Hornet’s ongoing character-based charm offensive for US grocery retailer Kroger continues with this new holiday spot, helmed by directors Yves Geleyn and Michael Thurmeier and guaranteed to make you misty-eyed.

Yves Geleyn: “Through Jack and Isabela’s story, we are reminded that as life goes on, we all have special ways of keeping our loved ones with us.

“We wanted to make the spot relatable to the viewer, emphasizing the importance of living the moment, and placing the magic of family meals at the core. I think our biggest challenge was to hit so many different emotions in the run time we had, without anything feeling underdeveloped or over the top.”

Production notes:
• Thurmeier is a Canadian animator and film director best known for directing the films Ice Age: Continental Drift and Ice Age: Collision Course.
• The music track is a cover of the Goo Goo Dolls’ 1998 hit “Iris” recorded by Grammy-winning American singer-songwriter Colbie Caillat.

Watch Yves Geleyn’s 2021 Lunar New Year spot for Coca-Cola.
 

 
Client: Kroger

Agency: DDB New York
Chief Creative Officer: Mat Bisher
Creative Director: Paulo Junger, Cassandra Anderson, Vinicius Fernandes, Mussashi Shintaku, Rafael Oliveira
Head of Production: Teri Altman
Producer: Bree Hopenwasser

Production: Hornet
Director: Yves Geleyn, Michael Thurmeier
Art Director: Michael Knapp
Managing Partner: Hana Shimizu
Head of Production: Karen Lawler
Creative: Kristin Labriola
Executive Producer: Alex Unick
Production Supervisor: Dez Stavracos
Producer: Sean O’Loughlin
Coordinator: Brandon Buikema
Storyboard Artist: Tony Makinen, Camillo Clauser, Stephanie Dere, Valerie Yan
Character Design: Margaux Zisner
Designer: Tom Humber, Alex Levenson, Hannah Kim, Valerie Yan, Alma Kim
Rigging: Chris Hill
Modeling: Alex Levenson, Adam Rozenwieg, Nick Wegin, Angeline Rivera, Constance Benson
Look Development: Rui Zhu, Joseph Chen, Angeline Rivera, Mohamed Sinbawy, Kwan Au, Alvin Bae
Lighting: Natalia Perez Melendez, Lighting: Nicole Noel, Kwan Au, Alvin Bae, Mohamed Sinbawy, Grace Hwang, Nelson Mai, Richard Kim, Nick Wergin, Angeline Rivera
Animation: Meg Oswalt, Animation: Matt Parent, Nick Christie, Hee Jin Kim, Rob Somers, Matt Corsillo

Music: Colbie Caillat “Iris”