Ad of the Day: A Syrian Child Refugee's Real Ordeal Becomes a Storybook Nightmare

A heartbreaking new animation from Unicef calls attention to the plight of the millions of children suffering in the Syrian refugee crisis. "Malak and the Boat," a two-minute video, tells the story—in her own words—of a 7-year-old girl crossing the Mediterranean to escape civil war. Battered by cold water, she admits to being terrified she and her mother will drown. Storybook-style illustrations recreate the nightmare with ominous storm clouds and crashing waves; at one point, the sea even takes the the shape of a monster octopus. The ad is part of "Unfairy Tales," a new series from Unicef and 180LA, which pairs the actual journeys of displaced Syrian children with animations like the one in Malak's story. It's an effective technique, even if some surreal instances of creative license—like the kraken made of saltwater—risks downplaying the seriousness of the message. But the tagline, "Some stories were never meant for children," drives home the point: No kid should have to go through this. Design firm House of Colors animated the dark spot. A small clip of live action footage at the end, featuring Malak, signals hope for her future. Elsewhere, Unicef details her full story, along with that of her family. You'll be glad to learn that she and her mother were reunited with her father and sisters in Greece, but that her brother is in Germany—and, as the PSA notes, she misses her friends. The United Nations organization will release a second video, "Ivine and Pillow," in March, along with other content in the "Unfairy Tales" series, to mark the five-year anniversary of the conflict's start in Syria. According to Unicef, 2 million children live as refugees in nearby countries or are on the run from the war. But as a result, more than 8 million children total require humanitarian aid, both inside and outside Syria's borders. CREDITS Client: Unicef Film: "Malak and the Boat" Ad Agency: 180LA William Gelner, Chief Creative Officer Michael Allen, Chief Executive Officer Stephen Larkin, Chief Marketing Officer Rafael Rizuto, Executive Creative Officer Eduardo Marques, Executive Creative Officer Dave Cuccinello, Creative Director David Povill, Creative Director Tamara Brown, Associate Account Director Meredithe Woodward, Account Manager Andy White, Social Media Director Michael Allen, Account Planning Director Natasha Wellesley, Director of Integrated Production Jason Lau, Art and Content Producer Meagan Phillips, Associate PR Director Loretta Zolliecoffer, Director of Business Affairs Florian Bodet, Irene Luevano, Bethlehem Herhane, Translators Melvin Editorial Dave Groseclose- Editor Brian Scharwath- Post Production Manager Animation House: House of Colors Adhemas Batista, Designer Director André Holzmeister, Script and Director André Holzmeister, CGI Adhemas Batista, André Holzmeister, Visual Direction Edu Luke and Elisa Gatti for Hefty Audio, Sound Design & Music Jonathan Marshall, André Holzmeister, Adhemas Batista, Character Design Jonathan Marshall, Adhemas Batista, Concept Art Jonathan Marshall, Adhemas Batista, Storyboards Ricardo Almeida, Guilherme Neder, Animatic Luiz Abud, Project Manager Rodrigo Augusto, Render Wrangler Rendering Sponsored by RebusFarm GmbH / Reederservice Edu Luke and Elisa Gatti for Hefty Audio, Sound Design & Music

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Ad of the Day: A Syrian Child Refugee's Real Ordeal Becomes a Storybook Nightmare

180LA creates jarring 'Unfairy Tales' for Unicef

Gabriel Beltrone

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Gabriel Beltrone