LOBO Finds "The Lion Within" for Cannes’ Future Creatives

Future Lions, the global competition founded by AKQA in partnership with the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, marked its 20th anniversary with a bold animated campaign that captures the drive, doubt, and determination of young creative innovators. AKQA appointed creative studio LOBO to craft “The Lion Within” campaign, which celebrates this moment in time for Future Lions, and reflects the emotional journey of submitting an entry to the competition.

The Lion Within focuses on the core of what the competition is all about: empowering young people to channel their inner lion. In the film, we explore the emotional rollercoaster of the Cub, which, after 20 years, still hasn’t grown a full lion’s mane. A relatable tale of the creative process, from idea to execution, through self-doubt, determination, hope, and courage, in which moments of self-realization are the catalyst for the Cub to understand that within it lies the confidence and roar of a fully grown lion.

“Since the whole spot follows a single character going through all sorts of emotions inside his head without any dialogue, the acting was more elaborate than usual,” remarks the film’s director, Guilherme Marcondes. “The audience must be able to understand everything he is thinking just from his facial expressions and body language. The film is driven by acting, except we didn’t have an actor; we had a team of animators who understood the character deeply and worked in sync to bring it to life.”

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