Tag: Commercial

Is Chipotle’s “The Scarecrow” Pure Imagination?

chipotle animated commercial

Like its earlier animated ad featuring Willie Nelson singing a Coldplay song, the restaurant chain Chipotle‘s new ad uses animation and music to attack the evils of factory farming. Of course, they do so in the context of highlighting their own commitment to fresh food.

The new ad, “The Scarecrow,” features a factory-employed scarecrow discovering a new way of living, set to Fiona Apple singing “Pure Imagination” from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (1971). The short film was co-directed by Brandon Oldenburg and Limbert Fabian and created by Moonbot Studios. Check it out.

The ad, which also has a tie-in phone app game, is getting a lot of attention. Salon argues that the ad featuring the vegan Fiona Apple is not just anti-farming but anti-meat. Others like AdWeek are praising the Chipotle ad, saying it is “magic.”

Funny or Die takes another approach with its parody of “The Scarecrow.” The new words to the song argue that the original ad is not pure imagination but “pure manipulation.”


What do you think of “The Scarecrow” and the parody? Leave your two cents in the comments.

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    Microsoft released a new ad to try to make Internet Explorer cool again with those Firefox, Chrome, and Safari fans. While they may not accomplish that goal, the ad does a pretty decent job of remembering the 1990s. Check it out if you are in the mood for memories and nostalgia.

    What item from the 1990s would you add to the ad? Leave your two cents in the comments.

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    Ferris Bueller Returns . . . In a Commercial

    Matthew Broderick reprised his role from the 1980s classic film Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986) in a commercial for Honda. Reportedly, a version of the commercial will appear during the Super Bowl, but the extended commercial has just been released on the Internet, called “Matthew Broderick’s Day Off.”

    There are a number of references to the film in the commercial. How many can you see? Some references are obvious while others are less obvious, like the name of Broderick’s agent, Walter Linder, which was listed above the name of Abe Froman (the Sausage King of Chicago) in the reservation book in the fancy restaurant in the film.

    Some of the references go by like life. Remember, “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.” While you are thinking about the film, check out Ferris Bueller Was Dating His Sister in Real Life (Plus 15 Other Things You Probably Didn’t Know About Ferris Bueller’s Day Off).

    What do you think of the new commercial? Leave your two cents in the comments.

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    Dogs, Star Wars, and the Bark Side

    After last year’s excellent “Darth Vader Kid” (“The Force”) commercial, Volkswagen has gone back to the Star Wars films to present one of the few things that can compete with a kid: dogs. Below is “The Bark Side,” which is Volkswagen’s new commercial that like last year’s commercial features the Star Wars “Imperial March” theme music.

    The dogs each represent someone or some thing from Star Wars, including the whippet dog as an All Terrain Armored Transport vehicle (AT–AT). Can you find Princess Leia, Luke, and Han Solo? If you are having trouble identifying the dogs, check out this slide show. The VW commercial will air during the Super Bowl like last year’s “The Force,” featuring the Darth Vader Kid.

    When I saw the “Bark Side” title, I initially thought we were going to get a cover of Eddie and the Cruisers — I mean John Cafferty and the Beaver Brown Band. Well, maybe the dogs will cover “On the Dark Side” next.

    What do you think of the new commercial? Leave your two cents in the comments.

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    Super Bowl Commercial: The Darth Vader Kid

    The ad for the Volkswagen Passat featuring a little Darth Vader was my favorite Super Bowl commercial this year.

    The little Darth Vader is played by six-year-old Max Page, a young actor with a congenital heart defect and a pacemaker. He has never seen any of the Star Wars movies, but maybe he pulled it off so well because he looks a little like Mark Hamill.

    I also liked the Eminem commercial for Chrysler. Good for Detroit.

    What was your favorite Super Bowl commercial? Leave a comment.

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