Islanders and Animation Collide in Love Island’s Easter Egg Filled Promo

The OG of dating shows, Love Island, is back for yet another year of loveable contestants and spectacular memes!

To mark the start of series eight, Leanne Rule and KITCHEN collaborated with ITV Creative to create an animation full of sass and self-confidence reflecting the campaign idea ‘Love. We Own It.’  Using the perfect mix of charming character design and considered storytelling to bring iconic moments in Love Island history to life - including nods to signature villa landmarks, slow-mo entrances & the return of beloved Ellie Belly. 

Multifaceted artist & director Leanne Rule used her cheeky trademark style to design inclusive 3D characters, while her unique wit lent perfectly to the tone of the script, which she implemented throughout the narrative with precise comedy timing.

Of her process, Leanne comments: “There was so much room for fun here. The whole team was on the same page creatively and this made it really easy to get stuck in. My favourite thing is definitely all the tiny hidden references and jokes. There are so many silly nods and little tongue-in-cheek moments which made it a fab project to work on. I loved designing all the cheeky characters and getting them looking like love islanders, in my style. The team put everything together so beautifully and the way all the 2D assets merge with my 3D elements looks great.”

Director KITCHEN used their versatile mix of skills and style to optimise transitions and elevate the storytelling through crucial aspects of craft.

KITCHEN comments: “Turns out all those years of watching Love Island came in handy whilst drawing up the storyboards and trying to think of a few Easter eggs to sneak in there for the Love Island heads. To make it even better, Leanne’s design style went down a storm at ITV who were looking to do something different this year. We were able to stay close to Leanne's style while making the 3D and 2D elements work together. Our team was quick and our process was smart and has resulted in something enjoyable and memorable that gets people hyped for some Summer viewing.”

The TVC aired on 14th May on ITV before Britain's Got Talent and will also be promoted on OOH, digital and social.

Love Island returns this June on ITV2 and ITV Hub.