Clash Royale Used 10K+ Balloons to Create This Amazing Film

'Fill them with fear'

These ain’t no party balloons!

Uncommon Stockholm introduces Clash Royale’s fearsome “Hero Balloon” character in a fantastical film involving 10,487 actual balloons.

By turns ominous and silly, the :90 from Blinkink director Sam Gainsborough does an amazing job of world-building, brimming with outlandish textures and colors.

While amusing, dark notes provide a compelling tension. The sheer alien nature of the spectacle feels whimsical and edgy. Plus, we’ve got maniacal laughter, explosions and “99 Luftballoons” on the soundtrack. Yes!

“Balloons are a fragile material. Things change constantly when you’re working with them and you’re always on the clock because the air escapes,” says Larry Moss, an artist at Airigami, which helped develop the spot. “We were able to build this entire world in less than a week. Out of thin air, no less.”

Thin air. Heh.

“At a time when everything can be faked with digital shortcuts and AI, we wanted this film to feel unmistakably human,” adds Uncommon CCO Björn Ståhl. “The craft wasn’t just how we made it. It was the idea itself.”

The team relied on practical F/X. Puppeteers operated the cray cast of characters, and the explosions resulted from mixtures of powder and glitter.

This twisty BTS explains all: