Crafting the Sound of a Blockbuster: How Music Amplified the Minecraft x McDonald’s Moment

‘A Minecraft Movie’ is heading towards the billion-dollar mark with over $816 million at the global box office, as of April 28th. It’s truly a phenomenon, with fans of the best-selling game of all time flocking to their local theatres to be part of it.

It’s a cultural moment, helped in part by the film’s promotional partner, McDonald’s.

The McDonald's and 'A Minecraft Movie' campaign, created by Wieden+Kennedy NY, involved the launch of the ‘A Minecraft Movie Meal’ – offering fans the opportunity to collect physical objects from the series, as well as digital collectables and player skins in-game.

“Fans of both brands are wildly creative. You just have to give them the tools to create amazing things on their own,” say W+K creative directors, Rose Sacktor and Paddy Treacy. “From the gameplay screen recordings of an army of Grimaces, to large groups of friends putting on a ceremony while they eat the meals, to fans dressing up in full cosplay when they order – it’s absolutely incredible.

“Before we started ideating on this campaign, we saw that there were thousands of McDonald’s built in the game by fans,” they add. “It was an awesome opportunity because it wasn’t necessarily about bringing Minecraft into McDonald’s or McDonald’s into Minecraft, it was doing both at the same time and staying true to what fans love about both brands in an authentic way.”

Knowing how discerning the Minecraft community is, the team immersed themselves in the game to give sufficient respect to the lore and details across each touchpoint – from the packaging to the collectable designs, stunts, social content and promo films – and especially one vital aspect of the spots: the music.

​Music and Strategy (MAS) captured an authentically Minecraft sound in its original compositions for the McDonald’s campaign – assisted by MAS partner, Gabe Hilfer, who was a co-music supervisor on the film itself, alongside the legendary Karyn Rachtman (‘Pulp Fiction’, ‘Boogie Nights’).

Also collaborating closely with director Jared Hess and producers Cale Boyter and Mary Parent, Gabe tells LBB that working on the film from the New Zealand set was “an incredibly fun process, with an infectious energy surrounding the film from the very beginning”.

“We came up with some wild ideas throughout the whole process, but on a film this big, it’s a team decision,” he says. “We knew from the script level that Jack [Black]’s character, Steve, was going to sing some songs, and we had to figure out what those were going to be – that was our main ask from the very beginning. Then, when we got to post production, we had to hone in on the sound of the film.”

This was no small ask, Gabe notes, as fans of the Minecraft franchise have a significant affinity with the game’s original music, composed by C418. “We made sure to include his music when it made sense,” says Gabe. “The film’s composer, Mark Mothersbaugh, is incredible and was able to create something new while honouring C418. And the songs Steve sings in the film, like ‘Steve’s Lava Chicken’ and ‘Ode to Dennis’, are evidence of Jack Black’s genius.”

When it came to adapting this sound for the McDonald’s tie-ins, MAS was tasked with making its new compositions ‘feel like an extension of both the movie and the game’, but still bespoke to the campaign’s story. “We wanted the films to feel like bonus scenes from ‘A Minecraft Movie’, but with a McDonald’s twist,” say Rose and Paddy. “Music was always going to be really important to bring that narrative to life.”

In the spot ‘Enter the Minecraft Universe’, the beloved McDonaldland characters emerge from a portal and explore the Minecraft world in their distinct ways – Grimace as an oblivious beginner, Birdie as a high-flying thrill-seeker, and the Hamburglar collecting his Minecraft burgers. To find that seamless connection between the game, movie and the McDonald’s campaign, the creative team mimicked the tonal shift that occurs when day becomes night in Minecraft, adding to the drama and providing MAS a perfect opportunity half-way through to take a sinister turn, sonically.

“It created a sense of urgency,” add the creative directors. “These characters needed to find shelter before the zombies and creepers came out. It was so fun to create a score where the music shifts so suddenly yet still feels connected as one singular scene. Gabe was super helpful in this process, since he was so familiar with the music in the movie and game. He allowed us to truly make this feel like an extension of the Minecraft world.”

Rounding out the musical experience for the campaign, the MAS team was even able to create a unique Minecraft twist on the iconic McDonald’s five-note jingle. “We always had the authenticity and the game players in mind,” says Gabe, “but the music we have in the [McDonald’s] film serves the movie and the director’s vision.” Jared Hess’ involvement in both the movie and the ads also helped Gabe with this consistency. “He had a real aesthetic and feel for what he was going for, and we got to work within those parameters to make it pop.”

“Music is probably the most important element in any film that signals to the viewer what emotion they should be feeling,” add Rose and Paddy. “You just need a great producer to bake in time for music development, and we definitely had that.”

And it shows in the final product – a film that artfully pays homage to the McDonald’s brand and the Minecraft franchise in all its forms, with a soundtrack built authentically, note block by note block, by Gabe and the team at MAS.