Strange Beast Signs Rudo for UK, Europe, and US Representation
December 11, 2025
Director Martin Engh at Oslo prodco ADP and Stockholm animation house Brikk craft a sobering holiday spot for Infinitum, the Norwegian non-profit responsible for the country’s recycling system for plastic bottles and aluminum cans.
From Brikk: “Every year, bottles and cans left behind in nature kill countless animals. In this Don Bluth-inspired film, we follow a family of mice seeking shelter from a winter storm, transforming an abandoned bottle into a cozy Christmas home, but their refuge is not the happy ending it first appears to be.”
“The challenge was to make the ending emotionally impactful without tipping into melodrama, and to clearly communicate the outcome without explicitly showing it.”
Martin Engh: “Initially, the challenge was convincing the client that traditional 2D cel animation still has a place in mass communication. Thankfully, the agency Pulse championed the vision all the way, giving us the freedom to do things the right way.
“One of the biggest creative challenges was shaping the ending of the film. The story required a sudden and dramatic tonal shift, as the bottle that serves as the mice’s home tips over, trapping them inside and ultimately leading to their death.
“The challenge was to make the ending emotionally impactful without tipping into melodrama, and to clearly communicate the outcome without explicitly showing it.”
Client: Infinitum
Agency: Pulse
Art director: Ole Andreas Finseth
Copy: Stian Taknes Eriksen
Project manager: Camilla Lusk
Consultant: Preben Øiamo
Production: ADP-Animasjonsdepartementet
Director: Martin Engh
Producer: Jakob Thommessen
Animation: Brikk
Producer: Sofia Bohman
Storyboard: Martin Engh, Emil Lundmark
Art Director: John Göransson
Layouts: John Göransson
Color blocking: Emil Lundmark
Painting: Johannes Edvardsson, Simon Putz, Denis Bousygin
Lead animator: Redoad Syed
Animators: Redoad Syed, Ole Christian Løken, Adrian Hurtado, Wren Wright
Clean up: Matheus Pessoa ,Melek Hitch-Turkmen, Caro Borovich, José Luis Peraza
CG: Stardust studios
Producer: Anette Gjertsen
Music Supervision: Ohlogy
Composer: Bjarne Gustavsen
Producer/mixer: Nils Wingerei
Performance: Arctic Philharmonic Orchestra
Recording studio: Kysten Studios
