W+K Portland Honours KFC's Giant Chicken in Georgia with Cute Animated Movie

Wieden+Kennedy Portland has teamed up with Awesome Inc to launch this touching short film 'Big Chicken. Small Movie.' The animated short pays homage to Marietta, Georgia’s beloved 56-foot-tall steel fowl.

In the film, a young boy who’s a bit of an outcast finds a friend in the gigantic steel chicken, and they go on an adventure in North Georgia. For KFC franchisee owner and VP of Marketing for KBP Foods, Anthony Gianino, the film marks the culmination of an exciting project. The beloved 'Big Chicken' KFC restaurant reopened to the public May 11th following a $2.2 million renovation.

From the beginning, the intention was to make this film as Atlanta-focused as possible. The creative team from Wieden+Kennedy Portland, KFC’s creative agency, is from the Atlanta-area, and Georgia’s own Awesome Inc was tapped to bring this to life.

For Awesome Inc, an Atlanta based studio known for both its series and commercial work, Big Chicken Small Movie was the perfect blend of interests and the opportunity to honor the local monument in a charming, design-driven tale of friendship, launching on Sunday, August 6: National Friendship Day.

“We were so excited when W+K reached out to us about the Big Chicken project,” says Awesome Inc founder/EP Ashley Kohler, “As a native Atlantan, I’ve grown up knowing and loving the giant KFC icon. Having this opportunity to work with a world-class agency on a local symbol, something dear to our hearts, was like winning the lottery. We can’t say enough about how collaborative, kind, and supportive W+K has been, how incredible the people we’ve met from KFC were, or how beautiful the renovation is at the franchise. We hope everyone gets a chance to see it at some point!”

W+K copywriter Mike Egan, who was born and raised in Atlanta, commented: “I think every Atlantan has a tender spot for that giant bird, so it was an honor to try to do it proud. Also, I’m excited to show all my friends from high school that I made it to the top—even if it’s just the top of the Big Chicken.”