“Once Upon a Tree” is the story of two button-cute nutcracker bears who, after a year of being tucked away together, find themselves on separate sides of the Xmas tree. Distraught at the thought of spending the holidays apart, a series of heroic efforts to reconnect include zip-lining along a string of lights and collapsing a gingerbread house. With a little help from Air Canada, in a dramatic and final leap of faith, the tiny wooden bears reunite with a heartwarming embrace.
Blending the latest CGI technology with hand-painted brushstrokes, in both the French and English renditions, the creative storybook-style visuals are perfectly complemented by the voice of Montréal singer-songwriter Charlotte Cardin, who returns to Air Canada’s holiday campaign for the second year. In addition to recreating the enchanting 90s hit “Une Chance Qu’on S’a” by legendary Montreal crooner Jean-Pierre Ferland in the French ad spot, the four-time Juno Award winner also puts her beautiful new spin on Bryan Adams’ iconic 1991 classic “Everything I Do (I Do It For You)” in the English spot – bringing together two of the country’s great classics in a new stirring symphony.
FCB handled strategy and creative, with animation by Hornet and Dan Marsh serving as director. The spot is available in 90, 60, 30 and 15 second cutdowns, and will live on both paid and organic social media, Air Canada’s in-flight entertainment system, and be shown on television and in cinemas across Canada.
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Credits
Client Air Canada Agency FCB Toronto Nancy Crimi-Lamanna, chief creative officer; Danilo Boer, global creative director; Jeremiah McNama, Andrew MacPhee, executive creative directors; Hussein Rumaithi, Caleb McMullen, associate creative directors; Franca Piacente, broadcast producer; Kendra Plantt, VP, director of studio production; Chris Costa, sr. integrated producer; Jesse Reid-Smith, sr. production artist; Jean-Pierre De Leon, sr. art director; Leslie Couto, production artist; Alexandra Zuniga, production manager; Vince Piscopo, facilities manager; Shelley Brown, chief strategy officer; Shelagh Hartford, VP strategy. Agency FCB Montreal Sylvain Dufresne, VP creative; Nicolas Baudry, sr. copywriter; Olivier Laplante, copywriter; Anick Rozon, producer. Production Company Hornet Dan Marsh, director; Hana Shimizu, managing partner; Karen Lawler, director of production; Kristin Labriola, head of creative development; Greg Bedard, exec producer; Sam Mason, creative director; Dez Stavracos, head of production; Sean O’Loughlin, producer; Matthew Sandager, sr. editor; Cole Bannick, assistant editor; Judy Tam, production coordinator; Lizzy Dolce, talent coordinator; Camillo Clauser, storyboard artist; Anya Butler, Vincent Gallut, Hannah Kim, Toshiki Nakamura, Kaycee Nwakudu, character designers; Chiara Benedetti, Kim Dulaney, Bryan Jimenez, Hannah Kim, environment designers; Sami Healy, animation lead; Josh Brennan, Matt Corsillo, Kaycee Nwakudu, Paris Powell, Fabien Rousseau, Patrick Sholar, Camille Vincent, animators; Josh Brennan, Sami Healy, Kaycee Nwakudu, Fabien Rousseau, Camille Vincent, cleanup animators; John Kalaigian, CG supervisor; Sam Mason, creative director; Justin Zurrow, CG lead; Krista Albert, Moises Gomes, CG modeling; Ali Jamili, Will Moody, look dev; Andrew Boccio, Matt Corsillo, previsualization; Jared Eng, CG layout; Ali Jamali, Laney Lai, Nicole Noel, Stacie Plassche, Rui Zhu, light & rendering; Eric Concepcion, compositing lead; Herc Fernandez, Alex Harding, Andy Malvasio, Dhruv Shankar, Shandy Tam, compositors; Evan Schoonmaker, colorist; Sami Healy, Justin Zurrow, Eric Concepcion, lead CG/motion graphics. Audio Cult Nation Charlotte Cardin, artist; Laurie Chouinard, artist manager; Tanguy Meunier, exec producer & music arrangement & mix; Lubalin, Sam Avant, Paul-Antoine Aubry, music arrangement; Melissa Hassing, music coordinator; Arnaud Coutray de Pradel, audio producer; Fahey Martin, audio coordinator; Rene-Pierre Guerin, François Bélanger and Tanguy Meunier, sound design. Music Search (English) OSO Audio, Soundtree, Barking Owl. Music Licenses Bryan Adams, “Everything I Do (I Do It For You)”; Universal Music Publishing Group & Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd
This short film narrated by Jon Stewart is the centerpiece of a campaign that tells “the story of the school for autism that changed the world,” using a fresh, irreverent tone that departs from traditional nonprofit communication and highlights The New England Center for Children’s (NECC) large-scale impact in autism education, clinical research, and staff development. The film debuted at NECC’s 50th Anniversary Gala last month and will extend across online video, social, and event channels. Distribution will include Meta and other channels to reach audiences in the U.S. and globally.
Colossus is the creative agency behind the campaign and the short which marks a pivotal time for NECC which celebrates its 50th year in operation and looks to enhance its impact and awareness worldwide. “One Powerful Place” steps through 50 years of work in treatment innovation, teacher training, legislative advocacy, vocational programming, and family-support services.
Colossus’ executive creative director Greg Almeida said, “The idea of One Powerful Place is based on a core truth. When you walk into NECC, you see the scale and commitment of every part of the organization. From the teachers to the nurses, cafeteria workers, administrators, everyone. The power of what they are doing is obvious and inspiring. To be able to tell this story and share it with the world is a privilege. And to have someone like Jon Stewart, who we all really respect and admire, lend his voice to this work is a testament to the school and its incredible mission.”
Stebs Schinnerer directed the “One Powerful Place” short via Stebs.co.
