- ATLANTA
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Coca-Cola has launched its first ever Christmas Anthology film series, under a new creative platform, "Real Magic Presents."
"Real Magic Presents" will see the brand producing new films in different formats all centered around one premise: to share and celebrate stories of human connection, told in magical ways.
Coca-Cola’s first "Real Magic Presents" film production and Christmas anthology--“Christmas Always Finds Its Way”--is the product of a creative collaboration with world-class partners and talent. Premiering on Prime Video yesterday (12/7), the anthology consists of three short films, produced by Brian Grazer and Ron Howard’s Imagine Entertainment. Grazer and Howard are Oscar-winning filmmakers.
“Through ‘Real Magic Presents’, Coca-Cola is continuing the promise of the ‘Real Magic’ platform that was launched in 2021, creating more innovative experiences and deeper engagement with fans, across multiple channels,” said Selman Careaga, category president, Coca-Cola. “Christmas has always been a special time for our brand. This year, with our anthology series, we are excited to be breaking new ground, ensuring we are recognizing not just its iconic past but also--in finding new ways to connect with new audiences--its future too.”
To create the anthology, the team tapped production company PRETTYBIRD’s roster for its award-winning directors Vellas (Brazil), JB Braud (France) and Alex Buono (US).
The diverse stories, Alma, Les Petits Mondes De Noël and Christmas Bites, are each set in a different continent but are united by their core creative territory, which celebrates the extraordinary power of Christmas in creating both real and magical connections.
Alma (12 mins) is a set in a town in Mexico, famous for making Christmas decorations for the world all year-round. They no longer feel the magic of Christmas, until an event happens to reignite the magic. This short film is directed by multi award-winning Brazilian director, Vellas, who's a leading Brazilian commercial director and is about to embark on a Latin American Netflix series.
Les Petits Mondes De Noël (11 mins) is a romantic love story that unfolds between two estranged lovers working at a neighboring record and bookstore in Paris, who rekindle their connection as they create their decorative holiday window displays. Parisian director, JB Braud has earned critical acclaim for his short film In the Still Night (2019) and Apple’s shot on iPhone campaign "Le Peintre" ("The Painters").
Christmas Bites (10 mins) is a comedy set in America around a vampire who meets his girlfriend’s parents for the first time, and what happens when he meets his long-time rival, Santa. It is directed by Oscar and Emmy -nominated American filmmaker, Alex Buono, critically acclaimed for his Netflix series Russian Doll (Season 2), Hulu’s gonzo sci-fi/action/comedy series, Future Man, and Comedy Central’s Detroiters.
"'Real Magic Presents' is an extension of the ambition at the heart of the 'Real Magic' platform, which is to use universal storytelling to bring to life the magic all around us in everyday moments of connection and humanity’, said Pratik Thakar, global head of creative strategy and content, Coca-Cola.
“Christmas provides a wonderful creative canvas for storytelling. We are delighted to have partnered with the incredible team at Imagine Entertainment to bring to life our first Christmas anthology, which celebrates moments of human connection and spirit. And under the umbrella of ‘Real Magic Presents,’ we are looking forward to working with other talented writers, filmmakers, producers and platforms to bring more stories of ‘Real Magic’ to life”.
Tanner Elton, VP of U.S. sales, Amazon Ads, said, “As Coca-Cola looks to create meaningful connections with audiences this holiday season, we’re excited to provide a seamless experience that helps them share these films with viewers around the world. From branded content on Fire TV and IMDb to custom Amazon Fresh bags and a Twitch watch-along in Europe, we’re enabling multiple ways for customers to discover these beautiful short films on Prime Video. This program exemplifies the growing opportunities to create new forms of entertainment content and engage audiences in enhanced and rich ways.”
Coca-Cola, led by its team in Latin America, partnered with OpenX from WPP (spearheaded by agency Grey) in the creative development and production of the Christmas Anthology Series. Imagine Entertainment partnered with PRETTYBIRD to produce the films with acclaimed filmmakers from around the world.
Marc Gilbar, EVP Brands, Imagine Entertainment, said “At Imagine we are always looking to partner with ambitious brands looking to create memorable and meaningful stories. Coca-Cola’s unique credibility in entertainment, deep connection to Christmas and global reach made it the perfect partner to bring these three amazing stories to life.”
Javier Campopiano, global chief creative officer at OpenX from WPP, and CCO of Grey, added, “This is the time of the year when we can´t get enough of holiday movies. That’s why, with the help of three amazing directors, we are bringing to life an anthology that expresses all the emotions of the holiday season, beautifully wrapped with unexpected storytelling. Who else other than Coke can bring to the world new magical tales, just in time for the season?” .
Customers in select countries with a Prime membership or Prime Video subscription will be able to view the Coca-Cola “Christmas Always Finds Its Way” Anthology through a free trial also available to eligible non-members.
Here's a trailer for the anthology series:
Client Coca-Cola Agency Open X from WPP led by Grey Javier Campopiano, worldwide CCO at Grey and global CCO for OpenX from WPP; Diego Medvedocky, president & CCO LATAM; Brent Singer, executive creative director; Costanza Rossi, creative director-head of art; Alejandro Devoto, CCO Argentina; Jessica Bass, Talia Rapp, creative directors; Manuel Castillo, Enrique Torguet, associate creative directors; Raquel Chicourel, chief strategy officer; David Toussaint, global head of strategy; Donna Yan, strategy director. Townhouse Agency Producers James McPherson, chief production officer; Brooke Kaylor, Saul Metnick, Maxine Hose, executive producers; Megan Swan, sr. producer; Kelsey Longo, producer; Kurt Steinke, director of music production. Production Partner Imagine Entertainment Marc Gilbar, EVP, branded entertainment; Katherine Guerra, development coordinator; Meredith Kaulfers, SVP, documentaries. Production Company PRETTYBIRD Alex Buono, director, Christmas Bites; JB Braud, director, Les Petits Mondes De Noel; Vellas, director, Alma; Matthew Jensen, DP, Christmas Bites; Andre Chemetoff, DP, Les Petits Mondes De Noel; Kahlid Mohtaseb, DP, Alma; Ali Brown, president; Mike Rosen, VP of development; Tracy Hauser, director of production; Brian Lierk, production supervisor; Miles Barfield, postproduction producer; Geoff Walker, line producer, Christmas Bites; Doochy Moult, line producer, Les Petits Mondes De Noel; Helena Medina, line producer, Alma; Aaron Bredley, production supervisor, Christmas Bites; Israel Mijangos, production manager, Alma; Martina Petrikova, production manager, Les Petits Mondes De Noel; Justin Dragonas, production designer, Christmas Bites; Lucie Amosse, production designer, Les Petits Mondes De Noel; Telsa Malouf & Claudio Castelli, production designers, Alma. Casting Jill Anthony Thomas, casting director, Christmas Bites; Paulina Maqueda, casting director, Alma; Michael Illel & Antione Guthman, casting directors, Les Petits Mondes De Noel. Production Services Unit+Sofa, Tiny, Fady Salameh, exec producer; The Lift, Alma; Jose Barrera, Fuad Abed Dalton, exec producers. Music & Sound Machine NY For Christmas Bites: Alex Bingham, mix; Nigel MJanington, sound design & dialogue edit; Philip Clements, Foley record & edit; Eleni Hassabis, original composition & arrangement. For Les Petits Mondes De Noel: Alex Bingham, mix; jack goodman, sound design & dialogue edit; Philip Clements, Foley record & edit; Brice Cagan, original composition & arrangement. For Alma: Alex Bingham, mix, sound design & dialogue edit; Nigel Manington, sound design; James Cobbold, sound design & dialogue edit; Philip Clements, Foley record & edit; Chris Hill, original composition & arrangement. Matej Oreskovic, exec producer; Andi Lewis, sr. producer. Postproduction Significant Others Justin Brukman, managing director; Alyssa St. Vincent, exec producer; Julia Johnson, head of production; Tricia Chatterton-Goldrick, Irka Seng, sr. producers. Editorial Final Cut Justin Brukman, managing director; Sarah Roebuck, exec producer; Penny Ensley, head of production; Jamie Nagler, producer; Patrick Colman, editor, Christmas Bites; Chris Rizzo, assistant editor, Christmas Bites; Adriana Legay, editor, Les Petits Mondes De Noel; Michah Chase, assistant editor, Les Petits Mondes De Noel; Antonio Gomez-Pan, editor, Alma; Alyce Muhammad, assistant editor, Alma; Gerardo Regalado, apprentice editor, Alma. Color Grading TRAFIK Dimitri Zola, colorist; Meghan Lang Bice, sr. exec producer, color; Julia King, color producer; Taylor Pool, color assist. VFX For Alma: NASH Cirilo Bonazzi, VFX supervisor; Flavia Gannam, producer; Andrew Neumann, Alice Villela, Cirilo Bonazzi, Luiz Fernando Tavares Alves, Rafael Assoni, Rafael Jimenez, Renata Prado, VFX artists; Caio Sorrentino, Fagmario Rodrigues, Tomas Piccinini, CG artists; Gabriel Bittencourt, conform. For Christmas Bites Ingenuity Gabriel Regentin, creative director/VFX supervisor; Grant Miller, executive VFX supervisor; Paul Anton, VFX producer; Steven A. Bellin, lead animator; Hui Li, David Gurrola Garcia, FX artists; Paul Baran, CG lead; Rebecca McKee, Matchmove lead; Hugo Martin Sanchez Aguire, comp lead; Andy Gomez, VFX editor; Andrew Hsu, lead pipeline TD; Christopher Kornosky, lead data wrangler.