Africa Creative Taps the World’s Most Famous Volleyball to Make a Point About Ocean Pollution
Tom Hanks may have lost “Wilson” in “Cast Away,” but he’s back – and it only took 25 years, not the 450 that a stark new environmental campaign claims it will. Hollywood’s most iconic volleyball, introduced in Robert Zemeckis’ 2000 film, is the central player in this new effort, created by Brazilian agency Africa Creative designed to underscore the impact of plastics on ocean environments. To promote UNESCO new scientific frameworks, in association with Onda Azul Institute and the tech brand Vivo, “The Odyssey of Wilson” brings real datasets to life in an engaging digital experience, found at https://450yearsatsea.com/, that sheds light on the devastating impact of plastic pollution on our oceans.
The initiative transforms hard oceanographic data into an emotionally compelling, interactive journey spanning 450 years of environmental change. It includes a riveting short film, produced and directed by MAVERICK, which can be found on the 450 Years website.
Launched ahead of the 2025 United Nations Ocean Conference in Nice, France, the campaign uses Wilson’s imagined path through the world’s oceans as a metaphor for the long-term degradation caused by plastics. Backed by ocean data and projections, the experience traces currents, tides, and climate events to visualize the volleyball’s transformation into microplastics, revealing acidification, ice shelf collapse, and rising sea levels along the way.
The campaign echoes urgent warnings about marine biodiversity: many species now face a “triple threat” of rising temperatures, acidification and deoxygenation, making survival increasingly difficult — akin to living in a room that is heating up, with thinning air that’s also turning acidic.
According to UNESCO, between 1.1 and 4.9 million tons of plastic are already present in the ocean, with discarded fishing gear and single-use plastics cited as primary sources. While progress has been made in mapping the seafloor, now at 25 percent coverage, up from 15 percent in 2019, critical gaps remain in global monitoring and coordinated action. These findings form the foundation of a campaign that transforms complex, sobering data into a story that resonates emotionally and urges action.
“This project is about making science human,” says André Luis Esteves, Director at the Onda Azul Institute. “By following the journey of a simple object, we illustrate decades of invisible damage caused by plastic waste, and why it urgently needs global attention. With Vivo and inspired by UNESCO’s scientific leadership, we’ve transformed data into a story people can feel.”
With creative development led by Africa Creative, the integrated effort includes an immersive digital platform to explore the journey, a short film, public installations in coastal cities, and live activations during major sports broadcasts.
“Science alone doesn’t move people, stories do,” says Raphael Vandystadt, VP of Sustainability at Africa Creative. “By turning complex data into a powerful visual journey, we help make the invisible visible.”
“The Odyssey Of Wilson” credits
Agency: Africa Creative
Client: Telefônica Brasil S/A
CCO: Sergio Gordilho
ECD: Mariana Sá, Nicholas Bergantin
Creative Directors: Guilherme Manzi, Mario Morais, Pedro Galdi, Pedro Rosas
Associate Creative Director: Bruno Bizuti, Lucas Andrade
Copywriters: Bruno Bizuti, Mario Morais, Leonardo Telles, Nathalie Palomares
Art Directors: Guilherme Manzi, Lucas Andrade, Danilo Carvalho, Guilherme Serato
Co-COO: Heloísa Pupim
Account Management: Camilla Steiman
Co-CMO: Thiago Martinez
Media: Jefferson Sales, Jefferson Mendes, Fabiana Almeida
VP of Special Projects and Creative Content: Juliana Leite
Director of Special Projects: Lica de Souza
Project Manager: Lais Cattena
Creative Producer: Giovanna Lima, Theo Etlin, Lucia de Carvalho Maia
Intern: Marina Rabelo
Award Production: Raquel Martins
Award Production Assistant: Valentina De Luca, Nadia Sobh
VP of Sustainability and Institutional Relations: Raphael Vandystadt
Specialist: Thiago Felipe de Souza
CTO: Bruno Mosconi
Platform Development: UMSTUDIO
Platform Motion: Miguel Melo
Production/RTV: Rodrigo Ferrari, Tais Olhiara
Production, Direction & Cinematography: MAVERICK
Executive Production: Paulo Geraissate, Patricia Bonato
Account Manager: Gregory Conte
Editing: Akira, Carlos Sperançolo
Post-Production Finishing: João Laion, Igor Angelo
Conform: Guilherme Vila
Motion Graphics: Jefferson Almeida
Color Grading: Psycho N’ Look
Colorist: Marcio Pasqualino
Production Coordinator: Fernando Vellosa
Assistant Coordinator: Hugo Ferriolli
Head of Films: DRVNK
Audio Production Company: Antfood Music & Sound Design
Creative Direction: Lou Schmidt, Fernando Rojo, Tiago Mago
Executive Production: Renato Castro, Christiane Rachel
Music Production: Lou Schmidt, Fernando Rojo, Tiago Mago, Luis Bergmann, Vinicius Nunes, Lucas Baldin
Production Coordination: Monique Munhoz, Pablo Mello
Post-Production: Bruno Broaska, Fabian Jorge, Pedro Macedo
