Donkey is an Australian fable that tells the story of an accidental singing superstar, a little donkey that finds itself on a whirlwind journey of fame, before returning home after realising it misses the connections of family at Christmas.

Steve Rogers wanted to make the progressions of the donkey’s fame logical, and get it as far away from home as possible.

“There is a cliched trajectory concerning fame in pop music that we essentially followed – from being accidentally discovered, to achieving some small town success, the introduction of an unscrupulous manager, a hit record, to worldwide fame.”

The sets, designed by Steven Jones-Evans, were built to feel timeless. While there were no overt references, there is imagery associated with certain activities that, to Rogers, are the definitive version.

“For example, if you were to record a song, the studio would always look like the Record Plant or Webster Hall in the 1960’s. Or film studios should always look like Paramount or Warner Bros in the late 1950’s. Those definitive versions of each setting acted as a blueprint, irrespective of time period.”

The design needed to evoke these timeless touchstones of visual language to complement the story’s universality. Jones-Evans describes his approach to the world building:

“As with most of my sets, I distilled the design to a core idea. For the Hollywood Christmas set, that meant embracing the most iconic tropes of a warm, family-oriented holiday – cosy interiors contrasting with the cold outside, a touch of refinement, and classic Christmas imagery. Our studio set depicted a traditional colonial mansion in upstate New York, complete with a grand Christmas tree, garlands, stockings on the mantel, and a palette of deep greens, reds, golds, and browns.

The donkey watches from the sidelines as the scene comes together. At that moment, an epiphany strikes – perhaps this glittering new life isn’t as fulfilling as it seemed. He longs for home. The irony is sharp: the very setting designed for family gatherings, where loved ones bond over the holidays, only amplifies his sense of emptiness. We needed to make that contrast unmistakable.”