Directed by Sam Gainsborough via Blinkink, this film from agency Uncommon Creative Studio transforms video game Clash Royale’s beloved characters into an extraordinary balloon-built world, where more than 10,000 real twisted balloons were used to forge every aspect of what you see on-screen. In this surreal universe, the balloon nature of the characters is never questioned–it simply is. The Goblin trembles in genuine fear. The Barbarian rages with helpless fury. The King, confronted with an impending explosion, quietly accepts his fate.
To bring this ambitious vision to life, Gainsborough involved Airigami, a team of expert artists who create large-scale installations, illustrations, and experiences entirely out of balloons. Each character was meticulously handcrafted to ensure immediate recognizability while embracing the uncanny qualities of their inflated counterpart. Through extensive pre-production, the team refined not only the likeness of each figure, but also the physical behavior of the balloons, carefully designing how they expand, where pressure builds, and how their forms distort under strain.
Working across multiple scales, the artists achieved remarkable levels of detail, allowing for both intimate character moments and large-scale visual impact. The cinematography also draws heavily from the horror genre, using extreme close-ups, dramatic angles, and dolly zooms to build tension and amplify the expression of each puppet.
As the pressure mounts, the characters swell beyond their limits; their balloon forms pushing against the letterbox frame itself, visually reinforcing the escalating tension while also nodding to the film’s underlying absurdity. The climactic moment delivers a visceral payoff: balloon explosions captured at 1,000 frames per second, with fragments tearing through the air like elastic shrapnel.
For Gainsborough, this “Fill Them With Fear” film was just another instance of him pushing the boundaries of animation, live-action and stop-frame techniques, to create a truly worthy addition to the Clash Royale universe.
