Each of the 26 scripts from Bear Meets Eagle on Fire was imbued with boundless charm and that slight wink of irreverence perfectly suited to both the Australian psyche and Jeff’s trademark comedic sensibilities.

Once production was underway on the project, everything began with animatics, in which each script was mapped out with Jeff himself voicing every character. Here, he shaped the direction and tone through what he called “human truths rather than jokes told.”

Following this, the movement of each animatic was acted out by animation director Tobias Fouracre (Isle of Dogs, Fantastic Mr. Fox) as a LAV (Live Action Reference), which was then used as a reference to build the animated action.

From there, character and production designs were scrutinised closely before being finalised. Models were built and tested, as were the beautifully crafted miniature set designs for each of the 26 locations around Australia.

Craft was always paramount to the process, and a web of specialist designers, model makers, and animators worked on each painstaking detail of the models, landscapes, and every moment of minutiae captured throughout the entire stop-motion process.

To bring the characters to life, a number of locals from the towns celebrated were cast, further grounding this hyper-local work with the real voices of Australians.

The success of the work was a testament to the ambition of the idea and the craft behind it. It exceeded our highest expectations, with the campaign ultimately receiving the Film Craft Grand Prix at the 2025 Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity – a sizable payoff for some small Aussie critters.