THE STORY

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.

STYLE

The iconic Kroger characters have been evolving ever since Hornet Director César Pelizer designed the first ones back in 2019. For this exciting and ambitious evolution of the Kroji look to date, we brought on our friend and feature animation Art Director Michael Knapp to add extra sprinkles of holiday magic to the Kroji world.

In developing an updated look, the team strove to keep the Krojis instantly recognizable while pushing the overall realism and tactility. The proportions and shapes remained consistent, while details and textures like hair, clothing, hands, facial lines, and environments all took on a more tactile approach. To further the miniature/stop-motion feel, the camera had a stronger depth of field and the fabrics were intentionally oversized.

"One of the things we wanted to push in the look of this piece was making it feel almost handmade. From the fuzzies on the sweaters to strands of the hair."- Art Director Michael Knapp

The Kroji characters weren't the only elements that the team had to reimagine for this spot – all of the environments, from the neighboring houses to the kitchen decor, needed to be researched and rendered in new ways.

"We wanted the house to tell the story of Jack's life from the 60's and 70's to the current era. We looked at a Craftsman style home and how the woodwork and wallpaper would change over time. The house is its own character and set the stage for the story."- Art Director Michael Knapp.

Rounding out our stirring Holiday rendition is a cover of the Goo Goo Dolls’ 1998 hit song “Iris” performed by Grammy-winning artist Colbie Caillat.We hope Jack and Isabela's story touches the hearts and memories of audiences everywhere this holiday season, and can be seen across multiple channels such as digital, television, social media and owned properties as well as during the 2022 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.