Introducing the Oaf family in the multimedia universe of Deutsche Telekom and all of their extraordinary neighbours in 3D, 2D and stop motion animation on the German MagentaNext street…

Not To Scale and Luca&Sinem are proud to announce their ongoing partnership with adam&eveDDB’s newest German start-up who have launched an iconic three-part multimedia campaign for their founding client, communications giant – Deutsche Telekom. Following on from the huge success of the first film, which stars the Oaf family and their endless search for the best 5G network, the sequel introduces a new member of the well-loved Oaf clan – the grandpa! The third instalment brings us some new neighbours, the Anxious Family, as their sons head deep into the forest for a camping trip.

To create a unique story-world and ownable look for Deutsche Telekom, directing duo Luca&Sinem shot the background on a real street in Munich. They brought to life each resident of their unique neighbourhood in an impressive mix of different of animation styles, loosely inspired by the ‘Amazing World of Gumball’ from Luca’s own repertoire. Richly experienced in the comedic genre, Luca&Sinem were a perfect fit. With their attention to detail, Luca&Sinem bring a sophisticated and light-hearted ingenuity to the Deutsche Telekom universe. From the Oaf gang to the Porcelain family next door, and all their friendly neighbours (look out for a small cameo from Barbie and even Big Foot), there’s a quirky detail in every nook and crevice of the MagentaMobil neighbourhood. The DT universe features every demographic and lifestyle, as the campaign demonstrates how we can all be united by the universal connectivity offered by the MagentaMobil offer.

“We opted for a multimedia approach and animated each family in a balanced mix of 3D, 2D and Stop Motion animation as we thought this underlined the idea of diversity in a bold and entertaining way – and without cliché”. – Luca&Sinem

Rhythm, timing and expression play a key role in bringing out the comedy of the script and highlight each family member’s charm and eccentricities without falling into stereotypes. Luca&Sinem invested lots of time into the preparation of the 3D character rig to give each character the widest range of facial expressions and to also give them a three-dimensional personality. After all, Grandpa Oaf is not a formulaic old man; despite his old age, he’s still embarking on new romantic endeavours…

The directing duo elevated their multimedia animation approach even further by shooting on a real street in Munich, remixing a quintessentially German neighbourhood. Then they used VFX and CGI pipelines to transform the street into their animated universe, maintaining its realism and authenticity. Naturally, it can be challenging to create harmony and consistency across a multimedia approach, for example, integrating the animated characters into the live action background, such as matching the colour palettes, light and shadows, and the scale of the characters. However, Luca&Sinem’s expertise across multiple film craft disciplines, from live action to VFX to animation, made the entire process seamless.