Dreamworks: Kung Fu Panda 2
Social Activation Art Direction
To create social engagement prior to the release of Kung Fu Panda 2: Kaboom of Doom, I created (with Famous Interactive) two social media games for Dreamworks.
Social Game: Kung Fu Panda 2 Staring Contest
This game centers around the film’s main character, Po (voiced by Jack Black) and offers a digital twist on the age-old staring contest. Using their webcam or keyboard, users stare at the 3D Po and attempt to make him blink by triggering noises and distractions from firecrackers to food. For players with a webcam, we developed something similar to the XBOX Kinect, where a player’s hand motions would trigger the distractions, breaking Po’s concentration. Hit enough targets and you will be the newest hero inducted into the Hall of Warriors — a congratulatory message from Po appears, along with “share” links for Facebook and Twitter, and a teaser trailer for the sequel. Webcam players also receive a shareable set of photos highlighting their in-game dominance, just like the photo booth at the fair. To accommodate the film’s international distribution, we created the framework for foreign languages to easily be added to the game.
Social Stunt: Kung Fu Panda 2 Facebook Parade
Using Facebook connect, the “Most Awesomest” Parade Ever personalized a Kung Fu Panda parade by populating the parade with each user’s friends’ profile pix fit into the heads of marching villagers with Po and the Furious Five. Users selected a Kung Fu Panda “character” for themselves to lead their parade. Among the user’s friends, Po and his buddies entered the parade on floats, as a show of fireworks celebrated them in the background. We designed and built the entire experience in-house from the villages to the floats to the individual parade characters–including their dress and marching style.
With over 1 million marchers during launch week, by the end of the month, we reached 3 million making it the biggest Facebook parade ever!
