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Intermarché’s Handcrafted Christmas Short Goes Global, Supercharging ‘Le Mal-Aimé’

The French-made film showcases all-human animation, with Intermarché now moving to capitalize on its success.

Overview

  • First broadcast on Dec. 6 on TF1, the 2:30 story of a misunderstood wolf has spread internationally, with recent reports citing cumulative views in the hundreds of millions.
  • Streaming of Claude François’s 1974 track "Le Mal-Aimé" spiked after the ad’s release, with Spotify reporting a 217% global increase and Luminate noting larger multipliers and fresh traction in the U.S. and Europe.
  • Montpellier-based Illogic Studios created the animation with agency Romance, mobilizing about 70 artists over several months and explicitly avoiding generative AI.
  • Intermarché’s leadership frames the campaign as a deliberate alternative to AI-made holiday ads by multinationals and as a choice to support French creative labor.
  • The company says a plush toy of the wolf is coming, and Illogic is developing a longer-form project in the style of the short with Mandarin & Compagnie.