Peter Pan has been delighting audiences for over a century, and he’s taken flight in every medium from page to stage to animated classics. In 2015, Pan (starring Oscar nominees Hugh Jackman and Rooney Mara) brought the legendary character’s origin story into the new millennium for a fresh audience. Our campaign for Warner Bros. engaged digital dreamers with online activities that spread the wonder beyond the big screen.
With three activities, two games and a boatload of innovation, we ignited young fans’ imaginations by providing them the creative keys to the kingdom.
Click to view - Avatars: Made in Neverland
The audience was empowered to create their own Pan-esque characters with "Avatars: Made in Neverland”. AvatarLabs originally developed the pint-size pirates and warriors for use as personalized 3D-printed collectibles, part of an experiential out of home execution. When the promotion was scrapped, Warner Bros. asked us to bring the avatars to life in a mobile- and tablet-first character generator for the global audience. The filmmakers settled on the huggable, unisex body type after multiple 3D design sessions to determine the ideal kid-friendly shape that also satisfied Shapeways’ 3D printing specs. Numerous items of clothing and accessories were sketched; 11 were fully realized. The 3D elements were modeled in Maya and Cinema 4D, and rendered through a custom Python script that dynamically assembled all permutations into completed figures, creating an efficiency boost by saving 3D modelers from having to manually combine meshes for every possible outcome.
Click to view - Mermaid Rescue
In "Mermaid Rescue”, fans dove into an undersea adventure game where they set out out through enchanted waters to rescue Peter from the Crocodile while dodging jellyfish and collecting seashells, pearls and treasure chests. In addition to delivering a tidal wave of gaming goodness, the game featured clips from the film that introduced Hook and Tiger Lily.
Click to view - Become the Pan
When players were ready to come up for air, they could attempt to "Become the Pan”. In this game, fans bounced on a virtual trampoline, dodging and destroying obstacles to demonstrate their worthiness of the title of "Pan” — a title only granted to the fiercest warrior in the land.
Click to view - Neverland Your Room
"Neverland Your Room” was an activity that invited participants to re-imagine their ideal bedroom in digital form. They painted their walls in the blink of an eye and adorned their surroundings with fun chandeliers, furniture and art. When their creation was complete, they could submit it to enter a sweepstakes for free tickets to the film.
Finally, fans were enticed to send a virtual postcard with the help of "Photos from Neverland”. Fans uploaded their photos, then added one of four themed stickers including the clock tower, a full moon, a pirate ship, and Tiger Lily’s home. They had the ability to add a colorful overlay and frame, then save or share to social networks. The resulting images propagated the wonder and whimsy of Pan leading up to the premiere.
With their minds full of magic, our audience was primed for the adventure of a lifetime. Pan successfully rebooted one of filmdom’s most beloved franchises for a whole new generation of lost boys and girls.