The archive · Advertising · Marketing decision · 2023–2024
McDonald's Japan's Yoru Mac anime — six films, global buzz, ACC 2024 Grand Prix
McDonald's Japan made six 20-second anime films about ordinary happy moments to sell its after-5pm menu — they went viral and won an ACC 2024 Grand Prix.
McDonald's Japan · Dentsu · Geek Pictures
What it had to solve
McDonald's Japan's evening menu, Yoru Mac ('Night Mac'), launched a series of anime web films on September 20, 2023. Six 20-second spots, illustrated by artist Urachan with a single piece of music, showed ordinary happy moments — a family sharing fries and nuggets, high-school boys, Halloween monsters, a couple, a father and son, and someone's alone time — under the tagline 'A nothing-special happy time.'
How it works
On September 20, 2023, McDonald's Japan began promoting its evening 'Yoru Mac' menu with a series of anime web films. Each 20–21 second spot showed an ordinary happy moment — a family sharing fries and nuggets, three high-school boys at sunset, Halloween monsters, a couple, a father and son, and time spent alone — all drawn by illustrator Urachan to a single piece of music.
The tagline, '特別じゃない、しあわせな時間。' ('A nothing-special happy time'), was supported by small messages like 'A message from adults: cherish these times.' The films deliberately avoided spectacle: their warmth came from the everyday scenes and the craft of the animation.
The series became a global talking point. It drew affectionate responses, but also debate — mainly from Western viewers — about the idealized families shown in big-brand films. The attention itself was the campaign's power: AdverTimes credited the work with capturing worldwide attention when it awarded it the 2024 ACC Grand Prix in the online film category.
Why it lands
- It sold an evening menu through emotion, not features — the films never argue about price or menu items.
- Anime gave the brand a culturally native format with huge global shareability, turning a local campaign into an international story.
- The gentle, unpolished reality of the scenes made the brand feel human at a time when ads are loud.
- The response to the cultural debate showed the campaign had touched something real, which is what made it award-worthy.
What it did
The series went viral far beyond Japan: overseas viewers shared warm reactions, then debated the idealized families the films showed. AdverTimes noted the campaign had 'attracted attention from around the world,' and it won the 2024 ACC Tokyo Creativity Awards Grand Prix in the Film B (online film) category.
What you can take
Make the mundane feel precious: with real craft, ordinary moments become something people share and feel — the menu sells itself through emotion rather than claims.
Since then
The series ran through late 2023 with additional spots, and its copywriter, Rei Hanada, was recorded in the Tokyo Copywriters Club archive for 2024. At the 2024 ACC Awards the Grand Prix in Film B confirmed the campaign as one of Japan's most talked-about films of the year, and it became a reference point for anime-based brand content.
Sources
- ACC Awards: McDonald's 'A nothing-special happy time' wins Film B Grand Prix
- McDonald's Japan Makes Its Own Anime for Advertising
- Japan McDonald's anime ads: ordinary but happy times
- McDonald's Yoru Mac 'A nothing-special happy time' family film — copy archive
spotted an error? The archive wants to know.
Your turn
You just read one. Describe the brief you are staring at, and see who has been given the same problem.
Free account · 3 free questions · no card