The commercial tells the story of a friendship between a hyena named Hattie, who is bullied by her pack for not knowing how to laugh, and an antisocial zookeeper -Carl- who doesn't want to laugh at all. Their passion for content makes Carl and Hattie end up sharing a curious friendship that will lead them to escape from the zoo and regain hope and more importantly, their smile. An unexpected Christmas tale condensed in two minutes for Prime Video, a brand specialized in storytelling.

Hyenas are usually portrayed as savage animals, especially thanks to international classic films like The Lion King. We had to turn that around through the storytelling, different gags in the film, and our main character’s evolution.

Another challenge was that the campaign was aired in 7 different countries with very different languages so we had to develop a story that would resonate across every culture. We wrote a script with no dialogue but a very recognizable song that could make anyone, anywhere, smile.

Smile, originally written by Chaplin and better known because of Nat King Cole's version was the perfect soundtrack for our script. We kept Chaplin's amazing lyrics that fitted perfectly with the storytelling but needed a more modern take in the song. British up-and-coming artist Joy Crookes sang over Nat King Cole's original arrangements creating the perfect atmosphere, transforming every word in the lyrics into the perfect dialog for each scene in a commercial for a company whose logo is actually a huge smile.

Smile though your heart is aching

Smile even though it's breaking

When there are clouds in the sky, you'll get by

If you smile through your fear and sorrow

Smile and maybe tomorrow

You'll see the sun come shining through for you

That's the time you must keep on trying

Smile, what's the use of crying?

You'll find that life is still worthwhile

If you just smile