From the release:

The VES Awards sit at the pinnacle of visual effects craft, recognized globally as the industry’s foremost accolade. BMW Heart of Joy won for both Outstanding Visual Effects in a Commercial and Outstanding Compositing and Lighting in a Commercial.

The campaign was produced by Untold Studios and Parasol Island and directed by Untold director Diarmid Harrison-Murray.

Created as part of BMW’s global ‘Heart of Joy’ campaign, the ad introduced Okto: a fully CG dancing octopus designed as a metaphor for BMW’s next-generation central control unit. Okto is one of Untold’s most ambitious character builds to date.

The VFX team was led by Tom Raynor (Creative Director), Tim Van Hussen (Head of Animation), Sophie Harrison (Executive Producer), and Helen Tang (Producer). CG Supervisor Jack Harris, 2D Supervisor Alex Kulikov, Character Supervisor Alex Doyle, and Animation Supervisor Suvi Jokiniemi guided his look and movement. Rigging Lead, Lewis Pickston developed bespoke systems to give Okto’s arms their blend of realism and expressive flair.

Raynor explains: “The brief, make an octopus dance a waltz, immediately sparked excitement across the team. We began with extensive R&D into authentic octopus behaviour, but it felt unsettling rather than joyful. By gradually dialling up human qualities while keeping a hint of cephalopod charm, we found the sweet spot. The moonwalk request halfway through pushed the absurdity further, and that’s when the performance really came alive.”
 

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From creative concept development to final compositing, every stage of the film’s craft was delivered under the creative studio model. The film was shot on location in South Africa with underwater live-action plates, the project required seamless coordination between the production and vfx teams. These awards underline Untold’s ability to unite direction, production and VFX.

Untold’s prominence at the VES Awards extended beyond these wins. Over the last seven years the studio has received an industry-leading 26 nominations. This year it secured six nominations (three of the five nominations in Outstanding Visual Effects in a Commercial and three of the four nominations in Outstanding Compositing and Lighting in a Commercial.)

The event was very well attended, other big winners on the night were the team behind Avatar: Fire and Ash who took home seven trophies. This year’s VES Awards special honorees were prolific film and TV producer Jerry Bruckheimer and Wētā Workshop co-founder and COO Richard Taylor, who received the 2026 VES Lifetime Achievement Award and VES Visionary Award, respectively.
 
 
You can read the Stash feature on BMW “Heart of Joy” (with full credits) here and also find the spot in Stash 172 of the Permanent Collection.