Kraken Black Spiced Rum Unleashes its Legendary Origin Tale

Recently launched in Australia and the UK, The Kraken Black Spiced Rum has created a 30-second mini movie to bring its monstrous origin story dramatically to life. 

Created by Purple Creative, and production agency Fight Gravity, in partnership with teams from South Africa, Northern Ireland and Hungary, the action-packed ad is a mix of live action, epic sets and colossal CGI.   

Picture the scene… 

The year is 1870. It’s the dead of night. A merchant ship called The Leviathan is sailing the slate-grey waters of the mid-Atlantic, her cargo of fine Caribbean rum and exotic spices safely stowed below deck. The crew are enjoying a rowdy game of cards in the hold when, in the blink of the Kraken’s colossal eye, they are ferociously and furiously attacked.  

The movie tells the ill-fated origin story of how The Kraken was first stained ink-black, all set to the haunting soundtrack of ‘I Won’t Go To Heaven, And That’s Alright’ by ALIAS. 

“No other brand can tell such a dramatic and legendary story! Our aim is to give meaning to our Black Spiced Rum and showcase The Kraken’s bold and fearless personality and attitude – which we do in an unbelievably epic way.” said Michael Cockram, Proximo Spirits global marketing director. 

As viewers can see, The Kraken is a legendary rum brand with an origin myth to match. Named after a fabled sea monster, The Kraken is the original black spiced rum, beautifully housed in an iconic bottle that’s based on those found in Victorian ships. The brand has attracted a cult following since its launch in 2010. 

The film was a key part of a wider campaign created to increase The Kraken’s flavour credentials, educate rum lovers about the brand and prove that The Kraken is a deeper, darker spirit choice. It also launches The Kraken’s new ‘Legendary’ endline, referring to both the story and the flavour profile of the rum. 

“This 30-second ad was a fantastic challenge! It mixed live action, including stunt teams and epic real sets, with state-of-the-art CGI animation. The Kraken has a big fanbase, so we couldn’t let them down. That’s why we really pushed the creative boundaries and set incredibly high standards for what we expected to achieve – we had to make the story as legendary as the rum!” said Steve Bewick, founding partner, Purple Creative. 

An astonishing amount of detail went into every scene. All the characters have back-stories, with director Rudolf Peter Kiss even imagining what the characters might have had in their pockets. The inside of a wooden 1870s trading ship was physically built as a set, complete with authentic lighting, furniture and fixtures. This gave a realism to the film that just wouldn’t have been achieved otherwise, allowing the actors and stunt men to perform in a real environment rather than green screen.   

Some of the shots were so challenging that Dune Steadicam operator Attila Pfeffer was brought in, to make it look like the actors were genuinely pitching about on the ocean. 

For fans of The Kraken, the set was scattered with ‘easter eggs’ – subtle references to the brand’s back story and other innovations, like Roast Coffee hessian sacks to hint at the brand’s flavour extension, and Kraken tattoos and ornaments. 

“We are over the moon with the ad. The amount of detail the director has managed to cram in is quite astonishing. Really, it’s more of a mini movie than a commercial!” said Paul Cheung, founder, Fight Gravity. 

The ad was filmed in Hungary, at Budapest's Astra Studios, where series and films including The Witcher and The King were filmed. 

The Kraken Black Spiced Rum ad, now featuring new portfolio end frames in the UK and RTDs in Australia, can be seen on screens from Q1 2024.