BBC | Winter Olympics 2010 | 2010
Why does the Inuit warrior fight the bear? / BBC "Winter Olympics 2010"
I never expected an Olympics promo to pull from Inuit mythology for the Vancouver Games. But somehow, it fits perfectly.
The problem
What the BBC made for the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics wasn't just an ordinary promo. RKCR/Y&R and Studio AKA chose as their motif the "inukshuk," the stone figures of Inuit culture.
The insight
Athletes battling brutal, freezing nature, and Inuit warriors who survived in that same harsh environment—overlap these two, and sport becomes myth. The story follows a warrior setting out to recover a stolen piece of an inukshuk. Each of his movements doubles as a skill from the actual sporting events.
The idea
Directors Marc Craste and Jon Klassen created a 60-second animated epic. The warrior skis, skates, and bobsleds his way across the far north, finally facing off against a bear spirit. The 3D animation, blending flat graphics with a sense of depth, lets myth and sport exist on the same screen.
What happened
It won a BAFTA, received a Wood Pencil or higher at D&AD, and took Bronze at the Clio Awards.
Afterthought
Borrowing a symbol from another culture to tell the story of modern athletes as myth—the sheer strength of that idea turns a promo into something you actually want to watch. I do feel a little conflicted that the villain is an "evil bear spirit," but... I guess I have to accept that too.
Awards
- Cannes Lions Gold 2010
