Target
'Holiday 2025'
Scholar’s largest holiday campaign to date began as a simple brief and quickly snowballed into a full-scale universe. One powered with heart, humor, and a healthy dose of wonder. Step inside and you will find the blueprint of how our team dreamed, crafted, and animated a world where a fluffy Yeti, three mischievous Mice, and one fearless Gingerbread bring holiday magic to life.
With over 30 unique spots spanning from in-store to Times Square, Scholar set out to build a world worth believing in, and our team answered with craft, precision, intention, and imagination. Every gesture, sparkle, and burst of personality was designed to make these characters feel authentic, charming, and alive.
Welcome to the Target Holiday World.
"This project was one of Scholar’s most ambitious yet, and partnering early with Target gave us the chance to craft the world from the ground up. From scripts and concepting to look-development, animation, lighting, and rendering, every step allowed us to shape the magic of this winter wonderland. With so many stories to tell, our focus was on developing a visual language that fit seamlessly within the larger campaign and help push it forward."
"Bringing these characters to life meant treating them like real performers, shaping their quirks, refining their gestures, and letting their personalities lead the animation."
Wonder Out in the World
“This world demanded detail at every scale. We built scroll stopping stories big enough to look you in the eye, from the smallest phone screen to a forty-foot billboard.”
Mystical Magical Factory
"Every simulation from bouncing fur to drifting snow was crafted to respond with charm and character, adding texture and authenticity to every moment on screen."
Design & Animation: Scholar
Executive Creative Director, Partner: William Campbell
Creative Directors: Cristina Barna, Liam Elias, Sean Martin
Managing Director/Executive Producer: Kirsten Noll
Executive Producer: Kate Aspell
Director of Production: Tyler Locke
Head of Production: Nicole Smarsh
CG Supervisor: Tim Hayward, Kevin Kolodinsky, Brice Linane, Ken Lee
Sr Producer: Michael Heil, Lusia Share
Producer: Paola Malo
Designers: Ana Chang, Jee Kim, Danna Macias, Logan Sprangers, Camille Perrin, Thomas Roisland
Model/Texture Artists: June Kim, Krista Albert, Rob Cavallo, Brian Luong, Jeremy Ramirez, Juan Salazar, Cameron Scott, Carlos Taborda, Alek Vacura
2D Animators: Matt Andrews
DMP: Liam Elias, Jee Kim, Kenny Kerut, Michael Cafarelli
3D Animators: Sarah Wolfe, Teri Shellen, Beavan Blocker, Michael Cawood, Richard Deforno, Mike DiNocco, Nick Dubois, Jared Eng, Madeline Jackson, Liana Krakirian, James Lane, Dave Lee, Jason Martinsen, Tom Shek, Rob Somers, Carolyn Vale
3D Generalists: Rob Cavallo, Adam Newman, Jeremy Ramirez, Cameron Scott, Carlos Taborda
3D Rigging: Ohad Bracha
Lighters: Rob Cavallo, Ken Lee, Cristina Kuong, Ziming Liu, Brian Luong, Adam Newman, Jamil Primas, Juan Salazar, Carlos Taborda, Andy Tai, Eric Xu
Dynamics/FX: Yates Holley, Eric Rosenthal, Andy Sheng, Jason Tjahyadi
Compositors: Rachel Moon, Kevin Njoo, Eric Almeras, Jeen Lee, Eddie Anton, Navid Bagherzadeh, Ian Blewitt, Cody Chen, Krystal Chinn, Ting-Jung Hsu, Fred Kim, Michael Loney, Phil Massimino, Jeric Pimentel,
Flame Artist: Rachel Moon, Kevin Njoo, Jameson DeSantis, Jeen Lee
Storyboards: Federico Etchegaray, Fred Fassberger
Editorial: Scholar
Editor: Dominic Strazulo
Assistant Editor: Adrianna McKinley
Sound Design: TJ Dumser @sixmissing on instagram
Mix: Lime Studios
Mix Engineer: Matt Miller
Music: Benson Boone
Artist & Track Name: Mystical Magical
