Prada Enlists Disney and Bluth Animators for Hand-Drawn Campaign

Prada Enlists Veteran Animators for Hand-Drawn Holiday Campaign

Prada launched its 2026 holiday campaign titled Drawing Prada: Animated by Hand, blending live-action footage with traditional 2D animation directed by veteran animator John Pomeroy. The campaign features an international cast of actors interacting with illustrated winter landscapes and fantasy creatures drawn entirely by hand.

Actors interact with animated characters in snow

The campaign stars Stranger Things costars Maya Hawke and Sadie Sink, alongside Chinese singer and actor Chen Haoyu, Kelvin Harrison Jr., and Luther Ford. The project marks a reunion for Sink and Hawke following the conclusion of their hit Netflix series. In the campaign’s visual shorts, Hawke walks through the snow pursued by a cynical fox character, while Sink has her shoes stolen by a group of animated mice. Additional interactions feature a snow lynx pursuing Haoyu’s Prada bag, and rabbits and bats playing with Ford’s leather accessories. Maya Hawke appears in a red dress during the video.

Veteran animator assembles traditional craft team

Animation director John Pomeroy assembled a team of veteran traditional animators for the project, describing the craft’s foundation in a behind-the-scenes film by stating that he learned his craft with pencil and paper. Pomeroy began his animation career in 1973 working on Winnie the Pooh and Tigger Too under animator Frank Thomas, later cofounding Don Bluth Productions and supervising animation on films like Pocahontas. For the Prada project, Pomeroy brought in twin brothers Tom and Tony Bancroft as lead animators. Tom Bancroft noted in the behind-the-scenes featurette that Pomeroy had “called the band back together,” utilizing artists with deep roots in 20th-century feature animation. Pomeroy’s extensive credits also include The Land Before Time, Thumbelina, Klaus, All Dogs Go to Heaven, Space Jam: A New Legacy, and Atlantis: The Lost Empire, where he served as lead character designer for Milo. Tony Bancroft previously co-directed Mulan, while Tom Bancroft worked on projects including Aladdin, The Lion King, and Beauty and the Beast.

Glen Luchford handles live action elements

Photographer and director Glen Luchford handled the campaign’s live-action elements, designing lighting and perspective to match the illustrated winter environments created by Pomeroy’s team. Ferdinando Verderi served as creative director for the campaign, which includes a series of short films and still images. The production utilized a painstaking frame-by-frame approach to place actors like Sadie Sink and Maya Hawke inside fairy-tale winter scenes illuminated by the glowing embers of a fireplace and punctuated by technical outerwear and candy-colored stripes from the brand’s collection.

Industry Context and Luxury Brand Precedents

While these high-end fashion commissions will not rebuild Hollywood’s hand-drawn feature pipeline, they demonstrate that traditional animation still holds commercial and artistic value. The Prada campaign echoes similar luxury fashion marketing efforts, such as Givenchy’s 2022 101 Dalmatians spot overseen by Eric Goldberg. Additional examples of 2D animation in modern advertising include a 2025 Scandinavian public service announcement about recycling.

John Pomeroy directs holiday campaign animation

Who directed the animation for Prada’s holiday campaign?

Veteran animator John Pomeroy directed the 2D animation for the Drawing Prada: Animated by Hand holiday campaign, leading a team that included lead animators Tom and Tony Bancroft.

Which actors star in the Prada 2026 holiday campaign?

The campaign stars Maya Hawke, Sadie Sink, Chen Haoyu, Kelvin Harrison Jr., and Luther Ford.

Who handled the photography and direction for the live-action scenes?

Glen Luchford managed the photography and direction, aligning the lighting and perspective with the illustrated winter backgrounds.

What prior notable projects is John Pomeroy associated with?

Pomeroy’s career spans more than five decades, including work on Winnie the Pooh and Tigger Too starting in 1973, cofounding Don Bluth Productions, and supervising animation on Disney’s Pocahontas.