Harry Potter and Paddington animators breathe life into Kellogg’s mascot

Harry Potter and Paddington animators breathe life into Kellogg’s mascot

Kellogg’s iconic avian mascot comes to life in its new Leo Burnett crafted advert: an upbeat offering which excels in cinematography, music and animation.

Resigned to being a mere vector on the box of Kellogg’s Corn Flakes for too long, Cornelius, the brand’s cockerel mascot, truly awakens in its latest campaign (reportedly costing £12m) ‘See You In The Morning’.

Brought to life through 3D animation, and set to the hip-hop track ‘Jayou’ by Jurassic 5 — the first time this song has been used in advertising — the 60-second film showcases Cornelius strutting through urban streets, embodying the brand's vibrant energy.

The animation was crafted by Framestore, the studio behind visual effects for films including ‘Harry Potter’ and ‘Paddington’. Their efforts aim to rejuvenate Kellogg's cereal sales, which have seen a decline in recent years.

The advertisement is scheduled to air on television starting December 23, with additional social media content rolling out in January. These digital segments will feature Cornelius engaging in various morning routines, aligning with the campaign's focus on ‘You Do You’ moments.

Our take

Cornelius exudes Big Cockerel Energy as he struts around a utopian urban setting for this swaggering CGI debut.

‘Jayou’ by Jurassic 5 (a hip-hop collective who defined my university years) hits the perfect upbeat morning note for the ad too, with ‘Snap, Crackle and Pop’ even getting a lyrical nod.

The riveting visuals are what really ‘wing’ us over, however, helping 2024 stand out as the year when top-notch animation took the Adscape by storm. Asda, Aldi and Royal Ontario Museum led the pack with their original content, but Kellogg’s certainly steps up to the bar here.

Kellogg’s efforts to bring Cornelius to life are part of a wider master plan, with Landor creating a visual identity with the introduction of a custom typeface developed by foundry XYZ. Whether we see the other Kellogg’s characters come together in a giant head-to-head remains the stuff of fan fiction, but for now, we’re here for it.

Credits

AD AGENCY: Leo Burnett
CAMPAIGN TITLE: See You In The Morning
CLIENT: Kellanova
ADVERTISING AGENCY: Leo Burnett
CCO: Mark Elwood
CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Marcus Aitman
SENIOR CREATIVE: Joe Miller
DESIGN LEAD: Miriam Menendez
MOTION DESIGN LEAD: Carmen Perez Jimenez
DESIGNER: Karolina Alvekrans
DIRECTOR OF SOCIAL AND COMMS PLANNING: Jen Leung
PLANNING PARTNER: Amelia Redding
SENIOR PLANNER: Roxy Windisch
MANAGING PARTNER: Charlotte Coughlan
SENIOR ACCOUNT DIRECTOR: Tegwen Tucker
ACCOUNT MANAGER: Bryan Osango
ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE: Sonia Kodasse
PROJECT DIRECTOR: Laura Wilkin
AGENCY PRODUCER: Sam Smith
AGENCY PRODUCER: Lou Pegg
PRODUCTION COMPANY: MJZ
DIRECTOR: Matthijs van Heijningen Jr.
PRODUCER: Donald Taylor
PRODUCTION MANAGER: Spike Elwood
EDIT HOUSE: WhiteHouse
EDITOR: Russel Icke
EDIT ASSISTANT: Thomas Sheriff
SOUND: Steve Perski @ Harbor
VFX HOUSE: Framestore
EXECUTIVE CREATIVE DIRECTOR: William Bartlett
2D SUPERVISOR: Jonni Isaacs
CG SUPERVISOR: Joel Savage
ANIMATION SUPERVISOR: Rocky Vanoost
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Alexia Paterson
LINE PRODUCER: Robyn Borrageiro
PRODUCTION COORDINATOR: Rachel Knight
PRODUCTION ASSISTANT: Jamie Scott
COMPANY 3
COLOURIST: Jean-Clément Soret
SUPPORTING COLOURIST: Matthieu Toullet
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Ellora Soret
ASSISTANTS: Santino Napolitano, Karl Pasamonte, Jack Kennedy
EDITORIAL
FLAME ARTIST: Aadel Matoorianpour
HEAD OF EDITORIAL: Humberto Reynaga
VFX EDITOR: Andrew Fineberg
VFX SHOOT SUPERVISORS: Enrik Pavdeja, Joel Savage
CHARACTER ASSET TEAM
CONCEPT ARTIST: Sam Rowan
ASSET GENERALIST: Bruno Reis Coimbra
ASSET GENERALIST: Billy Butler
HEAD OF GROOM: Gabriela Ruch Salmeron
GROOM TD: Clara Simoné
RIGGING TD: Nathan Clark
ASSET TEAM: Khaled Sabry, Florian Rigollet
ANIMATION TEAM: Adam Bailey, Alfonso Sicilia, Benjamin Lane, Bharat Gour, Camille Garlaschi, Ed Sherwood, Christopher Hutchinson
CREATURE FX TDS: Jack Hubbard, Saabir Pinkney, Steve Page
LIGHTING TEAM: Joel Savage, Johannes Sambs, Martin Blunden, Michael Lyle, Robert Connor
FX ARTIST: Ehsan Parizi
COMPOSITORS: Amelia Braekke-Carroll. Benjamin Lilley, Jonni Isaacs, Pedram Aghakhani, Sian Drury, Matthew Thomas
DIGITAL MATTE PAINTERS:
SENIOR DIGITAL MATTE PAINTER: Harry Wormald
LAYOUT TEAM: GowriShankar Gopinathan, Anna Ventre, Oliver Cordwell
PITCH TEAM
NEW BUSINESS CREATIVE COORDINATOR: Romena Vasanthanayagam
NEW BUSINESS MANAGER: Lorraine Fearon
SENIOR CONCEPT ARTIST: Nikola Yordanov
BRAND COMMERCE AGENCY: LESHOP
CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Ash Bibby
CHIEF CREATIVE OFFICER: Gabriela Lungu
MAIN ART DIRECTOR: Holley Wilkes
MAIN COPYWRITER: Mark Kirwan
ART DIRECTOR: Cressida Eatson-Lloyd
COPYWRITER: John Warwick
DESIGN: Adriano Fidalgo, Charles Tomlinson, Damion Seddon
MOTION DESIGN: Babajide Amusu, Sonya Hau
SENIOR PROJECT MANAGER: Helen White
CHIEF STRATEGY OFFICER: Mark Jenkins
BUSINESS DIRECTOR: Sarah Marshall
ACCOUNT DIRECTOR: Charlie McArthur
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER: Amanda Farmer
MEDIA AGENCY: CARAT
AARON FLETCHER: Planning Partner
AMELIA GREEN: Comms Planner
NOEMI ALOVISI: Market Planning Manager
MICHAEL CHAN: Market Planning Manager
PUBLIC RELATIONS: TAYLOR HERRING
PETER MOUNTSTEVENS: MD & COO
LORA MARTYR: Executive Creative Director
ALICE TROST: Senior Account Director
EMILY MCKAY: Senior Account Manager

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