No other nation loves Donald Duck as much as the Finns. Even today, in the world of Netflix, YouTube and mobile phones, almost 1 million Finns read the Donald Duck magazine every week. That is 20% of the whole nation.
However, as almost half of Finnish population have learned to read with the help of the Finnish Donald Duck, Aku Ankka, this is no wonder. They grow up with him and learned from him and has therefore been an essential part of many Finns lives.
With this film Sanoma Media Finland wanted to remind the Finns of the utmost importance and relevance of the Aku Ankka magazine. The emotional goal was to tell people to never grow up and never let go of the magazine.
It tells the story of a boy and the Donald Duck magazine and their strong relationship. To truly portrait this relationship, that is deeper than just browsing through pages of pictures printed on paper, the role of the magazine is played by a real live duck. With a perfect performance by the duck combined with goosebumpy (no pun) music, the end result is something you would never expect for a product like this.
After seeing the film, no parent should be able to deprive the joy and benefit of the Aku Ankka magazine from their children - and themselves. By the looks of the comments for the Finnish launch earlier this month the film is doing just that: "Ouch, that hit the sore spot. Was about to cancel my subscription, but..." said one Finnish YouTuber. “I don’t ever want to grow up!” wrote another.
Aku Ankka magazine facts:
· The first issue of Aku Ankka was published on 5 December 1951
· Aku Ankka is a cultural icon in Finland, largely due to the magazine's colourful and innovative use of the Finnish language
· Aku Ankka has the largest edition per capita in the world for a Donald Duck magazine
· Aku Ankka is still the biggest weekly magazine in Finland
· Back in 1977 and 1979 many international medias reported that Donald Duck was banned in Finland for not having any pants (an urban legend sparked by a misundertsanding)
Creative Film Credits:
Ad Agency: Bob the Robot
Creative Director and Storywriter: Jannis Mavrostomos
Copywriter: Erol Tekkanat
Account Director: Anna Holtari
Producer: Heidi Nieminen
Client: Sanoma Media Finland
Commercial Director: Sinikka Alanne
Consumer Branding Manager: Minna Jaakola
Editor-in-chief: Aki Hyyppä
Managing Editor: Viia Viitanen
Production company: Pablo Films
Director: Juho Konstig
Producer: Henri Ollinkari
DOP: Tuomas Järvelä
Editor: Mikko Huupponen
Animation: Fake
Music: Totte Rautiainen
Global Distribution Partner: Be On, Jesper Laumand