Rodents are well-known for their tendency to chew through cables, and the reason behind this behavior has now been revealed. Similar to human families, mice require high-speed fiber-optic broadband to coexist harmoniously and enjoy the benefits of modern technology. Passion Pictures, in collaboration with director Tom O’Meara, has illustrated this concept in a 60-second advertisement for the Spanish telecommunications provider Movistar.
Upon meeting the main mouse, Lucas Lopez, and his family, viewers are immediately charmed by their adorable appearance and engaging story. The narrative, accompanied by a catchy song and relatable lifestyle, resonates with audiences, despite the presence of a massive cheese machine in the kitchen. When Lucas observes the installation of fiber optic cables, he ingeniously connects them to their hidden world.
Passion Pictures‘ ability to blend traditional stop-motion and digital animation techniques was crucial in giving the mice and their home a visually appealing aesthetic. While the mice in the advertisement are CGI, they were designed based on handmade maquettes to capture the essence of the characters.
The CG operators at Passion Studio in London successfully achieved a lifelike appearance for the mice, with each fiber in their felt bodies visible in high-definition or 4K resolution. The warmth, softness, and expressiveness of the mice, coupled with their movements, enhance their charm.
Using lidar scanning, photogrammetry, and photography, Passion Studio digitized the handmade sets and incorporated real-world textures to create a 3D rodent environment. The mice were animated and seamlessly integrated into the sets to maintain a stop-motion feel.
The concept for the advertisement was developed by the agency VLM Madrid, offering potential for future episodes featuring the Lopez family. Tom expressed a desire to further explore the hybrid technique of digital characters in miniature sets, praising Passion’s CG team for their expertise and collaboration.