Two Wolves from Montpellier — Intermarché’s Viral Wolf & My Pic Saint-Loup Character

A wolf from Montpellier suddenly goes global

Intermarché’s Christmas film Le Mal-Aimé told the story of a lonely wolf who changes his eating habits in the hope of finally being accepted by the other animals.

The film was created by Illogic Studios in Montpellier, working with agency Romance and Wizz. Its visual language combined carefully designed characters with painterly 3D animation and a deliberately handmade sensibility.

What happened next was extraordinary. The film escaped the normal lifespan of a supermarket advertisement and became an international online phenomenon, generating reactions, fan art and discussion far beyond France.

For me, one detail made the story even more enjoyable: all of this was being created in Montpellier.

A Curious Local Coincidence

Meanwhile, another French wolf was already driving through the vineyards

Well before the Intermarché campaign appeared, I had created my own cartoon wolf as part of a personal illustration based around Pic Saint-Loup, north of Montpellier.

My wolf has an easier life.

He drives a bright red Méhari through the vineyards with a group of animal friends, heading out into the countryside beneath the unmistakable profile of Pic Saint-Loup.

There is no relationship between the two projects. Different artists, different stories, different production methods. The timing and geography simply created one of those coincidences that is too good not to enjoy.

Pic Saint-Loup: when a place name creates a character

For anyone who does not speak French, the joke is very simple:

“Loup” means “wolf.”

That makes Pic Saint-Loup unusually inviting territory for an illustrator. The mountain is already visually distinctive, and its name immediately suggests a character.

Rather than treating the landscape as a conventional travel poster, I could turn the wordplay into a small illustrated world: wolf, friends, vineyards, Méhari, sunshine and the mountain itself.

It is an example of something I enjoy in both personal and commissioned work: finding a visual idea that belongs specifically to a place instead of simply placing generic imagery on top of it.

A character rooted in the landscape north of Montpellier

Pic Saint-Loup is one of the defining silhouettes of the landscape north of Montpellier. Vineyards, garrigue, limestone, country roads and Mediterranean light give the area a visual identity that is immediately recognisable to people who live here.

The region is also closely associated with wine through the Pic Saint-Loup appellation, so the vineyards are not decorative scenery. They are part of the character of the place.

I have lived and worked in this area since 2006, and increasingly use it as material for personal illustration: Montpellier, Claret, the Pic Saint-Loup, local architecture, wine culture and the odd wolf in a red car.

Artist-Led Character Design

Two projects, one reminder about character

The Intermarché wolf and my Pic Saint-Loup wolf were created in completely different ways and for completely different purposes.

But their simultaneous appearance was a pleasant reminder of something fundamental about character design: audiences respond to personality.

A memorable character is not simply an animal with human clothes or facial expressions. Posture, silhouette, eyes, gestures, props, colour and context all help establish who that character is before a single line of dialogue is needed.

My Pic Saint-Loup wolf was drawn specifically for this little southern French world. Commissioned imagery in my own work is individually created for the project and is not AI-generated.

Montpellier as a place for illustration and animation

The coincidence also says something about the creative ecosystem around Montpellier.

Illogic Studios could produce an internationally successful animated film here. ESMA and other creative schools train illustrators, animators and visual-development artists here. Independent illustrators, designers, studios and artists work throughout the city and surrounding region.

That makes the Intermarché story interesting locally as well as globally. A piece of French animation created in Montpellier travelled around the world — while many smaller visual projects continue to emerge from the same creative territory every day.

Art Print · Pic Saint-Loup

From personal illustration to poster

The wolf illustration eventually became part of my small range of art prints inspired by Montpellier, the Pic Saint-Loup and southern France.

I like these editions to remain accessible objects rather than precious gallery pieces: images intended to be hung, lived with and enjoyed.

The Pic Saint-Loup wolf is available as a poster through Modicum Editions on Etsy.

Two wolves, one very Montpellier coincidence

One wolf became the protagonist of a major French advertising campaign and travelled around the world through animation.

The other was already driving quietly through the vineyards north of Montpellier in a red Méhari.

There is no connection between them beyond timing, geography and the fact that both were created by people who clearly saw some potential in a friendly wolf.

But as coincidences go, I am very happy with this one.