Yves Geleyn directs Coca Cola’s heartwarming Lunar New Year spot for second year running

Unlisted, and animation director Yves Geleyn, have reunited with Coca Cola Greater China, Ogilvy Shanghai and Hornet to bring to life the “Real Magic” of Coca Cola’s Year of the Rabbit Lunar New Year campaign.

According to the Lunar New Year Zodiac, the Rabbit is the luckiest of the twelve animals; an emblem of good fortune which echoes through the campaign. Lunar New Year is the biggest and most important festival in Chinese culture, bringing families together to celebrate and connect.

Geleyn’s poignant storytelling and command of narrative detail magnify the emotional intimacy of our rabbit family’s journey to overcome their differences as they share joyful moments over a coke. The story culminates in a moment of reunification and belonging, with Coca-Cola reminding us of this season’s powerful campaign message: the years may pass, but celebrating together is magic.

Says Geleyn: “A compelling narrative, cinematic whimsy, and rich textural details. It’s everything you could want in a film like this, and more.”

Geleyn’s devotion to gorgeously realised characters and environments is on full display, deftly juxtaposing Chinese-inspired landscapes and intricate details. The soft, organic essence of the traditional home stands in stark contrast to the hard angularity of the modern one, yet there’s a surprising warmth added by the lighting that helps to connect the two.

With the help of Peter de Sève, feature film illustrator and character designer, Grandma and Grandson Rabbit’s designs are in harmony, yet allow their distinct personalities to shine through.

Says Geleyn: “Peter has an unparalleled ability to express emotions with the flick of a pencil’s line. His contours and features bestow a human-like manner that allows these anthropomorphized animals to carry the weight of this story’s dramatic arc.”

Says Graham Pryor, executive producer, Unlisted: “After the success of our previous collaboration, we were thrilled to reunite with the teams at Coca Cola Greater China, Ogilvy Shanghai and of course, Yves and Hornet to deliver this beautiful film. It’s a great pleasure to work on this important campaign for a second time and we look forward to working together again in future.”

WATCH THE FILM

Client: Coca-Cola
Ella Liu – VP of Marketing
Cynthia Huang – Head of Coca-Cola Category

Creative:
Charlotte Sng – Creative Director
Elsa Gu – Senior Creative Manager

Brand Team:
Jason Wu – Brand Director

Creative Agency: Ogilvy SH
Strategy:
Arvind Srivastava – Chief Strategy Officer of Ogilvy Asia
Arjun Vedanayagam – Strategy Director

Creative:
Wei Fei – Group Executive Creative Director
Jimmy Wang – Creative Director
Tommy Tang – Creative Director
Eve Liu – Creative Group Head
John Daly – Senior Copywriter

Account:
Ole Luk – Vice President
Queenie Shou – Senior Account Director
Adrian Xing – Account Executive

Production
Eric Lai – Head of TV

Film Production:
Unlisted Melbourne / Hornet New York

Katie Mackin – Managing Director/Unlisted
Anita Emor – Executive Producer/Unlisted
Julie Murnaghan – Producer/Unlisted
Yves Geleyn – Director/Hornet
Hana Shimizu – Managing Partner/Hornet
Marty Geren – Executive Producer/Hornet
Hanna Smith -Ide – Producer/Hornet

Production:
Karen Lawler – Head of Production
Kristin Labriola – Head of Creative Development
Dez Stavracos – Production Supervisor
Judy Tam – Production Coordinator
Jon Chun – Talent Coordinator
Anita Chao – Senior Editor
Matthew Sandager – Editor
Cole Bannick – Assistant Editor

Pre Production:
Steph Dere, Kaycee Nwakudu, Sami Healy – Storyboard Artists
Peter de Sève – Character Designer
Margaux Zinsner, Hannah Kim – Designers
Chiara Benedetti, Thomas Dubois, Alexis Liddell – Environment Designers
Tristan Ménard – Matte Painter

CG:
Corey Langelotti, Richard Kim – CG Lead
Angeline Rivera, Constance Bensen, Chris Cruz, Super Dope – CG Modelers
Corey Langelotti, Richard Kim – CG Riggers
Super Dope – CG Grooming
Matt Corsillo, Tom Shek, Meg Oswalt, Hee Jin Kim, Nicholas Christie – CG Animation
Tania Florit, Zoey Dang – CG Animation Support
Super Dope, Alvin Bae, Natalia Perez Melendez – CG Look Development
Richard Kim, Cody Chen, Sylvia Apostol, Laney Lai, Nicole Noel – CG Lighting & Rendering
Paulo Dias, Andy Malvasio, Fred Kim – CG Compositors

Post-production:
Ambrose Yu – Original Score/Sound Design + Mixing