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Spike Jonze & Zendaya Define the “Shape of Dreams” for On

Posted on Monday, April 13, 2026

Channeling the stop-motion mischief of classic Norman McLaren and the National Film Board of Canada, Oscar-winning MJZ director Spike Jonze puts Zendaya through her paces for three minutes of surreal fun for sportswear brand On.

The film was developed by the On in-house creative team in collaboration with Jonze, with LA post house Trafik handling VFX and color, Final Cut tackling the edit, and Squeak E. Clean Studios providing music/sound design.

“Throughout the film, the process takes on a surreal, boundary-defying quality as outfits stretch, shrink, and transform until they find their final form.”

From On: “The centerpiece of the campaign is ‘Shape of Dreams’, a film set inside Zendaya’s imagined design world, The Dream Lab. Here, creation is a canvas for imagination, where silhouettes evolve, materials shift, ideas are refined.

“Throughout the film, the process takes on a surreal, boundary-defying quality as outfits stretch, shrink, and transform until they find their final form.”

For more of Spike Jonze’s in-camera commercial magic, we recommend his Apple HomePod spot.

Images

A person in the foreground gazes at a distant figure, who appears small and holds a blue ball. A large hand pinches the distant person amid the white, spacious room, evoking the surreal style of Spike Jonze’s Shape of Dreams. Frame from Stash Magazine article.

In a white, minimalistic room, several people sit or stand on geometric shapes. A large hand extends toward a central figure, creating a surreal effect—like a scene from the On Shape of Dreams ad featuring Zendaya, directed by Spike Jonze. Frame from Stash Magazine article.

A woman in a white tank top gestures toward a person dressed as a white paper airplane with a blue arrow—an imaginative scene reminiscent of Spike Jonze. Four people stand in the background, all in a bright, minimalist white room with stairs on the right. Frame from Stash Magazine article.

A person in a blue tank top and white skirt stands facing a large mirror, holding up one finger—like a scene from Spike Jonze's Shape of Dreams, the reflection shows multiple smaller versions disappearing into the distance. Frame from Stash Magazine article.

Six people, dressed in casual, sporty clothing, gather in a minimalist white room beneath a large black "On" logo. The scene evokes the Shape of Dreams, blending modern style with quiet energy. Frame from Stash Magazine article.

Credits

Client: On

Production: MJZ
Director: Spike Jonze

VFX/Color: Trafik

Edit: Final Cut
Editor: Jeff Buchanan

Music/Sound Design: Squeak E. Clean Studios

Stephen Price

Stephen is the co-founder/CD of Stash Media Inc. and the executive editor of Stash Magazine and the Stash Permanent Collection.
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Category: Advertising, Featured, Stop Motion · Tags: Final Cut, MJZ, Squeak E. Clean, TRAFIK