Tag: Factory Farming

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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    Willie Nelson, Coldplay, and . . . Chipotle?

    Willie Nelson The Scientist As far as fast food commercials go, you probably cannot do better than Willie Nelson singing a Coldplay song with an important message about the source for much of our food. That is the combination put together, along with cool animation by Johnny Kelly, for a short promotional film by Chipolte.

    The short film raises questions about how the nation’s meat is raised and treated, but in a soft-sell sort of way without images of real suffering animals that people try to avoid seeing, lest it spoil our dinners. Chipotle is not trying to turn us all into vegetarians. But the short film, which Chipotle plans to show in theaters around the country, is part of Chipotle’s “Food With Integrity” program where it supports using naturally raised meat and local produce. If you buy the recording of “The Scientist” off of iTunes, 60 cents from each sale goes to Chipotle Cultivate Foundation.

    Taking a cynical view, one may see Chipotle’s incentive in putting together the short film because it allows them to distinguish their practices from other restaurants, thereby getting more customers. But still, it is a commendable way for a restaurant to distinguish itself. And it is a cool song and a great cover by Nelson, combined with interesting animation. Three chords and the truth. What more can you ask for from a song commissioned by a fast food company?

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