2023 Winner

To increase brand favourability after the pandemic-driven travel chaos of 2020, Air Canada developed “The Stopover,” by FCB. The animated film used a loon, an iconic Canadian character, to connect with audiences during the holiday season. The film follows a baby loon who gets lost while flying with his family, but finds a wooden toy duck in a house to keep it company. While sleeping, the baby loon gets swept up with the toy duck into Santa’s sleigh and, on that journey, is able to reunite with its family. CGI was used to ensure the characters and settings would be life-like while retaining an element of charm. The aim was to make every detail rich in texture, rather than cartoonish. Even a separate script was drafted, dedicated only to lighting.

Credits

Client:
VP, Brand: Andrew Shibata
Director, Brand Strategy and Content Marketing: John Xydous
Manager, Brand Content Marketing: Annie Couture
Manager, Product Marketing Content: Pascale St-Amand
Manager, Content Marketing: Maude Cadieux
Agency Credits:
Creative
Chief Creative Officer: Nancy Crimi-Lamanna
Executive Creative Directors: Jeremiah McNama
Executive Creative Directors: Andrew MacPhee
Senior Copywriter: Caleb McMullen
Senior Art Director: Hussein Rumaithi
Account Management
VP Client Services: Stephanie Page
Account Director: Rose Noble
FCB Montreal:
VP Creative: Sylvain Dufresne
Account Director: Erin Brown-Vandecruys
Producer
Broadcast Producer: Franca Piacente
Strategy
Chief Strategy Officer: Shelley Brown
VP Strategy: Shelagh Hartford
Production Credits
Production Company: Wonderlust Media
Executive Producer: Christian Rankin
Animation House: Zombie Studio
Director: Paolo Garcia
Executive Producer: Natalia Gouvea
Animation Rep: Hestyreps
Sound Design & Mix: OSO Audio
Creative Director: Daenen Bramberger
Producers: Hannah Graham / Jane Heath