Director Lucie Bourdeu Joins Biscuit Filmworks
December 3, 2025
Heartwarming CG spots from Montreal animation studio Tonic DNA have become a Christmas staple (see here and here), with this year’s effort focused on food insecurity during the holidays in a campaign for US insurance brand Highmark.
From the Tonic DNA Team: “Highmark asked for a timeless, character-driven film that could communicate its mission for years to come. Inspired by a real neighborhood pantry, the film follows a young girl on a mission to bring her community together around fighting hunger. Beneath this simple narrative lies a universal message: small acts can make a big difference.
“Bringing ‘(un)Hungry’ to life required a careful balance of digital precision and handcrafted imperfection. Our creative team wanted the film to feel as if it had been made by hand – a world that was warm and tactile despite being computer-generated.
“Beneath this simple narrative lies a universal message: small acts can make a big difference.”
“One of the biggest creative challenges was achieving a stop-motion sensibility in a CG environment. To bridge the two worlds, directors Jamil Lahham and Fabien Fulchiron used a drop frame animation technique, mimicking the organic rhythm and charm of traditional stop-motion.
Jamil Lahham and Fabien Fulchiron: “Instead of giving the characters perfect CG hair, we decided to handcraft them using virtual reality tools. That gave the characters’ hair a very distinct look.
“Our texture artist also painted by hand over the normal maps, giving the overall look a very broken-up finish. It was another way for us to disrupt the perfect, clean surfaces that CG naturally produces. The result is a film that feels handcrafted in every frame, a seamless fusion of technology, artistry, and heart.”
Client: Highmark Health
Agency: Tonic by Highmark Health
Sr. VP: Amy Spears
Sr. CD: Keith Loell
Sr. Director of Content: George Friedman
CD: Shawn Smith
EP: Alyssa Kramer
Manager Copywriting: John Venable
Lead Copy: Lauren Black
Lead Design: Amy Ballintine
Lead Creative Integration Manager: Katie Krissinger
Manager, Creative Integration Management: Julia Westbrook
Production: Tonic DNA
Director: Jamil Lahham, Fabien Fulchiron
EP: Stefanie Bitton, Nadim Chartouni
Producer: Sofie Lamontagne
Agent: Liz Laine Reps – Liz Shaw
Storyboard: Steven Go
Character Designer: Valentina Brancati
Environment Designer: Phoebe Mao, David Goldstyn, Michael Renaud
Matte Painter: David Goldstyn
Animation Lead: Jamil Lahham
Animator: Wiley Townsend, Leya Laroche-Boafo, Tyron Rijavec
Rigger: Mirayi Studios
3D Environments/Props/Textures: Fabien Fulchiron, Jamil Lahham, Lisandre Theriault-Brunet, Maxime Pelletier, Quentin Labbe
3D Character Hair: Jamil Lahham, Fabien Fulchiron
3D Character Textures: Fabien Fulchiron
Lighting: Fabien Fulchiron, Lisandre Theriault-Brunet, Maxime Pelletier, Carl Valleray
Compositing Lead: Marta Grasso
Compositor: Marc-Andre Bourgoin
Music/Sound Design: Vapor Studio
