Tuesday, 17 February marked the beginning of the Chinese Year of the Horse. Dior welcomes it with a new collection, accompanied by a new short film. The film was directed by Nina Gantz and Renée Zhan from the London-based production studio Blinkink.

The stop-motion film, entitled A Ride of the Moon, was created for the Dior fashion house as a poetic celebration of the Lunar New Year and a tribute to traditional craftsmanship. "Inspired by early cinema and Baroque theatre, the film comes to life through visible old-world stage tricks, playful surrealism and precise handiwork right in front of the camera. It is a true celebration of collaboration and the power of craftsmanship at a time when AI is so prominently in the spotlight," the studio wrote on its LinkedIn page.

The film was created not only for the New Year, but also for the collection of creative director Jonathan Anderson. Gantz collaborated with him for the third time, but Zhan joined them for the first time.

The creators were inspired by early cinematography, especially the legendary film Le Voyage dans la Lune by French illusionist and filmmaker Georges Méliès. The story takes place in an 18th-century-inspired French theatre, where a modern fairy tale full of baroque splendour unfolds before the audience's eyes.

"The starting point was a celebration of traditional theatre craftsmanship, inspired by Marie Antoinette's theatre in Versailles. Hand-painted backdrops, manual mechanisms and those wonderfully theatrical illusions. We embraced the baroque spirit in everything – visually, technically and musically," describe the creators of the film.

The central character is a horse, a motif referring not only to this year's zodiac sign, but also to the Dior horse-shaped pendant. The puppet was assembled from sewn components and brought to life using classic stop-motion animation. The movement is not created using digital effects, but traditional techniques: moving the scenery, working with perspective and mechanical stage elements.

"It was a real joy to be commissioned to create something so artistically rich and deeply rooted in the tradition of craftsmanship. We worked closely and collaboratively with the Dior team to create this elaborate world. Stop-motion was key for all of us because it has a deliberate charm; it's not meant to be too smooth. Everything was filmed directly in front of the camera using old theatre techniques – for example, creating movement by moving the scenery rather than the puppets themselves," add Gantz and Zhan.

Source: mam.cz