BBC “Trails Will Blaze” Stop-Motion Ad for Winter Olympics 2026

BBC’s “Trails Will Blaze” Pushes Stop Motion Into the Fire for the 2026 Winter Olympics

BBC Creative has released Trails Will Blaze, a stop-motion campaign created to promote the 2026 Winter Olympics. The film was directed by Yannis Konstantinidis through the London-based studio Nomint and was produced entirely using practical stop-motion techniques combined with real fire effects.

The film follows a single athlete as they move through a series of Winter Olympic disciplines, beginning as a skier carving across a miniature landscape inspired by the Dolomites. As the figure travels, a trail of fire forms behind them, transforming as the character shifts between sports including curling, speed skating, and snowboarding. At moments the flame is extinguished when the athlete falls, only to reignite as the journey continues.

Rather than depicting separate characters, the animation presents the athlete as a continuous presence, physically transforming between disciplines while maintaining momentum. This approach reinforces the film’s central idea of perseverance and creative evolution, mirroring the endurance and adaptability required of Olympic athletes.

The production relied on approximately 700 individually 3D-printed athlete figures, allowing the animation team to achieve precise transitions while maintaining consistency in scale and movement. To create the fire effects, the filmmakers employed 14 different combustion techniques, all captured practically in-camera. Instead of simulating fire digitally, real flames, sparks, and light-painting methods were animated frame by frame so the fire would naturally illuminate the puppets and miniature sets.

Extensive testing preceded production, with weeks devoted to refining fire behavior, camera exposure, and lighting balance. Working with live flame required the team to rethink traditional stop-motion materials. Common scenic elements such as foam and cotton were replaced with heat-resistant alternatives, including kiln lining and treated surfaces capable of withstanding repeated exposure to fire.

The film was animated at multiple scales, with much of the action occurring around a 1:24 scale, while select shots were built larger to accommodate increased detail and more controlled combustion. Some sequences required multiple passes, capturing different types of fire movement and character animation separately before being composited together in post, while still preserving the integrity of the practical effects.

The soundtrack features a newly arranged version of Giuseppe Verdi’s Requiem, recorded by the BBC Symphony Orchestra, BBC Symphony Chorus, and the Crouch End Festival Chorus. The orchestral recording reinforces the epic tone of the film while grounding it in a distinctly BBC production identity.

Jess Oudot, creative director at BBC Creative, described the project as a celebration of the trails athletes blaze during the Games, noting that the team sought to push the limits of stop motion in the same way athletes push the boundaries of their sports. Konstantinidis referred to the project as both technically demanding and creatively exhilarating, emphasizing the level of trust required between creative leadership and hands-on makers when working with unpredictable physical elements such as fire.

In an era increasingly dominated by digital effects, Trails Will Blaze stands as a reminder of stop motion’s ability to deliver tactile spectacle through obsessive craftsmanship. By committing to real materials, real fire, and frame-by-frame animation, the campaign demonstrates how physical filmmaking techniques can still break new ground in contemporary advertising.

Behind-the-scenes videos released by BBC Creative provide further insight into the production process, documenting the testing, safety planning, and animation methods used to integrate combustion into a stop-motion workflow.