New York artist Brian Donnelly, known to practically everyone as KAWS, created a blow-up version of his iconic melancholic character for the 86th annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and emerging director Jake Sumner was there to document the balloon’s inaugural float make that sprint down 6th Avenue. 

In two separate films premiering on NOWNESS and i am OTHER, Sumner captured the inherent weirdness of a milieu where Christmas trees dance, college mascots embrace traffic cops, and 41-foot high greyscale figures play follow the leader with grinning sea sponge cartoon characters an aerial view of the holiday tradition that streetside positioning would never afford.

Full Credits:
Production Co: AllDayEveryday + I Am Other
Director: Jake Sumner
Executive Producer: Lucy Cooper
Producer: Nicola Westermann
DP: Jake Sumner, Rick Carmona, Alex Di Suvero, RB Umali and Christopher Farber
Editor: Mike Colao
Original Music: Danie Lea for Golden Hum
Colorist: Colin Travers
Production Manager: Ethan Weinstock
Data Management: Joe Belack
Sound Mixer: Tony Leonardo
PA's: Jamal Solomon and Georgia Weisz