2D Campaign Motion Graphics Social Media
McDonald’s Samurai & Ninja Burger
Client
McDonald's
Agency
Leo Burnett / Prodigious
Production
Genesis Motion Design
Year
2023
01.-
The Brief
McDonald’s burgers need no introduction—and the legendary Samurai burger is no exception.
To celebrate the return of the well-loved honourable burger, Leo Burnett and Prodigious invited us to work alongside their team to develop the key visuals for the campaign, along with a special manga series to further push the campaign when launched.
Animated Mangas
Taking inspiration from Japanese comics—better known as manga—we conceptualised detailed art panels starring protagonists Samurai-San and Ninja-San who team up to defeat Oni-nari, the demon of ordinary-tasting food.
Chapter Zero
The Quest Begins
Chapter One
Samurai Returns
Chapter Two
Flashy Display
02.-
The Approach
To get fans of the Samurai series excited and anticipating the return of the burger, we first put an “anime spin” on the key visuals of the series’ burgers and drinks. The Samurai menu was then extensively featured in the weekly Manga series on @mcdsg — the Instagram handle of McDonald’s Singapore.
The series followed colourful characters in a variety of dynamic poses paired with sound effects, and was released over four chapters on Instagram Stories. To spice things up in the most fun way possible, we illustrated hidden “M” logos in chapters one and two of the series for fans to find, awarding the first 50 with correct answers with a tantalising 1-for-1 burger deal.
Chapter Three
Trouble Strikes
Chapter Four
Hello, Old Friend
Chapter Five
Final Showdown
03.-
Key Art and Visuals
Anyone who watches anime (Japanese television and film animation) will know that beyond action-packed scenes, the one true compelling visual is none other than the hyper-realistic portrayal of food.
We had an incredible time working to make every menu item absolutely pop. From burgers to McDonald’s best-loved seaweed fries, to a mouth-watering peach pie dessert—everything from the glistening teriyaki glaze to the tenderness of a patty on a crisp sesame seed bun was elevated with bright colours and vibrancy to skilfully draw customers in.
05.-
Out-Of-Home (OOH) / In-Store
Our tantalising illustrations were also featured in out-of-home media to remind fans everywhere of the limited-time treats, and get them running to their nearest McDonald’s.
Shopfronts and self-ordering kiosks also came to life with vibrant key art from the series. Truly a legendary feast on the eyes—and taste buds!
06.-
Characters
We designed our characters closely to the illustration styles of Japanese anime while weaving in McDonald’s signature colours.
Samurai-San was dressed in gear inspired by the ō-yoroi (armour), while Ninja-San donned a sleek kunoichi (female ninja) ensemble—right down to Japanese tabi socks and sandals. Our food demon Oni-nari even got its own chibi (small/short) version that was irresistibly adorable.
Initial concept developments
Onomatopoeia
