the French studio behind the Intermarché advert which is a success on social networks | EUROtoday
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“OWe celebrated the discharge of the movie, now we will rejoice its success. » Théophile Dufresne, co-founder of Illogic Studios, animation studio primarily based in Montpellier, has modest success. No outpouring of pleasure or inappropriate superlatives from the dynamic thirty-year-old, who goes by way of conferences after one another. Yet, The Unlovedan promoting spot for Intermarché-Les Mousquetaires which he animated, is already a phenomenon. More than 150 million cumulative views on social networks worldwide since its broadcast on Monday December 8.
“A film that takes us back to the magic of childhood,” writes a consumer on YouTube. “I cried,” confesses one other. The story of the large dangerous wolf revisited has conquered the Web and the media. On Christmas Eve, whereas the household is gathered across the desk, an uncle tells his nephew how the predator does all the pieces to combine into the group of forest herbivores, even when it means sacrificing his carnivorous tastes to organize dishes primarily based on greens, fruit and fish. In 2 minutes 30 – an exceptionally lengthy format for promoting – the animated sequence of the video arouses admiration and emotion. Between nostalgia for previous Disney and darkish humor worthy of comics The Big Bad Foxthe animation hits the mark. The animals are cute, the setting enchanting, the scenes quirky, and above all, the enhancing is cleverly primarily based on the eponymous tune by Claude François.
A collective revealed on the Oscars
Illogic studiosthese are 4 associates educated at Supinfocom Arles, primarily based in Montpellier since 2018 after a number of years in Paris. An assumed selection for constructing a household studio and preserving inventive freshness. The collective had already stood out in 2018 with Garden Party. Selected in 240 festivals, the animation, navigating between animal documentary and movie noir, was nominated for the Oscars within the animated quick movie class. It was their last research work, created three years beforehand. A 12 months later, they launched one other multi-award successful marvel of creativity, Maestrothe place a squirrel leads nature’s orchestra. From luxurious jewelers to perfumery, together with the Oasis drink, their expertise hits the mark.
If the center of the crew is in Montpellier, it’s not unusual for Théophile and his acolytes Lucas Navarro, Victor Caire and Gabriel Grapperon to encompass themselves with technicians and artists from different backgrounds. “The studio has a close-knit local team, reinforced by European freelancers, sometimes even South American, depending on the projects,” they clarify. For Le Unlovedthey needed to put collectively a crew of 70 artists. From storyboard to last validation, eight months of onerous work.Frame-by-frame animation
It was their Parisian producer who requested them to reply to a name for tenders launched by the Romance promoting company, to which Intermarché entrusted these newest “emotion” promoting campaigns. “We were immediately inspired by the concept of a children’s story proposed by the agency, which fit our universe,” says Théophile Dufresne. “But the challenge was to find our footing,” provides Lucas Navarro. It was within the work of a German designer found on-line, Wibke Rauers, that they discovered inspiration. The shaggy, scoundrel-looking animals of this kids’s literature illustrator match completely with the spirit of the offbeat story. “She joined the adventure, and we are going to work with her again,” enthuses Lucas Navarro.
In the midst of the talk on AI and artwork, Illogic loudly asserts its artisanal strategy. “We make no secret of using many very sophisticated tools, but not AI. Each texture was painted by hand, and the animation was done frame by frame,” explains the younger director. The combination of 2D and 3D permits us to evoke this nostalgia for childhood. An strategy that deeply appealed to Christophe Lichtenstein, president of the Romance company. “In their work, commercial constraints are not seen, they are magicians in both substance and form.” A magic trick with none use of AI.
ALSO READ Asteria, the studio that makes use of accountable AI to save lots of Hollywood “While everyone was talking about it in the advertising, we chose to take the opposite view by focusing on the French ecosystem and the artists,” he says. Would this spot tackle a political dimension? Thierry Cotillard, president of the Mousquetaires group, is satisfied of this. “At a time when Coca Cola and McDonald’s are going all-digital, we wanted to remind people that it doesn’t have the same effect on the public. We are the small Gallic village that resists by supporting French creation as we support local producers and farmers,” he insists.
The voice of Fred Testot
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As within the earlier successes of Intermarché adverts, music performs a decisive function. The Unloved de Cloclo brings an sudden shift, which the animation crew needed to embrace. “She sets the rhythm, creates the ellipses, it was a real challenge,” says Lucas Navarro. The voices of the characters, Fred Testot, Nader Boussandel and Emmanuel Curtel – the French voice of Jim Carrey – contribute to the id of the movie. Here once more a want of the Romance company to “favor French artists”. Moreover, “Claude François’ son did not hesitate for a second when reading the script,” says Christophe Lichtenstein, its president.
As for the ethical of the story, if it appears cutesy, it unites. “The subject is not that the wolf becomes vegetarian, but that he wants to join a group despite his differences,” acknowledges Thierry Cotillard. “We simply say: let’s meet around a good table, in peace, on New Year’s Eve. In a world where everything seems dehumanized, that feels really good, right? » This success comes as the young studio is developing its first feature films, in co-production with Mandarin et Cie (OSS117, Saint Laurent or the series Valid). “We write, we create the characters, that’s our great ambition,” confides Théophile Dufresne, who is just not holding again from new promoting commissions, “especially if they allow us to tell stories, not just about wolves.” The buzz is simply simply starting.
https://www.lepoint.fr/culture/illogic-studios-le-studio-francais-derriere-la-pub-intermarche-qui-cartonne-sur-les-reseaux-sociaux-11-12-2025-2605210_3.php