Erste Group wants you to Bee-lieve

Following up on last year’s runaway success, First Christmas, Jung von Matt has developed a new fluffy ad for the season, Hanna Bumblebee. 

The story follows Hanna the bumblebee, who refuses to believe that bees are unable to fly. Taking inspiration from the quote that bees should not be able to fly because their wings are too small to get their bodies off the ground, the film shows us how Hanna and her friend attempt to get off the ground. They use trampolines, fans, and even a kite in their experiments. At the end of the ad they do learn to fly, not because of tools or machines, but because of themselves.

Hanna Bumblebee, while touching, is expertly made by Passion Pictures, full of incredible details that would imply that these bee-creatures are made from felt, thread, and a whole lot of cotton balls. The stop-motion effect is exceptionally rendered, and we get fun details throughout the piece, like the written alphabet on the bottom of the chalkboard is formed from hexagons. 

The texture of this piece is incredible. The fuzzy bees, canvas posters, grass, wood, and snow are all rendered in craftlike quality that reads as exceptionally tactile. There’s no end to the care that went into this film and the CGI work throughout is singular.