For the third year in a row, Vetor Zero/Lobo produced the traditional Christmas spot for Liverpool, one of the biggest chains of department stores in Mexico. Created by AM Alvarado Molina agency, the commercial brings back Bolo, the company’s teddy bear mascot, this time for a story full of action and adventure.
Directed by Gabriel Nóbrega and Nando Cohen, this 3-minute long, full 3D animation shows an unsuspicious Liverpool store that turns out to be Mission Control for none other than Santa Claus himself, reinforcing the link between the brand and the Christmas spirit. After the store shuts down its doors, Bolo and the other toys come alive, climb down from their shelves and set out to help Santa with the last arrangements, before he takes off to deliver presents all around the world. Soon, however, they realize that a couple of toys in the list are missing, and set off on a race against time in order to retrieve them before midnight. During this quest Bolo and his friends perform an electrifying series of stunts and escapades, referencing some memorable 80s movies like “Gremlins”, “E.T.” and “Raiders of the Lost Ark”.
This production is another fine example of Vetor Zero/Lobo’s technical virtuosity, especially the realism of textures and materials of the 3D models. The long duration of the spot also presented a big challenge: according to director Gabriel Nóbrega, “despite being a commercial spot, those three minutes had us thinking more in terms of a short film than a usual advertising piece.”