LICENSE A FAMOUS CHARACTER USING CUSTOM ANIMATION
FAMOUS CHARACTERS, ANIMATED JUST FOR YOU.
Leveraging the popularity of famous animation characters and putting them in unexpected situations is a great way to get people talking about your campaign.
Custom animation in advertising is popular because it provides entertainment-hungry audiences with fresh content that they otherwise wouldn’t be able to see. It’s also an effective method of helping brands become more culturally relevant if aligning with a popular show. There are different approaches to creating new animation with famous characters depending on the Rights Holder and on production timelines.
GOOD TO KNOW:
Some Rights Holders will allow you to use a third-party animation studio whereas others may require you to use their own animation studio. This can make timings challenging if the animation studio has other priorities.
Some Rights Holders will allow you to cast soundalikes for voice talent – whilst others may need you to use the original voice talent.
The license fee covers you only for use of the IP – you will need to factor in additional production costs such as the animation itself and any voice talent.
CASE STUDY:
Envestnet x SpongeBob SquarePants
We worked with US financial services company, Envestnet, and their agency HeyLetsGo on a campaign starring Mr. Krabs from SpongeBob SquarePants. The campaign sees money obsessed Mr. Krabs on a video call with a bemused financial advisor trying to make sense of Mr. Krabs’ complex finances.
We worked with the Rights Holders of SpongeBob SquarePants to release the assets and reference material needed to create the animated scenes. With the Rights Holders approval, Envetnet’s creative agency, HeyLetsGo, appointed the animation studio, Nathan Love to develop the bespoke animation. The Rights Holders provided colour swatches, size charts, and guidance on Mr. Krabs’ mannerisms to ensure the animated scenes were as authentic as possible to the much-loved show.
CASE STUDY:
Sainsbury’s x The BFG
New Commercial Arts, Rogue Films (the production company) and Final Cut (the post-production company) worked together with us and the Roald Dahl Story Company to create a new version of the BFG that closely resembled the character from the original book. The campaign was shot in locations around the UK at the end of August using a stand-in model for the BFG, and the actual character as seen in the final spot was created entirely in post-production. A representative from Born Licensing attended the shoot to ensure they were across any real-time developments. The result was a beautiful and heart-warming Big Friendly Giant that brought to life the beloved magic of Dahl’s story.
CASE STUDY:
Direct Line x Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Direct Line and their agency, Saatchi & Saatchi, created their own unique CGI version of Donatello and Leonardo from the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles for their award-winning ‘We’re On It’ campaign.
The Rights Holders were closely involved in the development supplying reference material and guidance on how the characters should look and sound, including what props and weapons they should carry. Most of the development was done in post-production with a stand-in used for the actual shoot. As licensing agents to the Rights Holders of TMNT, Born Licensing managed the resource-heavy approval process without charging Direct Line or Saatchi & Saatchi any clearance fees.
CASE STUDY:
IAMS x Garfield
Working with such an iconic character and a third-party animation company required a lot of attention to ensure that Garfield was portrayed authentically. After providing assets and poses as references for the creative team to work with, Paramount had to be kept in the loop across all creative development – this included the scripts, storyboards, voice talent, initial designs, edits, and final material amongst many other elements.
A member of our team attended the shoot in London to support with any IP-related enquiries, to make sure that the approved scripts and storyboards were followed, and to provide additional BTS context for Paramount during the approval process in post-production. The shoot took a full day, and featured a cutout of Garfield on set!
CASE STUDY:
Simonds Homes x Transformers
Simonds Homes’ creative agency, T20 Group, reached out to us with the idea of creating their very own Transformer - the core messaging being that Simonds Homes ‘transforms’ homes. The Rights Holders of the Transformers franchise were kept in the loop at all stages of the project to ensure their IP was being used appropriately and authentically.
For adults who grew up with Transformers, the ambitious use of such a popular franchise in this real-life context was a unique piece of advertising.
FOUR WAYS TO LICENSE A CHARACTER
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![He-Man and Skeletor licensed as characters for a MoneySuperMarket advert]()
Using costumes
Bring a character to life as a physical costume, recreated in authentic detail. Ideal when you want the character present in the real world.
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![Street Fighter characters Ken and Ryu licensed for an AA advert]()
Using celebrity talent
Cast the celebrity who defines the character, for the pulling power of a character and a star at once.
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![Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Party Wagon licensed for an Uber advert]()
Using existing assets
Drop existing CGI or animation assets from the original property straight into your campaign.
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Using custom animation
Commission brand-new animation of a famous character, fresh content audiences can't see anywhere else.
