"Trails Will Blaze"

26 January 2026

45s

Burn notice.

Before Euro 2025, the BBC promised "names will be made". On the eve of the 2026 Winter Olympics, the Beeb tells us that "trails will blaze" in northern Italy. Where there's a will, there's a way to promote live sports coverage. It's also the perfect excuse to deliver a 45" animated trail that's elemental and elegant in equal measure.

A stop-motion saga of fire and ice set to a snippet of Giuseppe Verdi's 'Requiem', the ad is the result of seven hundred—yes, seven hundred—3D-printed models and a lot of patience. In full flow, we get a handful of athletes who move like world-beaters. It's a damn cold night, as Avril Lavigne once sang, but the cast sure turn up the heat.

For those worried about climate change and its impact on winter sports, however, this is less than ideal behaviour. Let's hope the BBC's well-intentioned trailer's not a sign of things to come!

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