Friday 3rd July, London, UK: Publicis London has created series of claymation films for Renault UK to showcase the retractable canvas roof on Renault 4 E‑Tech electric, ahead of the UK launch in September.
Running across Renault UK’s social channels from 29 June, The Sunroof Open taps into tennis season through a series of 30-second films. Each uses playful stop-motion to capture the feeling of open-air driving, inspired by some of the sport’s most familiar moments, from seagulls swiping snacks to rain stopping play and balls flying out of court.
Created with production company Mindseye and animator Alistair Nicholls, the films bring the roof’s opening mechanism to life through hand-crafted animation. The series launches during tennis season, when many of the biggest tournaments are played under retractable rooves, creating a simple and recognisable link to the car’s own opening roof. The result is a playful, culturally relevant take on a key product feature.
Matthew Comras, Creative Director at Publicis London, said: “We started with a simple, functional feature, the retractable roof, and asked how to turn it into content people would enjoy watching. By using recognisable sporting moments, the films show rather than tell how the roof opens up the world around you. Bringing that to life through hand-crafted claymation was key. You can feel the labour of love in every frame, which, in a world of AI-generated content, makes it feel much more human, more playful and more distinctive.”
Lawrence Hamilton, Head of Marketing, Comms, Digital & CRM at Renault, said: “At Renault, we want to make cars that people love, that stand out that have some genuine character. The Renault 4 is a lovely refined electric car but it’s party trick is that you can rip the whole roof off and enjoy the sun… and quickly whizz it back on when the uk weather resumes. Publicis London have dramatised this unique feature in a very clever and fun way right at the time people are thinking about other retractable roofs.”
