Tourism Australia's latest short film invites the world to ‘Come and Say G'day'

Tourism Australia has created a live-action short film with CGI animated characters. The short film, G’day, is part of a new global tourism campaign inviting international travellers to Come and Say G’day, and plan and book an Australian adventure of their own.

Directed by Australian director, Michael Gracey (The Greatest Showman) and produced by FINCH, G’day the short film shows the unlikely adventure of a plush souvenir kangaroo named Ruby, voiced by actor Rose Byrne, and a toy unicorn, Louie, voiced by actor Will Arnett.

The shortfilm:

The short film follows Ruby and Louie as they ‘break out’ of a gift shop on the Great Barrier Reef and take an incredible adventure around Australia, visiting iconic sites including Sydney Harbour, Melbourne's laneways, and stunning natural landscapes like Uluṟu and Nitmiluk Gorge. Along the way, they explore the magnitude of travel experiences Australia has to offer, connect with Australia’s Indigenous cultures, and learn why every great adventure starts with the unmistakably Aussie greeting, “G’day!”.

Tourism Australia Managing Director, Phillipa Harrison, said “Come and Say G’day is unashamedly and unmistakably Australian. After a challenging time around the world, our uplifting and joyful campaign will stand out in what is a highly competitive international tourism market.”

The multichannel campaign includes new broadcast advertisements (in 60, 30 and 15-second versions), print and high impact Out of Home (OOH) advertising placements, as well as social, digital, and content marketing initiatives. The campaign activity will be further amplified by partnership activity with airlines, State Tourism Organisations, and key distribution partners including Thomas Cook, SOTC, PickYourTrail, Kesari Tours amongst others.

Australia’s Indigenous cultures and peoples are at the heart of the story in G’day, and their warmth can be felt throughout. The musical score, written by Australian composers Jonathan Dreyfus and Amy Andersen, features legendary Indigenous Australian musicians including William Barton, Frank Yamma, the Marliya Gondwana Indigenous Girls Choir and Iwiri Choir.  Notably, the film features a fresh new cover of the classic Aussie song Down Under, which was produced in collaboration with Men At Work’s Colin Hay for the campaign and film.

Harrison concluded, “Another hero of the campaign is the remake of the Australian classic song Down Under by up-and-coming Australian band King Stingray, who sings in both English and Yolŋu Matha, an Indigenous language from northeast Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory.”

Brent Anderson, Regional General Manager for South and South East Asia, Tourism Australia commented, “India, among other South and Southeast Asian (SSEA) markets, has been critical in Australia’s recovery and I’m really excited to reveal our new campaign to inspire even more Indian travellers to explore Australia. Through Ruby and Louie’s adventures, we are inviting travellers to Come and Say G’day – where they can build new authentic connections with friendly Australian locals and communities, our incredible nature, wildlife, islands and beaches, and enjoy our delicious food and drink. We are ready and can’t wait to welcome back our valued travellers from India. We are excited to announce that we have Qantas as our major airline partner across multiple markets, including here in India. You might see Ruby hopping on a Qantas plane in the near future.”