Pixel Circus creates the advert for the UK launch of the Pirates of Caribbean 3 DVD.

Pixel Circus creates the advert for the UK launch of the Pirates of Caribbean 3 DVD

17th November 2007 - As you enter the Microsoft MSN UK homepage you are faced with a battle between two ships, cannonballs fly, you click on the advertising banner for Pirates of Caribbean 3 and suddenly, to the rousing familiar music from the film, Captain Jack Sparrow somersaults onto the screen and has an astonishing swordfight with Davey Jones resulting ultimately in our hero winning and Davey falling into the sea with a huge splash, flushed with success and with a few swipes of his sword the main trailer for the film opens amongst a moody Smokey background.

Pixel Circus, Microsoft approved vendors, were recently tasked through Microsoft Digital Advertising Solutions on behalf of Disney to create a ground-breaking animation, special effects, sound effects and music for the launch for Pirates of the Caribbean 3 DVD. The advert was premiered on the weekend of the 17th November 2007 through the MSN UK homepage and was a massive success.

The Pixel Circus team led by Jon Yallop, Creative Director, recreated Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) and Davey Jones (Bill Nighy) from scratch using 3D reference material. The figures were then rigged and animated with the impetus on the use of the witty characteristics which make these characters so memorable to those familiar with the films. Jon said "With such an important film franchise it was of paramount importance for viewers to immediately recognise and engage with the characters."

The characters then had to interact seamlessly with the homepage banners and with the addition of the films music and sound effects it all came to life. Water effects and smoke were created within particle systems to add mood and realism.

Damien Cooke Director said "This project had many challenges, from the strict timelines, to the approval of all the multiple global parties involved which including Johnny Depp himself. We were proud to have delivered this excellent creative project on time and to our customers overwhelming satisfaction"

Early Stages of Animation

Captain Jack Sparrow Model

Davey Jones Model

Client Comments:

Ruth Beman, Brand Manager at Buena Vista Home Entertainment
"Online is now an essential part of the marketing mix and as an advertiser it's great to see that portals are investing in the development of new creative solutions. It's refreshing to see a groundbreaking concept for an online campaign that really fits the brief and that will get consumers excited about our DVD launch, which is why we've invested a significant portion of our online budget for this campaign with Microsoft Digital Advertising Solutions."

Dan Radford, Planner and Buyer at Carat
"We were keen to invest in a high-impact and creative ad campaign for the launch of the DVD and were really impressed with the creative solution that Microsoft Digital Advertising Solutions came up with. Pirates of the Caribbean is a popular movie franchise with a very strong brand and wide appeal. We were looking to communicate the DVD launch in an exhilarating, humorous way to reflect the light tone of the movie and raise awareness of the release date. The final creative is captivating, creative and universally appealing -- a winning combination."

Alex Marks, Head of Trade Marketing, Microsoft Digital Advertising Solutions
"This campaign demonstrates the high level of innovation and creativity that Microsoft can offer advertisers online. We made a significant investment in developing technologies for use online as we believe that the digital platform provides advertisers with a fantastic opportunity to create exciting, fresh campaigns."