McDonalds Spicy McNuggets

Client: McDonald's (via Harbor Picture Company)

Role: Motion Designer / Animator

Deliverables: Broadcast Commercials, Digital & Social Ads

The Overview

When McDonald's prepared to launch their highly anticipated, limited-run Spicy McNuggets, Harbor Picture Company brought me on board to bring a vibrant, retro-inspired pixel animation campaign to life. The goal was to create a fun, high-energy visual language that matched the bold flavor of the product and resonated with audiences across multiple platforms.


The Challenge

The primary objective was to seamlessly merge a nostalgic, 8-bit visual aesthetic with the fluid, fast-paced rhythm of modern motion design. Furthermore, the campaign demanded a highly adaptable technical approach to ensure the animations retained their impact across a wide array of aspect ratios, from traditional television broadcast to vertical social media formats.

The Execution

While the initial brief called for minimal motion design elements, I proactively developed and presented elevated animation concepts designed to integrate more dynamically with the live-action footage. The client enthusiastically embraced this added visual depth, expanding the scope to feature this detailed animation style across the majority of the campaign's scenes. Throughout the production process, I collaborated closely with Creative Lead Oliver Davies to ensure the final motion language perfectly aligned with the broader creative vision.


The Impact

The final animations successfully captured the heat and excitement of the Spicy McNuggets drop. The campaign was deployed on a massive scale, rolling out across national broadcast television and targeted online digital channels, effectively driving engagement for one of the world's most recognizable brands.

Agency: Leo Burnett

CCO: Mark Elwood

ECD: Andrew Long & James Millers

Agency Producer: Kate Reynolds

Copywriter: Matt Wood

Art Director: Tom Loveless + Mickey Shu-Ting Chan

Designer: Tomek Drozdowski & Harry Ingrams

Production Company: MJZ

Director: Joy Kilpatrick

Producers: Daniel Gay + Spike Elwood

Harbor // VFX, Sound, Colour

VFX Lead: Joseph Tang

Senior VFX Producer: Hannah Jarrold

CD, Design: Oliver Davies

Animator: Jared Tomkins

Colourist: Alex Gregory

Sound Design & Mix: George Castle & James Benn

Additional Sound Design: James Cobbold

EP, Sound: Savannah King

Editor: Rebecca Spaven

Edit House: Marshall Street Editors

Edit Producer: Lola Cookman