Netflix has launched a striking
new brand campaign that brings together high-end visual effects, cinematic storytelling, and an unlikely aquatic protagonist. Created through creative agency Mother London and directed by the directing duo Vania & Muggia under the banner of production house Iconoclast, the campaign centers on an unexpected hero: an axolotl with an unquenchable appetite for prestige television.
To bring this unique amphibian vision to life, the production enlisted the renowned visual effects and post-production crew at Electric Theatre Collective (ETC) in London. The resulting commercial showcases a seamless blend of live-action cinematography and complex 3D animation, transforming a native Mexican salamander into a dedicated Bridgerton-binging aficionado. The campaign is designed to highlight not only the vast library of content available on the streaming service but also the meticulous craftsmanship that underpins every title featured on the platform.
A Fresh Brand Platform Built on Obsession
The commercial is part of a broader strategic brand platform for Netflix that aims to encapsulate the quality, diversity, and cultural resonance of its programming. Nick Hallbery, Executive Creative Director at Mother London, elaborated on the creative vision driving the project. He noted that a brand platform for a global entertainment titan like Netflix had to accurately represent the immense level of quality and craft poured into every piece of entertainment distributed across the service.
According to Hallbery, the campaign’s core concept—“Find The Thing You Never Knew You Needed”—granted the creative team the freedom to develop a trio of distinct films. While these spots feature completely different worlds, contrasting genres, and varied forms of obsession, they are unified by a single emotional core. Each film is engineered to deliver that specific, universally recognized feeling of stumbling upon a piece of content you were never actively looking for, only to become so utterly captivated that you find yourself unable to look away.
In this particular installment, that feeling of sudden, all-consuming obsession is hilariously and tenderly mapped onto an axolotl. Resting comfortably in a domestic aquarium alongside an eclectic mix of other aquatic life, the pink salamander becomes utterly transfixed by the lush drama, vibrant costumes, and sweeping romance of Netflix’s hit period drama, Bridgerton.
Crafting the Amphibian Masterpiece
Realizing this whimsical narrative required an immense technical and artistic effort from the visual effects and post-production teams at Electric Theatre Collective. Working closely with directors Vania & Muggia and Director of Photography Mathias Boucard, the ETC crew had to meticulously design, animate, and composite a digital creature that could convincingly inhabit a lived-in, cinematic world alongside live-action elements.
The project relied on close collaboration across multiple departments within ETC. The visual effects and shoot supervision on set were led by Joel Savage and Thiago Dantas, ensuring that the lighting, camera angles, and practical tank setups would match the subsequent digital integration. Joel Savage also spearheaded the 3D supervision, steering a technical team that included 3D Lead Jack Powell.
Breathing believable personality and emotional resonance into an aquatic salamander fell to Animation Director David Bryan. Capturing the subtle nuances of an axolotl’s movements—from the delicate flutter of its signature external gills to the quiet intensity of its gaze while staring at a glowing screen—required a deft touch of character animation. On the 2D side, supervisors Thiago Dantas and Scott Ryan, alongside 2D Lead Adam Woolrich, managed the intricate compositing work, seamlessly blending the digital creature into its watery habitat and ensuring that reflections, water refraction, and lighting interacting with the creature’s skin looked entirely authentic.
The overall post-production pipeline was anchored by Executive Producer Vic Lovejoy and Producer Rosie Corbett, with production assistance from Marta Matuszewska. To complete the cinematic look and feel of the commercial, colorist Jason Wallis applied a rich, atmospheric grade at ETC, accentuating the warm, inviting tones of the domestic living room against the cool, aquatic depths of the fish tank. Creative direction for the project was provided by Dean Robinson.
Behind the Scenes and Sound Design
The seamless pacing and comedic timing of the commercial were shaped in the editing suite by Trim Editing. Editors Paul Hardcastle and Liv Ay, alongside assistant editor Keira Hay, worked to balance the quiet absurdity of an axolotl enjoying prestige television with the polished momentum of a major global brand film. The editorial process was supported by Executive Producers Sophie Honour and Noreen Khan, alongside Senior Producer Polly Kemp.
Audio played an equally critical role in grounding the surreal premise in a believable reality. The sound design was expertly handled by King Lear, with sound engineer Jack Sedgwick crafting the subtle underwater acoustics, ambient room tones, and the faint, muffled sounds of television audio filtering through glass and water. Natalie Curran served as Head of Production for the sound team.
Production on the physical side was executed with equal precision. Iconoclast’s production team was led by Managing Director Guy Rolfe and Executive Producer Kaiya Taffel, with Joseph Taussig serving as producer. Production managers Sam Jackson and Alice Pitt-Carter managed the logistics of the shoot, while Production Designer Mark Connell constructed the detailed, atmospheric aquarium environments that served as the primary stage for the amphibian’s cinematic journey.
The campaign was produced on behalf of Netflix, with contributions from the internal Netflix Brand Creative Studio team, cementing a collaborative effort between agency, production house, and streaming platform that brings a fresh, highly imaginative perspective to the art of entertainment marketing.
