Art Direction & Animation
Storytelling animation for Finnish Ice-cream brand
"It would be fun to animate those penguins!" I thought the other day at the supermarket, while my eyes scanned through the colorful packages of Pingviini, my favorite Finnish ice-cream brand. "I am gonna create an ad that people wouldn't want to skip!" With such ambition, I embarked upon my animation journey.
As a fan of Pingviini's lovely penguin character who is full of expressions, I decided to bring those characters to life. Intrigued by the idea of having those expressive penguins going for jäätelö, I let my imagination run wild and created the short animation below. Bearing in mind the Finnish roots of this well-liked ice-cream brand, I also tied the story to another major winter tradition of Finland -- ice-fishing.
Have you ever seen a circle of ice-fishing penguins?
(Turn on sound for better viewing experience!)
From storyboarding, copy, to illustration, animation and final production, I had great fun throughout the process as I created an entirely new animated representation of Pingviini.
The central message of the animation -- Don't worry, syö jäätelöä -- reflects the core values of Pingviini that spreads joy and smiles through ice-cream. This frame-by-frame 2D animation lasts for only 20 seconds, yet it tells a full story that engages the audience regardless of their age. It contextualizes the brand, brings it to life and sets free the imagination of the audiences.
The illustrated poster further elaborates upon the animated world of penguins -- here you have a lonely penguin figure looking up at the moon, perhaps pondering over his life...? Or perhaps, reflected in his eyes is a moon-shaped ice-cream! Don't worry, syö jäätelöä!
