France.TV masters the Japanese art of sumo

To celebrate the 2020 Summer Olympics in Japan, which the International Olympic Committee insists will still go ahead despite the pandemic, France.TV has launched an animated film to pay tribute to the country of the rising sun.

The film was created by MullenLowe Paris, which partnered with illustrator Stéphane Levallois who was inspired by the masters of Japanese art, notably Hokusai, and his famous Wave. 

The spot, called Sumo, was directed by Geoffrey Barbet through Mikros Paris, and features a sumo wrestler roaming the Japanese countryside, using nature and the surrounding dreamlike landscapes to represent some of the disciplines contested at the Summer Olympics, including surfing, skateboarding, athletics and basketball, which the character tries throughout the spot.