RED

*

RED *

OH DEER

Brief

From hero to zero, to hero. RED is Ritzy’s first in house short film, created alongside our commercial projects and whenever we got a spare minute.

The film is deer to our hearts having been conceived 2 years before it's final release at an event at the Ritzy Cinema, Brixton - the place where the idea to form Ritzy Animation first began.

Red had the world at his hoofs, the most famous and talented reindeer on the sleigh. But fame, money, Does and his playboy lifestyle got the better of him. His fall from grace was epic, the party lifestyle getting out of hand, and eventually, he hung up his harness and began living a recluse life in his trailer on the outskirts of town. Filled with regret, and with only whiskey and cigarettes for company, one day he makes a decision to get back in shape and earn his place back at the front of the sleigh.

We love an anti-hero, and for our first Christmas short, we wanted to go against festive tradition and represent a darker side of Rudolph. No longer the happy, bouncy, joyful character, we liked the idea of a guy that had it all and wasted it, only to return to his former glory.

Style
3D

Genre
Character / Sport / Short Film

Red. A humanoid reindeer wearing a basketball vest with large antlers working out with dumbbells, standing outdoors in a snowy area.
A line drawing of an anthropomorphic deer with muscular human body, holding a dumbbell in one hand, dressed in workout shorts and sneakers, with a basketball vest
A 3D look dev render of a humanoid deer with a muscular build, wearing a basketball jersey with the number 9, shorts, gloves, athletic socks, and sneakers, standing against a plain background.

Behind the scenes

The first step was designing a beefy reindeer that radiated power, class, and just the right amount of cheek. We wanted a striking silhouette, sharp, piercing antlers, and angular, defined muscles. Forget the classic Rudolph clichés — no red noses or fluffy tails here.

The sculpt, led by Dan Edgley, went through plenty of iterations, some of which got a little… unfriendly. We carefully picked where to keep the edge while ensuring our reindeer remained likeable, even with a touch of aggression.

Once the character was nailed, it was time to populate his world. Every prop and object was meticulously researched, giving the modeling and texture teams the guidance they needed to hit the perfect level of detail.

3D digital sculpture of a humanoid creature with a deer-like face, large ears, and antlers, wearing a nose ring, against a black background.

The story went through a lot of revisions before we were happy, and at one point our protagonist was Blitzen, not Rudolph.

When the assets and animatic were locked, we cantered into animation and it was here that our living, breathing, roided up beast really started to take shape

Led by Director Charlie Batho, Ritzy got stuck into the lighting keys, and whenever there was room for a gritty extra detail or a deer pun, we took it.

Sound always brings an extra dimension to all films, and we were pumped when BXFTYS came on board. Their early involvement was a huge help for pacing, especially with the 80s montage vibe at the heart of the film. We initially timed things to Scarface’s “Push it to the Limit”, and Chris and Ben knocked it out of the park, crafting a fantastic theme full of guitar riffs, synths, and custom lyrics, all brilliantly voiced by Marcello Music.

A 3D render of a humanoid anthropomorphic reindeer with large antlers relaxing in an ice bath surrounded by snow, with a forest in the background.
A close-up of a digitally animated, fierce-looking humanoid 3D Rudolph reindeer with glowing red nose, sharp teeth, and wearing a harness.
  • People seated in a movie theater watching a film that shows a humanoid reindeer with antlers, standing outside a caravan at sunset.
  • Group of friends at bar smiling and talking to each other, with bartender in background
  • Audience seated in a darkened theater or auditorium, engaging and watching an event.
  • Four friends with diverse appearances laughing and chatting together at a bar or pub.
  • Black and white photo of four people at an indoor event, two of whom are standing near a wall and a fire exit sign, while one person in the foreground is turned away, and another is holding a glass.
  • Group of people talking and smiling inside a bar or cafe, with one person holding a glass of red wine, behind a counter with glasses.
  • Neon green grid on a black background with red stylized logo and the text 'Ritzy Animation' in red cursive.
  • Older man with glasses and gray hair is speaking passionately to a younger man with a beard, both surrounded by other people in a lively indoor setting, possibly a bar or pub, with green walls and warm lighting.

WATCH

CREDITS

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CREDITS 〰️

Directors: ‘Two Jeffs’

Design: Dan Edgley, Theresa Haas, Claire Thimon

Storyboards: Adam Beer, Dan Edgley

Modelling and Texturing: Maddalena Delvecchio, Davide Sasselli, Dan Edgley

Rigging: Vasil Shotarov

Layout and Animation: Jessica Kersey-Preston, Dan Edgley, Marta Pevida, Tom Stratford

Look Development: Charlie Batho

Lighting: Charlie Batho, Tom Flavelle

Compositing: Charlie Batho, Tom Flavelle, Dan Edgley

Rendering: Yellowdog

Sound: Box Of Toys Audio

Vocals: Marcello Music