GWR’s re-imagining of Enid Blyton’s much-loved Famous Five has proven the perfect vehicle for capturing the romance and excitement of train travel. In this second outing the capers of Julian, George, Dick, Anne and Timmy highlight the incredible destinations on the GWR network. A hero 60” TV spot sees the Five embark on a cross-country chase across their native south-west in pursuit of a wanted man. Destinations within the cities they visit – for example the Roman Baths in Bath, The Suspension Bridge in Bristol, and Exeter Cathedral – also feature in a series of print and outdoor ads styled to resemble Famous Five book covers. The campaign extended to radio, digital and social channels and was completed by a printed version of the story in the form of our very own 60 page Famous Five book, given out to passengers aboard GWR trains.

The style of animation reimagines the original Famous Five book illustrations by Eileen Soper. A combination of 2D and 3D animation was used to bring to life the illustrated style of the books for the first time in film. Extreme care was taken to ensure we remained authentic to the original illustrations. Once the world of the Famous Five characters was designed, it was modelled in 3D. 2D artists and line artists then illustrated over each image to add the painterly style and charm of the original illustrations. Each one was finally printed and then re-scanned to give the finished layouts an authentic, printed look.