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October 28, 2026
Working with Spy Films director Henry Scholfield, Toronto motion design studio SAGA conjures an obsessively-detailed, nine-decade, CG journey through Canadian Life for the venerable blended whisky brand Crown Royal.
SAGA CD Joey Recoskie: Rather than building a series of product shots, we recreated complete environments with period-authentic architecture, furniture, lighting, materials, and styling to create spaces that feel both familiar and lived in.
Alongside the environments, the Crown Royal bottle, cap, label and signature velvet bag were meticulously recreated, preserving the subtle design changes that reflect the brand’s enduring heritage.
“To reinforce the nostalgic quality, the final CG was transferred to physical film across multiple formats, including 8mm, 16mm, 35mm, and VHS.”
Crafting nearly a century of Canadian life required an expansive library of more than 500 bespoke props and environmental assets. Every object was custom modeled and surfaced before being layered with its own signs of age, wear and everyday use.
To reinforce the nostalgic quality, the final CG was transferred to physical film across multiple formats, including 8mm, 16mm, 35mm, and VHS which introduced authentic grain, warmth and imperfections that echo the story itself. The result feels less like a digital recreation of history and more like a memory captured in time.
Client: Crown Royal
Agency: Courage Inc.
Production: Spy Films
Director: Henry Scholfield
CG: SAGA
CD: Joey Recoskie
EP: Ashley Monaghan
Producer: Brittany Sheahan
Product Modeling: Justin Goode
Model/Design/Animation: Chris Moberg, Tektura Studio
Light/Render: Chris Moberg, Tektura Studio, Jeff Briant
Compositing: Feather
Transfer: Rascal
Audio: Boombox Sound
