A spine-chilling new advert captivating cinema and TV audiences is being described as a ‘mini movie’ showcasing Britain’s creative power.

The Kraken Black Spiced Rum commercial was created by London production agency Fight Gravity and Purple Creative, in partnership with teams from South Africa, Northern Ireland and Hungary.

The 30-second ad tells the ill-fated origin story of how the kraken, a mythical sea beast, was stained ink-black in a merciless attack on a trading ship carrying fine Caribbean rum and exotic spices in the 19th century.

Paul Cheung, Fight Gravity’s Founder, said: “We are over the moon with the ad. The amount of detail the director has managed to cram in is quite astonishing. Really, it’s more of a mini movie than a commercial.”

Steve Bewick, Founding Partner of Purple Creative, added: “This 30-second ad was a fantastic challenge. It mixed live action, including stunt teams and epic real sets, with state-of-the-art CGI animation. The Kraken has a big fanbase, so we couldn’t let them down. That’s why we really pushed the creative boundaries and set incredibly high standards for what we expected to achieve – we had to make the story as legendary as the rum.”

The advert was a key part of a wider campaign created to increase The Kraken’s flavour credentials, educate rum lovers about the brand and prove that The Kraken is a deeper, darker spirit choice. It also launches The Kraken’s new ‘Legendary’ endline, referring to both the story and the flavour profile of the rum.

An astonishing amount of detail went into every scene of the moving image. All the characters have back-stories, with director Rudolf Peter Kiss even imagining what the characters might have had in their pockets. The inside of a wooden 1870s trading ship was physically built as a set, complete with authentic lighting, furniture and fixtures. This gave a realism to the film that just wouldn’t have been achieved otherwise, allowing the actors and stunt men to perform in a real environment rather than green screen.

For fans of The Kraken, the set was scattered with ‘easter eggs’ – subtle references to the brand’s back story and other innovations, like Roast Coffee hessian sacks to hint at the brand’s flavour extension, and Kraken tattoos and ornaments.

Specialist and authentic 19th century costumes were shipped from Madrid. And some of the shots were so challenging that Dune Steadicam operator Attila Pfeffer was brought in, to make it look like the actors were genuinely pitching about on the ocean.

Michael Cockram, Global Marketing Director of Proximo, who are behind The Kraken, said: “No other brand can tell such a dramatic and legendary story. Our aim is to give meaning to our Black Spiced Rum and showcase The Kraken’s bold and fearless personality and attitude – which we do in an unbelievably epic way.”

Paul Cheung, of Fight Gravity, added: “My goodness, there was a lot to juggle but it’s the level of challenge that attracted Fight Gravity to this project in the first place. It was exciting imaging the scale of the Kraken – the viewer never really gets to see just how massive it is. We worked on the basis that it dwarfs the Empire State Building.

“As terrifying as the Beast is, it’s destroying the ship to get at the rum rather than the sailors. Never get between a Kraken and The Kraken.

“We’re so proud to have been at the sharp end of such an international project and we expect this work will attract more international business, both to ourselves and other UK companies.”

The ad was filmed in Hungary, at Budapest’s Astra Studios, where series and films including The Witcher and The King have been filmed.

The Kraken Black Spiced Rum ad can be seen on UK and Australian screens from October 2023.