Although 2020 promised a summer of sports, fans were left disappointed when the pandemic got in the way, with the Euros and the Tokyo Olympic Games being postponed to 2021.
Five years since Portugal won the last competition, with the Euros scheduled to begin from June 11, anticipation is mounting. To highlight the BBC’s coverage of the tournament, its in-house agency has created a hand-drawn animation, directed by Nicos Livesey out of Blinkink, a London-based animation studio.
To illustrate that ‘Our Wait Is Over’, the animation opens in a waiting room, big enough to fit the whole of Europe, as players and fans wait for the Euros to begin. Harry Kane and Raheem Sterling, England favorites, are first seen waiting as a woman snores between them. A group of Scotland fans sit in kilts, wearing Euro 96 gear – the last time the team made it to the Euros – while Gareth Bale passes the time in his Welsh kit, playing a spot of indoor golf.
With a roar of a football crowd, gradually the waiting room music heats up, morphing into The Chemical Brothers’ new track The Darkness That You Fear as the footballers start getting into action.
“It’s been a long time coming, but it’s finally here. The Euros starts 11th of June across the BBC,“ reads the voiceover, as the players are seen walking in unison on to the bright pitch.
The BBC’s Euros push follows Heineken’s ‘Finally Together’. Similarly, it depicted fans getting ready for the tournament, with a bit of friendly competition as they are ‘finally together’ to be rivals again.
You can watch ‘Our Wait Is Over’ in full above. To get in touch about Ad of the Day, please email imogen.watson@thedrum.com.
