Acrobatic Showdown: The Martians Bring M&Ms to Life in a Thrilling Race, Showing Off Their Live Action & VFX Skills


In their latest visually captivating film, directing duo Martians work their magic by bringing the beloved M&Ms characters to life like never before. This dynamic and playful commercial showcases a thrilling race through the aisles of a supermarket, where the iconic red M&M faces off against a determined young woman. The chase is anything but ordinary, as the girl demonstrates impressive acrobatic moves, back flipping over trolleys, with the cheeky red M&M hot on her heels. 

With their signature blend of visual effects, humour and performance, The Martians create a fun, fast-paced spectacle that highlights the playful spirit of M&Ms in a fresh and exciting way, as well as advertising the chance to win a marvel adventure to Disneyland Paris!

Martians had this to say: “We still can’t believe that M&M’s and Disney trusted two Martians to bring this film to life. It’s even more surreal because these are the only brands from Earth that anyone on Mars has ever heard of. For once, we could actually tell our moms what we did—and they sort of understood.

We’re used to getting puzzled looks from people, but this project took things to a whole new level. Imagine asking the agency and client to picture an M&M’s character sprinting toward the camera, sliding under a shopping cart—while we stared at an empty supermarket aisle on their monitor. Their faces were more confused than any we’ve seen in the galaxy! But thankfully, they believed in us (we won’t say if we used mind control), and it all worked out beautifully.

The shoot took place at Sandstorm Studios in the Cotswolds—the best spaceship parking lot in the UK. We had access to every piece of gear and tech you could dream of. Rigs to hold people mid-flip? Check. Technocranes? Check. Chroma screens? Check. The perfect cast with future Hollywood stars? Absolutely. Sometimes our Martian ideas are hard to envision, but the crew made sure they came to life exactly as we imagined—even when we were speaking with our mouths full of peanut M&M’s.

And just one last word for Red: what a diva.’

Credits

Client: Mars - M&M's

Agency: The &Partnership

CD: James Fernandes

Creatives: Hemi Patel & Fred Barber

Directors: Martians

Director’s Agent: Davide Cantelmo at The Visionaries

Producer: Dillon Palmer

Production: Sandstorm Films

Producer: Josh Archer

DOP: Matthew Emvin Taylor

Styling: Sarah Hackett

Casting: Jessica Jefreys

Post-Production

M&M's Characters: House Special

Color, SFX and VFX: Creative Outpost

Sound Engineer: Tom Lane

Plate Design & Plate shots: Push VFX