Aardman brings animation to Hotels.com campaign
Bristol's Aardman Animations has created four 30 second ads for Hotels.com on behalf of Young & Rubicam Chicago.
Y&R briefed Aardman to create a friendly and identifiable everyman - a character called Smart - who is worldly wise without coming across as smug.
Aardman created all the character and set designs from plasticine and put together storyboards. The ads, produced using stop-motion animation, started airing in the US this week.
Chris Entwistle, head of modelmaking at Aardman, took Y&R's early designs and sculpted Smart ouf of plasticine to bring the character to life.
"Aardman's style is completely charming," said Ken Erke, chief creative officer at Y&R Chicago. "Each 30 second commercial becomes a highly entertaining short film."
The scripts feature Smart, voiced by Ed Helms from the American version of the office, with his wife, a friend or colleague and also introduce animal characters.
Aardman's Peter Peake, who directed the ads, said: "As always, casting the right voices for animated characters is crucial. For Smart the agency approached actor and voiceover artist Ed Helms to bring just the right blend of comedy and authority to the character.
"Ed was also very generous with his improvisation and we always take our animation cues from the voice, which allowed Smart’s performance to become more spontaneous and natural.”