There are still three weeks to go to the opening ceremony for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, but the BBC has already won a place on the medal table when it comes to design. It’s teased its upcoming Olympic coverage with an ad that features a beautiful animated style for a captivating ode to Paris and to sporting passion.
The BBC’s Olympic ad references Paris landmarks like the Eiffel Tower and Sacré-Cœur while comparing the City of Lights’ romantic reputation to the passion of athletes and the lengths they go to for their sport. It says something that the video stands out in a sporting event that’s already been a feast of visual design, from the much-mocked Paris 2024 Olympic Games logo to the clitoris-like mascots.
Paris 2024 Olympic Games BBC launch film – YouTube
Produced by BBC Creative with Nexus Studios and French director and illustrator Fx Goby, the film shows us various apparently romantic situations from a different angle. A candlelit bath turns out to be an eye bath, a couple riding on scooter merges into a cycle race. The animation has a gorgeous, meticulous handcrafted feel and is narrated by French voice actor Pierre Maubouche over a soundtrack of Edith Piaf’s Hymne a l’amour, which was itself inspired by the boxer Marcel Cerdan.
