Advert tells an unconventional story of a friendship between a hyena and a zoo-keeper to the soundtrack of Nat King Cole’s ‘Smile’ recorded by Sony Music UK artist Joy Crookes

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LONDON  - United Kingdom - 18 November 2021 – Prime Video today launched its first ever Christmas advert for Europe which tells the story of an unlikely friendship between a hyena and a zoo-keeper forged through a shared love of entertainment. The advert explores the idea that true joy can come from the most unexpected encounters through an unconventional tale that reminds us that every smile tells a story.

Created by CYW and produced for Prime Video by Blur, the advert features two protagonists: A misfit hyena called Hattie who, unlike her peers, cannot smile and a lonely zoo-keeper called Carl (David K. Whiting), who finds it difficult to see reasons to smile. Brought together by their shared taste in comedy, Carl and Hattie come to enjoy a special friendship in a story that reminds us of the joy animals can give people. In recognition of the theme of the advert, Prime Video has committed to donate £100,000 to Pets As Therapy, a UK charity that works with volunteers and their therapy pets to give people access to the companionship of an animal to enrich their health and wellbeing.

“For our first Christmas advert for Prime Video here in Europe, we wanted to show that great TV shows and movies bring people and, occasionally, animals together,” said Helen Cowley, Marketing Director, Prime Video Europe. “Hattie the hyena is sure to capture the imagination of all who encounter her.  We know animals can play a special role in bringing smiles to many faces and are delighted to be donating to UK charity Pets As Therapy in recognition of the incredible work they do to connect people and animals over Christmas and all year round.”

Directed by Chris Balmond, the advert features a unique arrangement of the song “Smile” by Nat King Cole performed by Sony Music UK artist Joy Crookes. Post-production including the CGI to bring Hattie the Hyena to life was created by award-winning production house The Mill, with sound design provided by Ballad. The advert will launch across TV, online and in cinemas.

Building on Prime Video’s Every Smile Tells A Story brand campaign, which showcased the range of emotions that TV shows and movies can evoke, the Prime Video Christmas advert will remind consumers of the wealth of quality TV shows and movies in the Prime Video catalogue available to watch in the run up to and during the festive season. These includes UK-produced Amazon Original Series such as Clarkson’s Farm, Good Omens, and All or Nothing: Tottenham Hotspur; as well as award-winning and critically-acclaimed global Amazon Original series like The Boys, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel and The Underground Railroad; and live sport including English Premier League football and the Autumn Nations Rugby Tournament. All available as part of a Prime membership for just £79 per year or £7.99 a month. New customers can find out more at www.amazon.co.uk/primevideo and subscribe to a free 30-day trial.

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Notes To Editors:
Credits
Creative team:
Director, Marketing, Prime Video – Helen Cowley
Creative Director, Prime Video – Xuan Pham
Campaign Managers, Prime Video – Krysha Shahi, Fiona Mukherjee
Producer, Prime Video – Hannah Povey
Executive Creative Directors, CYW - Willy Lomana, Carmelo Rodríguez
Creative Team, CYW - Lucas Siewert, Eva Fernandez, Marta Horcajo.
Copywriting, CYW - Carmelo Rodriguez, Willy Lomana
Brand Manager, CYW - Miguel Remis
Project Manager, CYW - Elena Pineda

Creative agencies & production companies:
Production Company – Blur
Production Company (UK) - Outsider
Creative Agency – CYW
VFX – The Mill
Sound - Ballad
Music Supervision - Zelig Sound
Additional Music Arrangement - Zelig Sound

Production:
Director – Chris Balmond
Executive Producers - Mario Forniés, Zico Judge
EP/ Outsider MD - Richard Packer
Director of Photography – Rob Hardy
Producer – Laureana Ferrucci
Post Producer - Daniela Borges
First Assistant Director - Tirso Díaz
Production Manager - Foncho Rodríguez
SFX Supervisor - Cesar Alcaide
Editor – Marc Soria

VFX:
Head of Production - Gemma Humphries
2D VFX Supervisor The Mill - Pete Hodsman
3D VFX Supervisor The Mill - Adam Droy
Anmation Supervisor - Paul Tempelman
Colourist - James Bamford, Tim Martin
Producer - Dan Crozier

Sound:
Music Supervisor - Gregers Maersk
Sound Designer - Philip Nicolai Flindt

For further information, please contact:
Amazon UK Press Office
Email: pressoffice@amazon.co.uk

About Prime Video
Prime Video offers customers a vast collection of TV shows, movies, sport and more — all available to watch on practically any device:

• Included with Prime: Watch thousands of popular movies and TV shows, award-winning Amazon Originals and other exclusives, sports, and more. Think UK-produced Amazon Originals such as Good Omens, The Grand Tour and All or Nothing: Tottenham Hotspur, US hits like The Boys, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel and Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan; as well as exclusive TV shows like Star Trek: Picard, Nine Perfect Strangers and Little Fires Everywhere; movies like Coming 2 America and the Golden Globe-winning Borat Subsequent Moviefilm; as well as live sport including ATP and WTA Tour and US Open Tennis, the Rugby Union Autumn Nations Cup and Premier League football. All available at no additional cost as part of Prime Video, which is available in more than 240 countries and territories worldwide (offers and titles vary based on location).

• Watch More with Prime Video Channels: Prime members can add 70+ channels like Discovery+, ITV Hub+, Eurosport Player, hayu, STARZPLAY and more — no extra apps to download; no long term contract required. Only pay for the ones you want, and cancel anytime. View the full list of channels available at Amazon.co.uk/channels.

• Rent or Buy: Enjoy new-release movies to rent or buy, entire seasons of current TV shows available to buy, with special deals just for Prime members.

• Instant Access: Watch at home or on the go with your choice of hundreds of compatible devices. Stream from the web or using the Prime Video app on your smartphone, tablet, set-top box including Sky, Virgin, TalkTalk and BT, game console, or select smart TVs. For a list of all compatible devices, visit Amazon.co.uk/watchanywhere.

• Enhanced Experiences: Make the most of every viewing with 4K Ultra HD and High Dynamic Range (HDR) compatible content. Go behind the scenes of your favourite movies and TV shows with exclusive X-Ray access, powered by IMDb. Save it for later with select mobile downloads for offline viewing.

Prime Video is just one of many benefits included with a Prime membership, along with unlimited fast free delivery options on millions of items as well as exclusive deals and discounts at Amazon.co.uk, exclusive content with Prime Gaming, access to ad-free music, Kindle ebooks, and unlimited photo storage. To sign-up or start a free trial of Prime visit:Amazon.co.uk/prime

About Amazon
Amazon is guided by four principles: customer obsession rather than competitor focus, passion for invention, commitment to operational excellence, and long-term thinking. Amazon strives to be Earth’s Most Customer-Centric Company, Earth’s Best Employer, and Earth’s Safest Place to Work. Customer reviews, 1-Click shopping, personalized recommendations, Prime, Fulfillment by Amazon, AWS, Kindle Direct Publishing, Kindle, Career Choice, Fire tablets, Fire TV, Amazon Echo, Alexa, Just Walk Out technology, Amazon Studios, and The Climate Pledge are some of the things pioneered by Amazon. For more information, visit Amazon.co.uk/about and follow @AmazonNewsUK.

About Joy Crookes
Joy Crookes has fast become one of the UK’s most exciting new artists. Her unique approach to storytelling within her songs, partnered with her infectious charisma has seen her become a treasured and trusted new voice both musically and across her social media. Joy uses her creativity as a tool to understand her own identity, her place in the world and her relationships within it. At just 23, she has acquired the most fiercely of loyal fanbases, notching streams into the hundreds of millions & has cemented herself as an important and influential part of new British music. After being nominated for the Brits Rising Star award, Joy went on to become the most widely tipped artist of 2020 and sold out her debut UK tour in a matter of hours. In October 2021 Joy released her long awaited debut LP ‘SKIN’. A collection of songs built and honed throughout her adolescence and into her early twenties, and finessed last year within the most turbulent of circumstances. Touching on topics such as mental health, relationships, and politics all with grace and sensitivity, Joy has created what can only be described as a truly special body of work that is both perfectly of the moment, and entirely timeless.

About Blur
Blur is a multidisciplinary creative production company, with offices in Madrid and Barcelona. Founded in November 2004, Blur has worked with agencies and clients for different markets worldwide. It has also produced music videos, short films and documentaries, as well as two internationally acclaimed feature films. Amongst its achievements, Blur has won numerous international awards such as the Film Craft Grand Prix as well as other awards at Cannes, AD&D, British Arrows, Clio Awards, and many others. For more information, visit blurfilms.tv

About CYW
CYW -a.k.a. Carmelo&Willy- is an independent creative agency based in Madrid with a strong creative and global background. CYW believes in an hybrid, more transparent and collaborative model with their clients & worldwide partners. Since its founding in 2018, CYW’s work has been awarded in several national and internacional Festivals.

About Pets As Therapy
Pets As Therapy (PAT) is a national charity that enriches the lives of thousands of people in communities across the UK. Over 5,000 volunteers and their temperament-assessed pets provide a visiting service in hospitals, hospices, residential nursing homes, day care centres, mainstream and special needs schools, prisons and other establishments.

Therapeutic visits by PAT Teams can bring comfort and companionship to people who may feel isolated and lonely. They help schoolchildren to improve their literacy and concentration in the classroom, and visits can aid a patient’s recovery and rehabilitation and help to improve mental health and wellbeing.

Pets As Therapy endeavours to visit and help wherever there is a need for their volunteering service. To find out more about the charity and how you can make a one-off or monthly donation, visit petsastherapy.org.

AmazonSmile
It’s easy for customers to support a good cause this Christmas on Amazon.co.uk. While shopping for gifts for family and friends, customers can support one of more than 30,000 participating UK charities – including Pets As Therapy - by starting at smile.amazon.co.uk on a web browser, or by activating AmazonSmile in the Amazon app on iPhones and Android phones under "Programs and Features" (after selecting a charity via smile.amazon.co.uk). AmazonSmile has the same low prices and convenient shopping experience customers have come to expect from Amazon, with the added bonus that Amazon will donate a portion of the purchase price to a charity of your choice. AmazonSmile has donated more than £10.8 million to UK charities and more than $229.8 million globally to hundreds of thousands of charitable organisations.