Malak and the Boat, an animated short for UNICEF from agency 180LA, shows the plight of Syrian refugees, transitioning to live action to show that the tale of a seven-year-old girl named Malak has roots in real life.
House of Colors served as the animation studio.
Client UNICEF Agency 180LA William Gelner, chief creative officer; Stephen Larkin, chief marketing officer; Rafael Rizuto, Eduardo Marques, executive creative officers; Dave Cuccinello, David Povill, creative directors; Natasha Wellesley, director of integrated production; Jason Lau, art and content producer; Florian Bodet, Irene Luevano, Bethlehem Herhane, translators. Animation House of Colors, Los Angeles Adhemas Batista, designer/character/storyboards/concept art; André Holzmeister, director and script, CGI, visual direction, character; Jonathan Marshall, character/concept art/storyboards; Ricardo Almeida, Guilherme Neder, animatic; Luiz Abud, project manager; Rodrigo Henrique, render wrangler (Rendering sponsored by RebusFarm GmbH/Reederservice. Editorial Melvin Editorial Dave Groseclose, editor; Brian Scharwath, postproduction manager. Sound Design/Music Hefty Audio Edu Luke, Elisa Gatti, sound design/music
Toolbox: 3D Studio Max, After Effects, Corona Renderer, Zbrush, Rebusfarm)
Fresh off Lay’s 2025 beloved Super Bowl spot, “The Little Farmer,” and a global brand refresh, comes a brand-new commercial airing in the first half of the big game on Feb. 8.
Titled “Last Harvest,” the new emotionally driven ad follows a father-daughter potato farming duo as they pass down generations of potato harvesting knowledge, showcasing a true legacy in the agriculture community. Academy Award winner (Jojo Rabbit) Taika Waititi directed “Last Harvest” via production house Hungry Man for agencies Highdive and Frito-Lay in-house shop D3. Waititi brought his signature storytelling style to this year’s Lay’s ad, just as he did with “The Little Farmer.”
Set against a moving rendition of “Somewhere Only We Know” (originally recorded by English rock band Keane), “Last Harvest” weaves through heartfelt flashbacks, shining a light on the family-owned farms behind many of Lay’s potato chips.
“Last Harvest” was inspired by Neumiller Farms in Illinois, a family farm that Lay’s parent PepsiCo has worked with for decades. It’s a third-generation potato and vegetable farm now run by father and daughter team Tom Neumiller and Katie Floming, who grow 3,500 acres of potatoes annually. Their farm plays a vital role in the Lay’s story, with Tom now guiding Katie as she prepares to lead the farm’s next chapter.
Read More
