, Nicholas Hiegel, Steve Miller. 2D artists; Dark Hoffman, digital matte painter; Corinne DeOrsay, CG supervisor. (Toolbox: Houdini, Flame, Nuke) Color Company 3, Santa Monica Stefan Sonnenfeld, colorist; Katie Andrews, color producer. Music Barking Owl Kelly Bayett, creative director/partner; KC Dossett, producer; Barking Owl, arranger; Wylie Statemen, Harry Cohen, sound designers. Music “Carol of the Bells” by Peter J. Wilhousky Audio Post Barking Owl, West Los Angeles Mike Franklin, mixer.

10:  The Best Work You May Never See: Bent Image Lab Solves Santa Milk Mystery For Dairy Farmers of Canada, DDB Toronto

Client Dairy Farmers of Canada Agency DDB Canada, Toronto Cosmo Campbell, chief creative officer; Paul Wallace, executive creative director; Allan Topol, copywriter; Craig Ferguson, art director; Lorrie Zwer, producer; Brett McDonald, director of strategy. Production Bent Image Lab, Portland, Ore. Rob Shaw, director; Anthony Greene, exec producer; Brianna Vitale, producer; Greg Arden, art director; Ean McNamara, production designer; Mark Eifert, DP; Jesse McManus, character designer; Kamela Heyward, storyboards; Dani Turner, production coordinator; Jim Birkett, lighting/camera; Javan Ivey, armaturist/animator; Tina Hsu, Adam Taylor, animators; Jayme Hansen, Sara Moen, Lebrie Rich, Emily Myers, character fabricators; Aspen Farer, Chris Landon, model makers; Matt Lask, set fabrication; Kyle Wallace, Kelsey Curtis, Cary Sigler, art dept. production assistants; Cameron Carson, compositor; Brent Heise, editor. (Toolbox: Nuke, Adobe Premiere Pro) Color Mission Control Jalal Jemison, color corrector. Music A cover version of the Stevie Wonder track, “Everyone’s a Kid at Christmas Time” Audio Post Grayson Matthews, Toronto