“The most cheerful elf” the Christmas short film by Chad Eikhoff

“The most cheerful elf” the Christmas short film by Chad Eikhoff

Director and head of TRICK 3D Studio Chad Eikhoff, best known for the Christmas special turned into a classic The Elf on the Shelf: An Elf's Story, is launching a new elf-themed IP and bringing a new Christmas cartoon to families for these holidays - The happiest elf. The animation for the short film was produced by the TRICK 3D studio using Epic Games' Unreal Engine and funded through an Epic Games MegaGrant.

Released on Thanksgiving Day on YouTube, the short film is the pilot episode of a series that will introduce viewers to the creative inhabitants of the North Pole for a one-of-a-kind animated talent contest titled “The Jolliest Elf”. Viewers will meet the flashy North Pole presenter, Mr. Jingles, and the show's charismatic judges: Glo, Frosty and Tiny. The star of this first short will be Lil 'Rey, an adorable and highly talented young reindeer rapper voiced and played by Macyn McMillian aka "Mac Sauce", an eight-year-old artist from Kansas City. The short film from the Lil 'Rey episode is a mood-lifting clip to share with friends and serves as a preview for the entire series to come.

“Christmas specials have always inspired me because they have the power to bring the whole family together to watch and share,” says Eikhoff. “Today, reality shows have the same power to engage entire families, laughing and creating memories. I am thrilled to combine the two and bring the action from the “Cheeriest Elf” stage to families around the world “.

The entire competition will go into production in the second quarter of 2021 with the aim of launching during the holiday season of 2021. Eikhoff and the team are actively seeking broadcast and streaming partners for 2021. Eikhoff and the 3D TRICK studio are developing the full line of episodes in partnership with Cookbook Media, the global IP agency led by industry executives Claudia Scott-Hansen and Rob Bencal. Cookbook Media will work with the team to build The happiest elf into a perennial vacation franchise through brand activation, content strategy, distribution, consumer products, and more.

Cookbook Media will represent the project at the upcoming 2021 market events with the aim of establishing strategic manufacturing and marketing partnerships.

Production began just as companies, including TRICK 3D Studio, began quarantine due to the pandemic.

“It was a rollercoaster ride of emotions starting with the production of The happiest elf due to COVID-19, but the fact that we have been able to move forward and create extraordinary energy and happiness along the way is a testament to both the people of this project and the technologies that are making the remote production of success and actually a lot of fun, ”notes Eikhoff.

The happiest elf

Eikhoff's team is bringing together real-time gaming technology, Apple's iPhone 3D facial capture, inertial motion capture, keyframe animation, and NVIDIA's latest RTX ray tracing for physics, real-time lighting and rendering. Real-time animation production is powered by Epic's Unreal Engine.

“I'm thrilled with this approach because I believe in empowering animators,” adds the director. “My approach to updating the animation process focuses on bringing animators' visions to life faster and with greater clarity. My goal is for animator names to one day be synonymous with their characters and Unreal Engine is the key to making that happen. "

“The concept of The happiest elf it requires new technology to bring it to life, ”says Stacy Shade, studio head for TRICK 3D. "And, Unreal Engine is the key element for the new pipeline that Chad is leading for this short but also for subsequent projects from him and our studio."

Eikhoff and the team just released a behind-the-scenes video showing the technologies used - viewers can see the story now on YouTube.

Visit www.thejolliestelf.com for more information on behind the scenes and upbeat activities.

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