Alt.vfx have taken home a Bronze Lion for Animation and a Bronze Lion for VFX in Film Craft, presented on Wednesday evening in Cannes.

In collaboration with agency Deutsch & Smuggler, the spot was directed by Mark Molloy and sees Ernie the Panda travel across landscapes far and wide in a quest to return to his best friend, Lucy.

Alt’s talented team brought the panda to life in CG in a seamless production between Alt’s new studio in Los Angeles and their existing Australian studios in Brisbane and Sydney.

The stunning film was shot on various locations across Europe. Colin Renshaw, Founder and VFX Supervisor for Alt, worked closely with Director Molloy and Smuggler to combine practical and digital to realize this piece of emotionally charged storytelling.

Colin said: “We loved collaborating with the director, agency and production on this awesome spot from the outset, and were able to offer advice on how to make Mark’s vision possible. We’re delighted to come to Cannes and take home two Lions for all of our hard work!”

In addition to the CG animated lead character, all of the locations were enhanced with detailed digital matte paintings to give the landscapes a spectacular feel for Ernie’s epic journey home.

When the spot launched in late 2017, Deutsch Executive Creative Director, Guto Araki, said: “We didn’t just fix this film in post, we made it in post. Alt.vfx took a little stuffed panda and gave him a soul. Collaborating with them was fantastic and we couldn’t have been happier with how it turned out. And we’re incredibly grateful for everyone’s hard work, long hours and talent.”

To watch the Lions’ winning spot and the VFX breakdown, head to https://www.altvfx.com/work/tile-lost-panda/