Yakult ‘Our Happy Mission’

Probiotic milk brand Yakult doesn’t just make well-being… it spreads well being.

The products are made out of love and kindness not out of duty. Buying Yakult is an invitation to be part of a truly positive mission for people and the planet.

Agency Brothers & Sisters asked Animation Director Matte Cooper to help tell the story of the ‘happy mission’ from the origin back in 1935 in Japan, right through to Yakult’s role in customers’ lives today.

The brief was to create an original, visual world for Yakult, featuring joyful, colourful and animated backgrounds with fun textures and patterns combined with real, physical objects and cues to the Japanese heritage where appropriate.

Live Action

Although this was a stop motion commercial, the same methodologies were in place for setting up a live action shoot.

As well as all the usual pre-production for the animation - such as an animatic and model-making, etc. - we also needed to organise the shoot for the talent that appeared in the final scene. With a casting brief, we selected a shortlist of talent, and employed a hair and makeup artist and wardrobe stylist. Catering, travel, crew and kit were all part of the process, as with any live action shoot brief.

The final shot also included a kitchen scene, so we employed an Art Director and Prop Master to construct a kitchen within the shooting studio, as well as sourcing various other kitchen props.