The master of emotion, Minted Content director Sune Sorensen, has created another touching holiday film – this time for printing service, Allegro, and DDB, reminding all that the greatest gift we can give our children is time.
The spot follows Ida, a young girl whose imaginary friends help pack her school lunch or catch the bus on time. Others keep her company when she’s alone or cheer her up when she’s down. What they all have in common is that they fill a void – one, her busy parents struggle to fill.
The film features a new recording of the Ben. E. King classic, Stand By Me, by singer, Lucy Zahn [Frozen] and stars London talents, Delilah Bradley, Bruce Mackinnon, and Grace Rowe. Its production blends practical techniques with novel AI to bring Ida’s imaginary friends.
Sorensen commented, “It’s a very real story about parenthood and childhood, about the loss of innocence, about growing and not wanting to grow too fast, and about the little things that matter the most. It’s not tropey or clichéd, it’s a contemporary reflection on grappling with the balance of family, work, and life. Ida’s imaginary friends are more than an expression of her vivid fantasy, they’re a coping mechanism. That’s also why I didn’t want the infatuation with AI or effects to overshadow the heart of the film.”
Integrating AI at this scale required new creative and technical solutions, Sorensen added, “AI is a powerful tool, but it behaves very differently from traditional VFX, so you have to understand both its limits and its advantages. Ideas that are traditionally costly (i.e. multiple characters) can be achieved with much less effort, while those that are usually accomplished more easily (i.e. interactions) can prove more complicated. But ultimately, story still comes first.”
The production relied on a close collaboration between the production designer, Platige Image (post-production), and a mix of puppeteers, stilt artists, and theatrical performers.
“Our whole team pulled together to make sure the actors had something real to play against. Everyone, including the agency and client, were aware of the importance of finding the right balance between warmth, whimsy, and grounded authenticity,” Sorensen stated.
Credits:
Director: Sune Sorensen
DoP: Eigild Bryld
Client: Allegro
Marketing Manager & Brand Management: Karolina Sytnyk
Senior Employer Branding Specialist: Olga Roloff–Woszczyk
Head of Group Brand Marketing: Daniel Piątkowski
Copywriter: Miłosz Regulski
Creative Agency: DDB
Chief Creative Officer: Zuzanna Duchniewska
Deputy Creative Director: Magdalena Kramer
Senior Art Director: Piotr Kopeć
Senior Copywriter: Marcin Rychlik
Group Account Director: Aleksandra Filipek
Senior Account Manager: Ewa Szarras
Senior Project Manager: Agata Niedźwiadek
Deputy Strategy Director: Łukasz Tarnowski
Graphic Designer: Barbara Zientek
Production Company: Moon Films
Executive Producers: Magda Betlejewska, Jakub Ranik
Producer: Agata Wiśniewska
Production Manager: Nela Niewiadomska
Production Coordinators: Monika Wzorek, Karolina Przyczka, Michał Kontraktowicz, Michał Zawadzki
Post-producer: Julia Grzegórzek
1st AD: Bartosz Jastrzębski Dzida
Post-Production: Platige Image
Post Producer Katarzyna Banasiuk
Head of CG: Marek Gajowski
Head of Production: Agnieszka Górna
VFX & CG Supervisor: Marek Gajowski
Grading: Piotr Sasim
Online: Piotr Popielawski
Lead AI: Arkadiusz Arciszewski
Director of Animation: Tomasz Karelus
Sound Studio: Juice
Producer: Sylwia Szczepankiewicz
Sound Design: Kuba Pietrzak, Michał Jaroszewicz
Music: 2WEI
