Harvey Nichols and Tim Burton Power Christmas Spirit with Robot Boy

Harvey Nichols has partnered with ‘The World of Tim Burton’, a global exhibition, making its final stop at the Design Museum in London. In celebration of this partnership, they have collaborated with The Berry (creative production studio) and The Berry Boys (duo-directors) to create a curiously charming Christmas animation to promote Harvey Nichols this Christmas. 

One snowy Christmas morning, a sleeping Robot Boy is awoken by a departing Santa Claus and his loyal reindeer, who have left a HUGE amount of presents underneath the Christmas tree. Robot Boy cannot believe his wide, metal eyes (Christmas is finally here!). With an electrical surge and sudden mechanical roll… Robot Boy rolls his way over to inspect the wrapped goodies that have been delivered.

There are presents of all shapes and sizes from Harvey Nichols… BUT, in the corner of his eye, Robot Boy notices a selection of delicious Harvey Nichols Mince Pies. He darts over; totally unaware that his plugged in power cable doesn’t have much further to travel!  

After gobbling down a Mince Pie using the rotors and mechanics within his tilted head… there’s another shock moment, as a delighted Robot Boy notices the biggest present he’s ever seen! He races over… and his power cable sadly unplugs, just (!) as he’s about to secure the ultimate Christmas present.  

A moment of disquiet entails… when, unexpectedly, the jingling sounds of Santa Claus making his return to the house, is heard! Santa bursts through the door with one last gift.  

An extension cable.  

Santa plugs Robot Boy back in, providing what is seemingly an ENDLESS power cable. Robot Boy is ecstatic as he powers back on and embraces the enormous present he couldn’t quite reach before. Christmas is SAVED.

The Berry (creative production studio) and The Berry Boys (duo directors) were tasked by Harvey Nichols to produce a film that encapsulates the curiously luxurious designs at Harvey Nichols this Christmas, as well as Tim Burton’s remarkable creative style. Working closely with Tim Burton and his team, Harvey Nichols and The Berry collaborated to ensure that Cable All The Way captured the true spirit of Burton's world, bringing his iconic character, Robot Boy, to life. The inclusion of a custom wallpaper design from Burton’s private archive - a piece close to his heart - enhances the film's authenticity, seamlessly aligning it with his iconic aesthetic and enriching Robot Boy’s immersive holiday tale. 

Throughout the creative process, Harvey Nichols and The Berry worked closely with Tim Burton and his team to ensure the film embodied Tim's distinct vision for the spirit of Robot Boy. The Berry studied Tim Burton’s films extensively; building and revisiting mood boards throughout the process to capture that signature balance of eerie curiosity, mixed with warmth and cosiness. Think wonky antique furniture and weathered wood textures, combined with rusty, worn metals and tungsten lighting. Once this balance was hit, The Berry team were thrilled to see that every frame of the film felt like a painting. 

The CGI process for this project was effective and efficient! A huge reason for this came down to the streamlined workflow that was established at The Berry, where a conscious effort was made, to keep everything within one software, in this case Cinema 4D. This software covered early pre-vis scenes, the modelling of Robot Boy and the environment… to full character animation (which would normally be managed in Maya!) 

Lighting, texturing, and rendering were all achieved in Cinema 4D with Redshift as well as Substance Painter for shading the hero models and assets. The less the CGI team had to jump between different tools and software, the more time they had to focus on the creative and animated aspects; allowing ample filmmaking time for each scene set up. 

The Berry Boys (Ryan Burnham and Luke Robson) said, “Working with Harvey Nichols on their exciting partnership with the Design Museum has been an incredible opportunity, allowing us to draw inspiration from one of our favourite directors - Tim Burton. Surprisingly, this intricate, fully animated project came together seamlessly, exceeding our expectations for lengthy feedback rounds! We’re genuinely proud of how everything unfolded - from capturing Burton’s iconic style and evoking the warmth of the holiday season to bringing Robot Boy to life in a charming and endearing way. Showcasing Harvey Nichols’ exquisite products was a key focus for us, and we believe we achieved that beautifully. Every step of the journey, from scriptwriting to production, 3D animation, and sound design, harmoniously contributed to what we consider the perfect Christmas film. We’ve truly grown fond of Robot Boy, and we can’t wait to see where his adventures take him next!” 

“Our collaboration with The World of Tim Burton exhibition at the Design Museum has brought a captivating new spirit to life this holiday season,” said Victoria Bell, marketing director at Harvey Nichols. “Working with The Berry on this charming Christmas animation has been an exciting journey, and we’re thrilled for our customers to experience the festive magic of Robot Boy first hand.”