LEAP’s Film and Post team directed a series of stop-motion animation films to promote wagamama’s launch of take away and delivery services of their delicious meals, all wrapped up in newly designed packaging. The films feature selected ingredients dancing across the screen creating beautiful patterns in a choreographed routine of complementary colours and shapes to illustrate the dishes’ fresh, delicious flavours as well as spell out the words “take-out” and “delivery”.
Our creative and production team engaged with wagamama from the earliest stage of pitching the ideas and treatments for the films through to filming the stop-frame animation studio shoot. On set, we worked closely with wagamama’s brand team and chefs to make sure the ingredients and finished dishes were as photogenic as they were true to the dishes that customers order in the restaurants. To enable us to complete four different animations within a one-day shoot, our team also filmed individual shots of each ingredient in various positions; this meant that we could also use digital stop-frame animation at the VFX stage.
Our postproduction team selected the best of the mouthwatering rushes to edit and set about compositing and animating the scenes, with each film summarising the story of delicious, fresh ingredients culminating in a tasty meal. Our colourist provided the final colour grade to emphasise the vibrant colours, which are as fresh as the flavours themselves.
In one film, carrot sticks and pea shoots peek out then hide beneath a signature wagamama takeaway bowl. A hand enters frame to remove the lid and reveal the teriyaki beef donburi, then the bellyband slides under the bowl much like the menu-placemats would appear in the restaurant. Next, the hands return to replace the lid and wrap the packaging before adding the chopsticks as a final touch for the customer to take away their meal. Other films feature fanciful twirling chillies, spinning limes, somersaulting prawns, sunshine-style onions and pin wheeling peppers.
The delightful animations played out as sponsored content across social media feeds.