This Production Company Brought the McDonald’s Grinch Ads to Multiple Markets

If the past two years of campaigns are anything to go off of, it appears McDonald’s has fully embraced the Grinch as a key figure within its holiday marketing efforts. After all, what started as a playful, Canadian-only endeavour in 2024 has now taken hold in other regions such as the US, Europe and Australia, earning acclaim not only for fine craftswork, but the fun, limited-time meal deals it promotes.

Undoubtedly, a major part of this success is the relationship between Wieden+Kennedy and Toronto-based production company Alfredo Films. The pair behind last year’s local campaign, the work proved so effective it drew the attention of the agency’s Australian team, who, this time around, invited director Jesse James McElroy to lead not one, but two spots for two very different markets… at the exact same time.

“Sixty-eight years on, we wanted to pay tribute, breathe new life, and add a fresh chapter to Theodor ‘Dr. Seuss’ Geisel’s original 1957 classic, ‘How the Grinch Stole Christmas!’,” the Australian team reveals. “With this in mind, we teamed up with Jessie and Alfredo to flip one of the most beloved holidays on its head. And much like the Grinch’s heart, Jesse and the team helped the work grow exactly three sizes (not quantifiable) better. The films blur the line between the real and the imagined, bringing the Grinch’s Seussian world to life with a sun-bleached, unmistakably Aussie twist.”

Meanwhile, the Canadian version had a slightly different challenge. Since this wasn’t to be an introductory campaign, but rather needed to build upon the success of the previous outting, according to Wieden+Kennedy Toronto copywriter Mikayla Dumas, the goal was to make something “even more mischievous and magical” – a process made simple by Alfredo’s preexisting knowledge of the Grinch’s world.

“When it came to collaborating with Jesse, we gave him an initial script that had the structure and outline of everything we wanted, and how we wanted the story beats to go,” she continues. “Having a clear outline from the beginning of what we wanted made the whole process easier, as did Alfredo being a wonderful and talented collaborator. The excitement and craft the team put into year two made the work easy and fun.”

LBB’s Jordan Won Neufeldt wanted to hear about the production process itself, which is why she sat down for a chat with Jesse, as well as executive producers Holly Rowden and Alexander Henry.

LBB> Producing a character-based marketing initiative for two different regions isn’t an undertaking we see every day. What did the opportunity to not only return for round two of last year’s campaign, but do an international variant mean to you?

Jesse> When more markets came back asking for two more spots, I was like, ‘We get to complete the trilogy!’.

Holly> We’re always striving to make good and memorable work, so we were excited and honoured when we were told that last year’s campaign was successful enough to warrant other markets wanting their own films. And having the opportunity to have our work shown on the literal opposite side of the planet in Australia is so cool!

LBB> Building on this, how did you ensure the work would feel familiar yet elevated in Canada, and fresh and fun in Australia, while staying tonally connected?

Jesse> Because that tone resonated last year, we wanted to protect it and keep expanding the world in a way that felt consistent… In what absolutely nobody is calling the ‘Grinch McDonald’s Cinematic Universe’ (the GMCU). We’ve created our own visual language for this world that’s real but heightened. It's very tactile, practical, and miniature driven, to capture the darkly surreal twisted inventiveness that makes the Grinch so lovably Grinchy.

Alex> Logistically, we also knew we had to assemble as much of the same team from last year's campaign to bring these films to life. We put immense pressure on ourselves to deliver something that was familiar, but also, we all wanted to ‘one up’ ourselves this time around. We were so excited to jump back into the things that made it so special: practical everything, from miniatures, contraptions and costumes to a cave and a dog.

We also tried to give equal love to both markets. Beach-ifying the spot for Australia is what really made that film feel special and standalone, and introducing even more miniatures and contraptions to ‘Canadaville’ is how we built off the foundation of last year.

LBB> What was pre-production like? Given you were shooting with the same character, and implementing so many practical elements, did you aim to knock out both spots at once?

Jesse> Yes, we basically did a mega-shoot. Two countries, two scripts, but one Grinch.

We tried our best to shoot them in neat blocks, but in reality, it ended up a bit topsy-turvy. We essentially had two units running, and two cameras rolling at the same time. I’d be directing a Grinch and Max scene, while about 20 feet away, another unit was shooting the Mount Crumpit miniature. I was running back and forth like a madman!

All in all, it was organised chaos, which in the Grinch universe, basically means ‘fun’.

LBB> Tell us more about the set! How did you once again bring Mount Crumpit and the Grinch’s lair to life, whilst keeping new elements in line with last year’s aesthetic?

Jesse> Well, sequels always need to be bigger, right? So this year, we went bigger.

We built four miniatures (we should actually call them ’bigatures’, because they were huge, including a full 360-degree Mount Crumpit that was about 12 feet by 12 feet, capped with a bronze ‘Grinchmore’ face with a mouth that actually opened, and a Grinch truck that could drive out).

We also built our own beach, filled with about 3 tonnes of sand, and populated it with ‘Who’ looking people… who, strangely, already resembled Australians.

And of course, we expanded the Grinch’s lair. We basically doubled the size with a staircase, and we built a whole lineup of new inventions like the ’Ruiner 3,000’ (the snow globe maker), an updated ’Grinch-O-Scope’ (so he could spy on the Australians), and a massive 4-foot-high ray gun that was so heavy, we needed a forklift just to aim it.

LBB> What about the Grinch himself? Did you get the same actor? And how did you bring the character to life?

Jesse> We absolutely brought back the same actor. He’s the glue to our honey, or whatever that saying is.

Seriously, he’s a machine. Hours and hours of makeup every day, a suit that traps heat like a greenhouse, and somehow, he still delivers an incredible physical Grinch performance. When he’s in the suit, he’s method. A green Daniel Day-Lewis. We all call him Grinch, and he responds exactly how the Grinch would, on camera and off. It’s very funny giving direction or calling out marks, because you get a full Grinch reaction.

The suit and prosthetics were also updated this year too, and you can really see it in the spots. The face is cleaner, the appliances are softer, and it lets you connect with the emotions more.

LBB> Overall, how did shooting go? Where did you film, how long did it take, and do you have any anecdotes from on set?

Jesse> We shot in Toronto, in an old airplane hangar that’s now a film studio. (It’s actually the same hangar where Oprah Winfrey’s jet was built).

It was a massive space, and we genuinely needed every bit of it. We had the four miniatures, the full Grinch cave lair, and the beach set… plus an entire, independent set for socials and photography running at the same time. And on top of that, about 40 agency, client, and Dr. Seuss people were on set.

To add a few more complications this year, we also introduced Max, the Grinch’s lovable sidekick. And as usual, dogs are tough especially when their scene partner is a big green furry creature.

Ultimately, it was a big undertaking. Our producer is still in a medically-induced coma to aid in his recovery from the experience… Doctors say he may make a full recovery one day.

LBB> Given the scale, were there any particularly tricky scenes to get right, or elements you’d especially like to draw viewers’ attention toward? Tell us about these!

Jesse> We’ve got far too many Easter eggs in there, so here's one you can try to find. Last year’s spot featured one of the Grinch’s only friends, his llama. This year, we wanted a nod to that, so we created an oil painting of the Grinch riding that same llama. Try and find it!

LBB> What equipment did you use to film, and what inspired your decision-making process?

Jesse> We use a lot of motion control rigs in this universe so we can get very precise photography, both on the miniatures and the Grinch coverage. It gives everything that clean, rigid, intentional look I like. But setting up the Bolt or the Milo takes time, so it’s always a bit of a push and pull.

LBB> What was the post process like? How did you ensure each spot fit your intended aesthetic ambitions?

Jesse> In these campaigns, we shoot a lot in camera, but there’s still post work needed to stitch the world together.

For these spots, we spent a huge amount of time in pre-production with our post partners having meetings, tests, and even full CG pre-vis animations to figure out exactly how to shoot all the miniatures with precision.

LBB> What lessons have you learned in the making of these campaigns?

Jesse> I already knew this but shooting food takes time… unless you’re shooting with dogs.

LBB> Finally, are there any elements of the projects you’re particularly proud of?

Jesse> I love the Grinch, but I especially love working with agency partners who are collaborative, funny, and genuinely want to make work that’s unique and pushes boundaries to sell more meals. And socks. And snow globes. (Did I mention Grimace? I feel like I should have).

Seriously, I really like that we’ve created our own little GMCU here. It’s fun having multiple markets live inside the same universe, and getting to revise it, refine it, and make it better each year.

It’s surreal getting to play with the Dr. Seuss team and the Grinch IP. What a dream. The Grinch story is basically always the same: he sets out to ruin something, but somehow, he ends up making it better, so everyone enjoys it even more in the end… Maybe directing is kind of like that?