The Bitter Bond
Born Free wanted the world to know that most lions in South Africa aren’t born free. They’re raised in captivity, exploited for profit, then sold to hunters. The Bitter Bond is an animated story of a lion keeper and her cub that ends in the ultimate betrayal. The film gathered over 13 million views, 300,000 shares (including by Ellen DeGeneres) and over 275,000 petition signatures. But best of all, the South African Tourist Board has changed its policy. It no longer recommends any activity where there is human interaction with predators. No cuddling. No photos. No hunting.
- AnimationMixed Media Animation
- Film AdvertisingSocial Commercials over 30 seconds
Country
- United Kingdom
Client
- Born Free Foundation
Production Company
- Blinkink
Animation & Visual Effects
- Zombie Studio
Director
- Daniel Salles
- Paulo Garcia
Creative
- Jason Keet
- James Hodson
Executive Creative Director
- Paul Jordan
Creative Director
- Katy Hopkins
- Steve Hawthorne
Executive Producer
- Bart Yates
- Stefanie Dias
- Natália Gouvea
- Natália Gouvea
Agency Film Producer
- Stefanie Forbes
CG Lead
- Yohann da Geb
3D Modeller
- Mauricio Sampaio
Animation Director
- Bruna Monteiro
- Bruno Monteiro
Animation Supervisor
- Marcio Lovato
- Leticia Harumi
- Antonela Castro
Animator
- Bruna Berford
- Christian Weckl
- Rodrigo Dutra
- Francisco Catão
- Conrado Testa
- Jonathan Edward
- Bruno Santos
- Hannry Pschera
- Michel Denis Da Silva
- Leonardo Felix
Cinematographer
- Lucas Barreto
Advertising Agency
- Engine Group
Account Manager
- Tom Butler
Colourist
- Marcio Pasqualino
Sound Engineer & Mixer
- Ben Leeves
TV Producer
- Stefanie Forbes
Head of Marketing & Communications
- Matt Smithers
Influencer Manager
- Gemma Glover
Business Director
- Eve Bui
Strategy Director
- Laura Sammarco
Social Media Strategist
- Jack Cartwright
Model Maker
- Mauricio Sampaio
Born Free wanted the world to know that most lions in South Africa aren’t born free. They’re raised in captivity, exploited for profit, then sold to hunters. The Bitter Bond is an animated story of a lion keeper and her cub that ends in the ultimate betrayal. The film gathered over 13 million views, 300,000 shares (including by Ellen DeGeneres) and over 275,000 petition signatures. But best of all, the South African Tourist Board has changed its policy. It no longer recommends any activity where there is human interaction with predators. No cuddling. No photos. No hunting.