This spot opens in a rustic field on the outskirts of a silhouetted iconic small town as an image of a sun emanates rays of light from the screen of a large-scale cellular phone sitting on the horizon. The viewer is transported to a fanciful place where a diner chef has customer meal orders sent to him virtually by a waitress, animated cider splashes into glasses, mobile phones–with vibrant red apples on their screens–hang from a tree ripe for the picking, a statue of Abraham Lincoln raises a phone to his ear, and Main Street is lined with lollipop trees and other whimsical trimmings.
A sign lets us know that we’re in Bluephoria (“Population: Happy”), a town made possible by Bluegrass Cellular.
Jerry Pope of Two Popes, Minneapolis, directed the live action, working closely with a coterie of talent at Crash+Sues, Minneapolis, which handled visual effects, 2D and 3D animation, motion design, color correction, creative editing and finishing. “Bluephoria” was conceived by creatives at Louisville, KY-based ad agency Bandy Carroll Hellige.
Review: Director Jon M. Chu’s “Wicked”
It's the ultimate celebrity redemption tour, two decades in the making. In the annals of pop culture, few characters have undergone an image makeover quite like the Wicked Witch of the West.
Oh, she may have been vengeful and scary in "The Wizard of Oz." But something changed — like, REALLY changed — on the way from the yellow brick road to the Great White Way. Since 2003, crowds have packed nightly into "Wicked" at Broadway's Gershwin Theatre to cheer as the green-skinned, misunderstood Elphaba rises up on her broomstick to belt "Defying Gravity," that enduring girl-power anthem.
How many people have seen "Wicked"? Rudimentary math suggests more than 15 million on Broadway alone. And now we have "Wicked" the movie, director Jon M. Chu's lavish, faithful, impeccably crafted (and nearly three-hour) ode to this origin story of Elphaba and her (eventual) bestie — Glinda, the very good and very blonde. Welcome to Hollywood, ladies.
Before we get to what this movie does well (Those big numbers! Those costumes!), just a couple thornier issues to ponder. Will this "Wicked," powered by a soulful Cynthia Erivo (owner of one of the best singing voices on the planet) and a sprightly, comedic, hair-tossing Ariana Grande, turn even musical theater haters into lovers?
Tricky question. Some people just don't buy into the musical thing, and they should be allowed to live freely amongst us. But if people breaking into song delights rather than flummoxes you, if elaborate dance numbers in village squares and fantastical nightclubs and emerald-hued cities make perfect sense to you, and especially if you already love "Wicked," well then, you will likely love this film. If it feels like they made the best "Wicked" movie money could buy — well, it's... Read More