Our brief was simple: to share some Disney magic with the world this holiday season. Supporting a business objective to deepen connection between consumers and the Disney brand.
To do this, we needed to strike a balance between creating something unexpected to get noticed and talked about during the busy holiday period, while also feeling undeniably Disney.
We collectively decided what we should make was not a Disney Holiday ad campaign, but a Disney short film about the Holidays. A piece of content that would surprise and delight audiences in a way only Disney could.
Cue 'The Boy and the Octopus' – an enchanting four-minute story of friendship between a little boy and a curious octopus who wants to see the world. Directed by acclaimed filmmaker Taika Waititi and set to the instrumental soundtrack of ‘Part of Your World’ from Disney’s The Little Mermaid. It was hosted on Disney’s owned channels, including Disney+ (and it should be noted, being approved for Disney+ as a piece of content is an amazing achievement in itself.)
In summary, to quote one of the countless fan comments online: Disney magic is back.
