Spiders & Sparrows Signs Goodrebel as West Coast Rep
April 8, 2026
The all-Melbourne team of directing duo Lumberfly, prodco Pixel, and agency Cummins & Partners conjure a perfectly odd couple in this charming character work for Australian financial services provider Equip Super.
Hen Beeman and Josh Thomas, aka Lumberfly: “Finding the right style and design for the chicken and his octopus pal took time. The characters needed to be playful and eye-catching without feeling like they belonged on a kids’ show rather than a superannuation fund TVC.
“There was also a real risk the octopus could end up looking slimy and off-putting if we went too far into hyper-realism. So we explored a semi-realistic, stylized treatment through 2D concepting, hand sculpting, and a grapefruit texture of all things, as the basis for the skin.
“The characters needed to be playful and eye-catching without feeling like they belonged on a kids’ show.”
“The feathers for the chicken also went through a few phases. Our character is a ‘silky’ which is more of a cute little ball of fluff as opposed to a typical chicken. We moved away from traditional feather shapes to a fur and strand-based simulation route to achieve the soft feeling we were after.
“Between intricate hand animation, complex rigging requirements and simulation work, there was plenty for us and our team to sink our teeth into. It’s always a treat to work on projects that balance technical and creative problem solving to reach the final vision.
“The strong creative put forward by the client and agency, as well as their excitement for the project and trust in us meant for a delightfully smooth job.”
Client: Equip Super
Agency: Cummins & Partners
CD: Heath Collins
Group Account Director: Meg De Laurier
Head of Production: Steven Tortosa
Production: Pixel
Director: Lumberfly (Hen Beeman, Josh Thomas)
EP: Haley Polacik
Producer: Garett Mayow
Houdini: Alexander Murphy
Rigging TD: Robbie Reid
Animator: Ben Hubbard
Modeler: Emily Pritchard, Jordan Carter
Character Design: Sarah Brennan
Storyboard Artist: Dylan Shearsby, Amanda Brooks
Sound: Echo Darling
