Publicis "New year. New century. New wishes."

Client

Publicis

A century in motion. For Publicis Group, our 3D and VFX teams built a visual story of resilience, evolution and reinvention. At the center stands the Lion, the main character of the campaign.

To celebrate its 100th anniversary, Publicis presents its 2026 greetings with “A Lion Never Gives Up”, a film tracing a century of transformation, from Montmartre in 1926 to today’s status as a global communications leader. Through wars, crises, technological revolutions, and even fire, one tradition has endured: the annual creation of Publicis’ New Year greetings, entrusted this year to Publicis Conseil, the agency founded by Marcel Bleustein-Blanchet.

Behind the Scenes

The Mill, experts in CG animals, shaped every stage of the process, from modeling, rigging and skeletal structure to musculature, posture and fur, using traditional VFX techniques to give the lion presence, attitude and credibility on screen, before collaborating seamlessly with Prodigious on the wider campaign delivery.

We warmly thank Publicis Groupe for trusting us once again on this project, as part of a long-standing creative collaboration.

Q&A with The Mill VFX Supervisor, Guillaume Ho

How long did the production take? How many people were involved?

"Aside from prep and creative meetings with the agency, production, director, and creatives, the bulk of the production ran from mid-September to early December 2025, so about two and a half months. At peak, the team was 16 people, and on average we had 5 to 6 people working throughout the production. "

What was the concept? What was the starting point?

"Together with Publicis, the production team, and the director, we began discussions almost a year in advance for the film celebrating Publicis’ 100th anniversary. The idea was to represent the founder, Marcel Bleustein-Blanchet, as well as the two leaders who followed him, Maurice Lévy and Arthur Sadoun, through a lion: his personal symbol, which also became the brand’s emblem and logo."

How did the collaboration with the client go?

"We met this summer with the agency, director, and all vendors, both to prepare the shoot and to plan workflows in line with the budget, timing, and creative elements, which were already in their final stages."

What were the main creative challenges and how were they solved?

"The film combines multiple methods—live-action, AI, and 3D—often involving up to three different vendors. The challenge was maintaining consistency and synchronizing everyone to serve the film and its creative vision."

What makes this project stand out compared to similar advertising campaigns?

"AI was used extensively in this film. While we weren’t responsible for that part, like many vendors, we approached it seriously. What stands out to me is that individual creativity and the strength of the production teams remain absolutely essential to a project’s success, no matter the tools or methods used."

What was the role of The Mill in shaping the final creative vision?

"We were responsible for creating the lion to be as realistic and majestic as possible."

How did VFX enhance the storytelling or the visual impact of the campaign?

"It was crucial to make the lion feel like a real presence beside Édith Piaf without raising questions about how it was created. We also handled his first appearance in the film, which had to make an immediate impact in terms of animation and integration. I think the team really delivered on that challenge."

How did the collaboration between creative, production, and technical teams work in practice?

"The collaboration was smooth from the start, and we adapted along the way to evolving requests and production progress."

What are you most proud of in this project from a VFX or post-production perspective?

"I’m particularly proud of this 3D lion. Our teams brought it to life not only through animation and integration but also with meticulous attention to detail."

What feedback did you receive from the client or agency once the project was delivered?

"We received a lot of congratulations and thanks from all stakeholders and colleagues, which was really gratifying."

Credits

Movie

Agency: Publicis
Production Company: Prodigious
Executive Producer: Yann Dubois
Post-Producer: Cédric Herbet
Director: Matthieu Mantovani
Director of Photography: Nicolas Loir
Creative Director: Nicolas Vogel

VFX: The Mill
Executive Producer: Fabrice Damolini
VFX Producer: Marie-Cécile Juglair
VFX Coordinator: Mathilde Cohen-Selmon, Milan Vicet
VFX Supervisor: Guillaume Ho
CG Supervisor: Morgan Sagel
Shoot Supervisor: Guillaume Ho, Mathias Barday
Environment: Victoria Leger
Hair: Flora Andrivon
Rigging: Marine Sisnaki
3D Animation: Pamella Nabais, Alexandre Sauthier, Jeremy Soudjoukdjian, Geoffroy Barbet-Massin
FX Artist: Benjamin Lenfant
Lighting: Aurélia Deleplanque, Mathias Barday, André Monteiro
Compositing: Selim Yang Molas, Ewan Rosenstrauch

VFX Breakdown

Director: Guillaume Ho

VFX VFX Studio: The Mill
Executive producer: Fabrice Damolini
VFX Producer: Marie-Cécile Juglair
VFX Supervisor: Guillaume Ho
Post-producer: Ilyes Receveur

Animation: Pamela Nabais
Modeling: Philippe Zozor
FX Artist: André Monteiro
Look Dev: André Monteiro
Lighting / Compositing: Mathias Barday, André Monteiro, Guillaume Ho

Sound Production: TransPerfect Media
Sound Director: Nicolas Valdez
Music: TremoxBeatz