Director Yves Geleyn and his coterie of talent at the Hornet animation studio have for the second Chinese Lunar New Year in a row teamed with Ogilvy Shanghai for a holiday message from Coca-Cola. This is the year of the Rabbit, which is the luckiest of the 12 animals according to the Lunar New Year Zodiac.
This film tells a generational tale of rabbits. In this case, the oldest generation must travel to the youngest for the Lunar New Year celebration. Grandma Rabbit prepares her homemade dumplings in a traditional burrow, dreaming of holidays past. After traveling through fields of tall grass, she reaches the Big City where her Grandson lives, a great stone urban setting reaching into the sky. Grandson’s ultra-modern townhouse with its high ceilings and rock-hewn walls stands in stark contrast to the soft, cozy intimacy of Grandma’s home in the ground. Ears laid back, Grandma hops to the dining room table and is humbled by the opulent dishes. Grandson notices as Grandma hides her old-fashioned dumplings in her lap. He lovingly hands her a Coke, refreshing her spirits with a bubbly reminder of all their special moments shared over this treasured tradition. With the dumplings centered in a place of honor, they clink their Cokes in togetherness–like they always have.
This celebration of family and coming together carries an emotional intimacy as generational differences–and the very different worlds they inhabit–are overcome. Coca-Cola serves as a catalyst of joy and togetherness, reminds the Rabbits and the audience of this season’s powerful campaign message: Lunar New Year may change, but celebrating together is magic.
