XYZ Studios and Charlex previously partnered with BBDO/NY to create a fully CG spot for Dodge called “Journey”. The results exceeded the expectations of all parties involved. The two companies have come together once again to collaborate on an even more ambitious project.

The spot is “Homecoming,” for Ribena, a popular Australian juice product made from black currants. Again, the parties proved that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.

Ribena has been doing TVC’s for nearly 50 years. The brief from Grey Advertising and their client GlaxoSmithKline was to bring their well-established 2D characters into the 21st century.

“There were many challenges in the spot,” said XYZ director Tim Kentley. “We had an entire family of distinct characters, intricate landscapes, a highly detailed mother tree, fluid simulations and atmospheric lighting. On top of this, we really had to ensure the story and performance was right.”

Tim worked with XYZ Senior Art Director Auver Cedric Austria to develop the character design, story and landscapes. The rest was executed by Charlex, who wrangled the entire production including modeling, animation, lighting and compositing.

“XYZ does more than just direct a ‘TVC’,” continues Kentley. “What we end up doing is creating a new visual landscape for a client and their product. This is then integrated into motion, print, on-line and across all touch points. It’s a really rewarding level to work at and one that, with Charlex, will only become more powerful.”

Charlex ECD, Alex Weil, agrees. “It was nice to take the techniques we explored during our in-house project ShapeShifter and apply them to an entirely different esthetic. ShapeShifter was dark and moody, Tim’s vision for “Homecoming” was a colorful, light-hearted, natural but stylized world, bathed in warm light. To say that we’re enthusiastic about our partnership with XYZ is an understatement.”

XYZ Studios now shares office space in Charlex’s New York studio.