McDonald’s is inviting gamers into the animated world of ‘Maccas Mini Games’ with a new spot that combines the restaurant’s iconic meals with fun mobile challenges. Directed by Passion Melbourne's Simon Robson, the antipodean outpost of Passion Pictures called upon trusted collaborators Red Knuckles for their world class animation and art direction. The advert explores the various games on offer with the McDonald’s app, recreating the gameplay in extensive detail as two players are introduced to the animated world.
The bright spot sees a couple dive into the world of Maccas Mini Games, becoming animated avatars as they embark on mini golf and maze-themed challenges. At the end of the game, they’re both rewarded with a free McDonald’s item, returning to reality to celebrate their wins.
“I’ve been a fan of Red Knuckles since seeing their film Dark Noir some years ago,” says director Simon Robson. “Together, we workshopped ideas to create a better and more exciting visual than the low-poly, simplified phone games. Translating our style frames into the full animated films meant maintaining the frames’ charming illustrated feel in 3D. This is never easy, but the crew at Red Knuckles knew exactly how to work this through, applying great levels of detail and nuance to the 3D worlds. The Red Knuckles artists really nailed it. I couldn’t have been happier.”
Credits
Agency: DDB Sydney
Production Company: Passion Pictures Melbourne
Director: Simon Robson
Line Producer: Nick Canham
Producer: Beth Shulman
Producer: Karlene van Opdorp
Animation Studio: Red Knuckles
Creative Directors: Rick & Mario
Head of Production: Pedro Lino
Production Coordinators: Lucy Caetano, Samia Ahmed
Lead Character Artist - Leonardo Viti
3D Generalist/Modeler - Adam Lindsey, Arianna Querin, Emily Govinden, Felipe Bassi
Rigging: Rijah Kazuo
Mattepainting: Clément Danveau
Animation: Thibaud Clergue, Edwin Leeds, Rémy Herissé
Lighting/Compositing: JB Aziere, Elise Simoulin, Paco Rocha
UI/UX Design: Leanndro Amorim
