The Clio Awards - Creative Summit

From Happiest Season to Black Beauty, See This Week's New Trailers and Posters

Plus, The Lego Star Wars Holiday Special and more

Thanksgiving is looking a little different this year, and many of us won’t be feasting with our usual family and friends. But have no fear, the world of entertainment marketing is here to remind us there are plenty of others to invite into our homes this holiday season.

Darth Vader is pulling up a chair, and our two favorite Adventure Time heroines have promised to bring the pie. Celebrities can definitely make the meal more interesting—Christopher Walken will show off his best Irish accent as he asks for more mashed, and Melissa McCarthy will put her physical comedy talents to the test when she drinks too much wine and tips backward in her dining room chair. And don’t worry, we have one beautiful horse and pack of adventuring dogs to eat any scraps that fall to the ground! 

Take a look at the notable trailers and posters released this week: 


Happiest Season

Hulu        
Trailer Agency: Seismic Pro    
Poster Agency: N/A

A modern take on the classic meeting-the-in-laws tale, Happiest Season sees Kristen Stewart blindsided when she goes home for the holidays with her girlfriend only to learn her family doesn’t know about their relationship. The cheery holiday soundtrack, with plenty of moments to let Dan Levy’s comedy chops shine, sets up this dilemma nicely and wraps up plenty of humor and heartfelt emotion into this Christmas package of a trailer. The poster highlights the excellent cast in a fun framed family portrait. Happiest Season comes to Hulu on Thanksgiving Day. 


Wild Mountain Thyme

Bleecker Street                             
Trailer Agency: N/A 
Poster Agency: P+A 

Christopher Walken with an Irish accent isn’t the only thing transporting us to Ireland in this trailer for Wild Mountain Thyme, the new romance tale from director John Patrick Shanley. We also have a sweet Irish melody and plenty of moo-ing cows. The alluring poster finds us in the Irish rain. All in all, the trailer and key art both paint a feisty portrait of love in Emerald Isle. Wild Mountain Thyme will be released Dec. 11. 


The Lego Star Wars Holiday Special

Disney+        
Trailer Agency: Aspect    
Poster Agency: LA                 

The contrast of iconic Star Wars imagery with upbeat Christmas music is the perfect juxtaposition to introduce The Lego Star Wars Holiday Special. Although they may be a little blockier than usual, all our favorite characters are here to show us what it’s like to celebrate the holidays in a galaxy far, far away. The trailer provides plenty of references for the true Star Wars fans and just enough Baby Yoda to reel in those who are just in it for the cuteness. The cheeky poster perfectly combines Lego, Star Wars and the holiday spirit. As Yoda would say, “Streaming Nov. 17, The LEGO Star Wars Holiday Special is.”


Superintelligence

HBO Max        
Trailer Agency: MOCEAN 
Poster Agency: WORKS ADV 

This trailer for Superintelligence, the new Melissa McCarthy comedy coming to HBO Max, takes full advantage of the high energy only Queen can deliver to give us a fast-paced piece set to “Under Pressure.” This high-octane tone works well to highlight the great one-liners from this stellar cast. The lighthearted poster reminds us love can prevail even if the world is ending. Superintelligence seems like a great film to turn on after your turkey dinner when it comes to HBO Max on Thanksgiving Day. 


Small Axe

Amazon Prime Video 
Trailer Agency: Mark Woollen & Associates

Skillful editing is at work in this trailer for Small Axe, a five-film anthology from director Steven McQueen focused on London’s West Indian community. It utilizes primarily audio from the films to create a rhythmic and emotional introduction to this new collection. The fast-paced cuts leading into a melody introducing the anthology’s title were particularly powerful.


Adventure Time: Distant Lands – Obsidian

HBO Max        
Trailer Agency: MOCEAN                    

Fans of Adventure Time will be thrilled to be reunited with two of their favorite characters in this trailer for this next installment in HBO Max’s anthology special. Bookended by two emotional moments, with lots of thrilling action and dragon-slaying in between, the trailer provides just enough to whet the appetite without giving away too much of what’s in store when Adventure Time returns Nov. 19. 


The Pack

Amazon Prime Video
Trailer Agency: Mentality

Can you think of anything better than traveling the world with your dog at your side? It certainly looks like a hell of a lot of fun in this trailer for The Pack, a new reality competition show on Amazon Prime Video where the contestants are doing just that. With a very fitting selection of the Sofi Tukker track “Best Friend,” we meet the human competitors and their best (and extremely adorable) canine friends. Great editing highlights the globe-trotting these dynamic duos will be doing when The Pack starts streaming Nov. 20.


Black Beauty

Disney+ 
Trailer Agency: Zealot
Poster Agency: MOCEAN

An uplifting score helps this trailer build to highlight the incredibly powerful connection between humans and animals in this piece for Black Beauty, a new adaptation of the beloved tale coming to Disney+. Anyone who has ever loved an animal can relate as we watch the young protagonist establish a bond with her new companion, and the piece allows us to soak in the majestic beauty of horses. The gorgeous mare also takes center stage in the captivating poster. Black Beauty gallops into homes on Nov. 27.

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