Shared ten times more than the John Lewis advert, Erste Group’s Christmas commercial is a truly viral Christmas film.

Through the unique fuzzy and tactile aesthetic, this heartwarming story told in beautiful 3D CG animation has been taken into the hearts of millions this Christmas.

The directors’ aim was to create a film entirely in CG that felt like a genuine mixed media film. The tree's foliage was created in 2D, the sets were designed and sculpted to look like real-world miniatures and the characters were given a tactile flocked fur texture, feeling like fuzzy puppets. All of these techniques were seamlessly blended to create a film with a truly unique appearance.

The characters were textured with reference from real flocked fur and each one was painstakingly groomed by an artist to give them their one-of-a-kind look. A lot of effort was put into creating sets that appeared as miniature sets. Tiny details like the grain on the wood and the size of the nails holding everything together were carefully considered. Details like that aren’t necessarily picked up by the eye but contribute to your perception of the overall scale of the world.

“In Camera” lens flare was created using a special plugin that makes the film look as though it was shot on cameras as opposed to created in CG. The whole thing was animated “on twos”, a technique that means it was every second frame that was animated to replicate the movement of a stop-motion film.

The tale about friendship and love, made for Erste Group follows Henry, a young hedgehog, starting a new school where he struggles to fit in. His classmates rally around and find the perfect Christmas present for their new friend.

The directors’ recognised approach to film making, combining beautifully designed sets & characters and a charming tale, results in a truly heart-warming film.

The CGI animation has been given a truly unique tactile and fuzzy feel with the directors telling the story of love through the adorable characters.

“Christmas is the time of the year when it’s important to believe not only in yourself, but also in the good of others. Even when the obstacles seem insurmountable – love will find a way. This is what the charming story of the hedgehog and his little friends reminds us of.”

38 Million Views on Facebook

1.3 Million Shares on Facebook

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