To present the 2002 Kinder Surprise collection Canadas TOPIX, a commercial computer animation studio, has created 3D character animation for the 30-second spot Action Convention, for Ferrero Canada Ltd. and agency Garneau Würstlin Philip Brand. For those not in the know about this candy treat, Kinder Surprise, launched in Italy in 1972, is a hollow chocolate egg which contains a collectable prize. In Action Convention an animated Kinder Surprise is seen underwater, decked out in a diving bell, as he introduces his collection of toys for 2002. Flanked by animated toys and marine life, the spokes-prize tells the audience about some of the prizes they can win while animated jets, trains and animals interact to spread the news. TOPIX director of animation Chris Johnson explained, "Both the agency and their client wanted to expand the market for Kinder Surprise. Typically, a younger audience has collected the toys and they wanted to capture the attention of 7, 8 and 9 year-olds as well. The spot needed to be edgier, more action oriented to target the slightly older audience so we made the storyboard a little more upbeat and lively. Our team utilized more extreme camera angles, darker toned colors - although the toys themselves are still constructed of primary colors - there is a tighter focus on the toys, and we incorporated a number of interesting effects including particles coming out of the jet as it shoots by. This was a challenging project as we had to incorporate multiple characters, projected light, particle effects, water, lots of interesting and well illustrated backgrounds and still make it all readable in a compressed time frame." The creative team utilized Discreet Logic's inferno, Softimage XSI, AfterEffects, Photoshop and Illustrator on the spot.
