In this campaign for the Ginger Grouse alcoholic ginger beer product launch, we started by establishing a new look for the character, a svelter, hipper cousin of the existing Famous Grouse.

Then, using the act of opening, pouring, and enjoying a sip as our loose narrative, we embark on a journey through a worm-hole into a metaverse of sparkling liquid-crystal tastescapes.

To achieve this, we used a mix of techniques. Our character is animated entirely in 3D. His face is drawn over in Flash to bring out personality. The rest of his landscape was previsualized in 3D to provide basic camera data and timing as well as inform the more complicated fluid and particle systems. Everything is then animated in Flash at 25fps to get the smoothest, most fluid results while keeping our shapes and environments very graphic.

The biggest challenge was trying to make 20 seconds feel like a journey but not feel rushed. We needed to introduce the new grouse, explore a world of flavor (crisp, smooth, spice, zest), and return transformed with a new perspective, as the “Ginger” Grouse.