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. So it created The Bitter Bond: an animated story of a lion keeper and her cub that ends in the ultimate betrayal. The film has 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
Account Manager
- Tom Butler
Colourist
- Marcio Pasqualino
Animation & Visual Effects
- Zombie Studio
Creative
- Jason Keet
- James Hodson
Executive Creative Director
- Paul Jordan
Creative Director
- Katy Hopkins
- Steve Hawthorne
Director
- Daniel Salles
- Paulo Garcia
Sound Engineer & Mixer
- Ben Leeves
TV Producer
- Stefanie Forbes
Executive Producer
- Bart Yates
- Stefanie Dias
- Natália Gouvea
Head of Marketing & Communications
- Matt Smithers
Influencer Manager
- Gemma Glover
Business Director
- Eve Bui
Strategy Director
- Laura Sammarco
Social Media Strategist
- Jack Cartwright
Cinematographer
- Lucas Barreto
Animation Director
- Bruno Monteiro
CG Lead
- Yohann da Geb
Model Maker
- Mauricio Sampaio
Animation Supervisor
- Leticia Harumi
- Marcio Lovato
- Antonela Castro
Advertising Agency
- Engine Group
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. So it created The Bitter Bond: an animated story of a lion keeper and her cub that ends in the ultimate betrayal. The film has 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.