San Francisco based agency Erich and Kallman have created an animated launch campaign for Hemporer, the new HPA beer from New Belgium Brewery. 

The quirky spots, being rolled out for digital and social, were directed by 1stAveMachine’s award-winning Animation Director, Will Samuel - a series of detailed collage cut-out animations, with their style sitting somewhere between Tolkien and Monty Python’s holy grail.  Taking the humorous path, the spots focus on the beers unique pungent aroma resulting in the line ‘Behold the Dankness’.

The Hemporer character – which was created by Erich and Kallman - is a chilled-out, regal-looking character donning a leafy crown, a statement necklace and a long bushy moustache.

Director, Will Samuel commented: “The Hemperor is a strong, playful, benevolent ruler of all things hemp so from the start I wanted to show off his kingdom in a truly spectacular light. The style of animation was directly influenced by the design. I think the cutout, stop motion effect enhanced the comic nature of the scripts. Using well-timed, simple, yet crafty movements, I found was enough to imbue the character with plenty of emotion and life.”

The beer is made of hops and legally brewed with Colorado hemp but won't get you stoned.  It’s classified as a “hemp pale ale,” with a lively 'weed' smell.