From the start, we found this to be a dream brief from our partners at DDB – a concept pure and simple in the most heartwarming of ways that would allow us to push the look and feel of our three-years-long Kroger brand campaign partnership for a charming, Motion Picture worthy Holiday Special. We brought together the powerful cinematic stylings of feature director Mike Thurmeier and the formidable and poignant storyteller, director Yves Geleyn to co-direct this special Holiday film, and reveled at the chance to dig in to such a moving story while bringing our entire CG toolkit to bear.
Mike, best known for directing Ice Age: Continental Drift and No Time for Nuts – an Academy Award nominated short film, brought with him invaluable experience from his years at Blue Sky Studios. It’s no easy task to evoke tenderness and such a deep, meaningful history in only one minute, but Mike’s eye for framing a scene and making each pixel count lifted the colossal weight of our storytelling task and helped achieve the perfect balance between lost love and reinvigorated hope. Paired with our indomitable roster director Yves Geleyn, this power house team found their way to the heart of the story faster than gravy can simmer.
