TONIC DNA
You can call us TONIC DNA - fresh and dynamic Directors ’N Animators. We are a full-service, award-winning studio based in Montreal and clients and collaborators around the globe.Animation, Live-Action & VFX ... with TONIC DNA it’s all under one roof! We can produce your commercial or other communications project – from development right through to final delivery.With our 30 + years of industry experience, we’ve delivered projects in almost every style and technique imaginable - 2D, 3D, Stop-Motion, Illustrations, Motion Graphics, Interactive, Live-Action, Hand-Painted and always with a finger on the pulse of new and emerging trends in the art of craft and animation. Over the years, we’ve worked with some of the industry’s top agencies and brands creating memorable campaigns for McDonald´s, Nestlé, Canadian Tire, Cadillac, United Airlines and Coca-Cola, to name just a few.Got a project in mind?Give us a call and let’s bring your story to life!
Tonic DNA - IGA / Mr. Beaver's Yule Log
For the second year in a row, Tonic DNA was delighted to help bring IGA's Christmas tale to life with Sid Lee. In this delightful story "The Yule Log of Mr. Beaver," we follow the merriment of three adorable rascals as they attempted to take Mr. Beaver's pride Yule Log, only to be invited in for a cooking class and a celebrations amongst new found friends. Utilizing hand touched 3d character animation and detailed environments, Tonic delivers another slam dunk for the holidays!
Tonic DNA - Jump
TONIC DNA as part of their in-house experimentation, this short film, JUMP was created as research into how they can merge 3D and 2D animation to achieve new animation styles. The story is about Leaf, a young person learning to use their power to jump into new universes. Each jump gave Tonic the opportunity to explore new stylistic possibilities. They wanted something cyberpunk, alive with Kirby crackle, graphic and punchy, with stills you want to hang on your wall. "The process we landed on involved trying new techniques for animation effects, and compositing. We alternated animation frame rates on 2s and 3s to enhance the action. After 3D was locked, we added hand-drawn animation effects over the top. In compositing, we applied cross hatching for shadows and hand-drawn tone effect for highlights with a new custom toolkit of shaders."
TONIC / SuperPlastic - Social Compilation
Tonic DNA - Newt the Gnu - 70 years of Kelloggs x Leo Burnett
Tonic DNA / Freebird - Teaser
To mark World Down Syndrome Day on March 21st, intellectual disability charity L’Arche debuted a teaser for a new short film, entitled ‘Freebird’. Partnering with Canadian musician Jordan Hart and award-winning animation studio Tonic DNA and their director Joe Bluhm, the charity produced a beautiful film that challenged the misconceptions surrounding Down Syndrome. The plot follows the coming-of-age story of a boy with Down syndrome who learns to navigate the world with a loving mother, an absent father, a classroom bully, and a life-long crush. Now, as the full four-minute film launches, we witness 45 years of life flash by in just a few short minutes. Not that it moves too fast to leave an impact - quite the opposite, as a combination of stunning animation and soulful storytelling communicates the quintessentially human story at the heart of this campaign.
Tonic DNA / Memoma - Nike Running "Chilangos Unlimited"
Tonic DNA / Central Park - Trailer
Tonic DNA / Little Bites - Queen
Tonic DNA / IGA - Auntie Lu Lu's Meatloaf
IGA’s holiday campaigns capture the essence of the Quebec holiday experience. Family, friends, and good food! Over the years these touching, and even avant-garde stories have helped to lead the field of animation, and Tonic was proud to be part of this chapter together with agency of record Sid Lee. The objective this year was to make people laugh and to cry, with a story about an eccentric aunt, her family, and her not-so-tasty meatloaf. With humor playing a stronger role, Tonic needed to strike a balance between honoring the design style of years past while adding a dash of comic exaggeration to the recipe. They wanted these characters to be relatable and representative of the modern multicultural family. They also wanted to create unforgettable personalities that become a cherished part of the holidays this year! Tonic tried to stretch the proportions and features just a bit in certain characters to communicate strong personalities and bring some silly fun to their expressions when tasting Lulu’s meat loaf.
Tonic DNA / Campbell's - The Firefly