Cerveza Victoria Created a Touching Tribute, With Hummingbirds, for Mexico's Day of the Dead

Stop-motion and live-action techniques honor heartfelt traditions

To commemorate Mexico’s Day of the Dead, Cerveza Victoria wished to capture the traditional belief that loved ones who have passed take the form of hummingbirds to visit those they’ve left behind. So, the maker of the first Mexican lager beer created “Love is Eternal.” It features 2,352 frames, 4,013 handmade flowers and Juan Gabriel—considered Mexico’s Elton John—for a tale mixing live-action footage with stop-motion imagery.

Wieden+Kennedy Mexico developed the campaign. It was directed by The Youth, the Brazilian trio consisting of Eduardo Lubiazi, João Machado, and Yuri Maranhão, with YUCA overseeing the stop-motion and animation process.

The film takes viewers through one man’s remembrance of his beloved wife while frequently cutting away to a hummingbird in flight. It also shows others mourning the loss of their loved ones as they prepare for the Día de Muertos. 

The goal is to remind people that love doesn’t end when someone is gone, even if it feels that way.

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“As long as we keep remembering those we’ve lost, their love remains eternal,” says the agency’s CCO Jessica Apellaniz. “What makes this belief so special is that it goes far beyond Día de Muertos. On any given day, at any unexpected moment, a hummingbird might appear, bringing with it the feeling that someone you love has come back to see you. That simple but powerful idea became one of the biggest inspirations behind our creative process.” 

The decision to make a hybrid film was based on the emotionality of the story, which required a human touch. 

The goal was the create a defined contrast between “Mictlán,” the afterlife where the souls of loved ones come from, and the real world. The hummingbird itself was hand-carved from wood.

“One allowed us to explore magical realism, creating a dreamlike world filled with cempasúchil flowers as the hummingbird made its journey, the other grounded the story in the everyday reality of Mexico, until, finally, both worlds came together in a long-awaited reunion,” says Apellaniz. “Together, all these elements helped us create something that people are not only talking about and sharing, but also connecting with on a deeper level, reminding us how special it is to be Mexican and to have traditions like these.”

The work uses “Amor Eterno” sung by Gabriel, who passed away 10 years ago. The song has become an anthem of Day of the Dead across the country.

“Every time you hear it, you can’t help but think of the loved ones you miss,” says W+K creative director Javier Melo. “And for a story this ambitious, we needed a soundtrack that could live up to that emotion and bring warmth to people’s hearts,” adds Kevin Murcia, also a CD at the agency.

The film took four months to make, requiring over 125 hours of stop-motion work. The film is nearing 50 million views in 10 days and will run through Dec. 6 in various media.

“We also want to dedicate this film to Rodrigo del Oso, one of the creative directors who helped shape Victoria into the brand it is today and who sadly passed away a few years ago,” says Apellaniz. “His photograph appears in the film as a small tribute to him and everything he contributed to the brand.”

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