Ren & Stimpy Creator Kricfalusi Teams With (Colossal), Gammage For ’50s Retro Feel.
CLIENT
Old Navy.
PRODUCTION CO.
Spumco, Glendale, Calif. John Kricfalusi, director/producer/layout artist; Kevin Kolde, executive producer; Miles Horst, line producer; Gabe Swarr, layout artist/effects animator; Brian Wells, layout artist/assistant director; Lee McCaulla, assistant director; David Sheldon, Brian Smith and Tony Mora, backgrounds; Kim Radford, production coordinator; Stephen Worth, post supervisor; Henry Porch, editor/sound effects artist. (Colossal) Pictures, San Francisco. Jana Canellos, executive producer; Stephanie Hornish, line producer.
AGENCY
Old Navy Marketing, San Francisco. Dennis Leggett, VP/creative director; Alan Disparte, senior art director; Jackie Salway and Roger Groth, designers; Anne Buhl, senior editorial director; Jeffrey Olsen, copywriter; Connie Bang, producer.
ANIMATION
Chuck Gammage Animation, Oakdale, Ontario. Chuck Gammage, Daryl Graham and Morgan Ginsberg, animators; Ron Chevarie, Ed Krahn, Shannon Penner and Michael Demur, assistant animators. Digital ink and paint by Chapow!, Jackson, N.J. Ed Mironiuk and Kris Tercek, digital ink and paint artists.
POST
Tell-A-Vision Post, Hollywood. Andrew Klarer, Henry artist; Jonathan Curtis, technical art director.
AUDIO POST
Tell-A-Vision Post. Michael Simpson, audio mixer.
BY MILLIE TAKAKI
Animation savant John Kricfalusi, creator of The Ren & Stimpy Show, has directed and produced a two-spot campaign for clothing retailer Old Navy, a division of Gap, Inc. One of the :30s–“Big Pocket Jeans”–is reminiscent of the well-known, tongue-in-cheek “Log” bumper ads tagged onto some Ren & Stimpy episodes. The bumpers herald a plain wooden log as a multi-purpose miracle toy.
This time around, though, the miracle product comes in the form of Old Navy’s “Big Pocket Jeans.” The 2-D cel-animation commercial–enhanced by digital ink and paint–opens with two boys on a woodland hike, struggling to tote gigantic backpacks. When the boys end up buried under the weight of the packs, the outing seems a disaster–until: A clever, dapper youngster happens along–wearing “Big Pocket Jeans”–and pulls from the “Big Pockets”a full-size, fully equipped, beautiful mobile home. But that’s not all: from the unending depths of his pocket come two more pairs of “Big Pocket Jeans” for his friends. The day is saved!
Kevin Kolde, executive producer of Kricfalusi’s Glendale, Calif.-based production house Spumco, explained that the look and feel of the Old Navy ad is “a throwback to the 1950s, when commercials were attached to TV shows. You’d see Huckleberry Hound sell you cereal in a very simplistic commercial. That’s the spirit that Old Navy’s agency wanted to capture today. They specifically cited `Log.’ ”
Alan Disparte, senior art director at Old Navy Marketing, San Francisco, the client’s in-house agency, confirmed the “retro-appeal” of Kricfalusi. “When watching Ren & Stimpy on Nickelodeon,” observed Disparte, “I would look as much at the background as I would [at] the characters. John’s fine touches were classic 1950s stuff all the way. … And `Log’s style had a kind of sensationalism that was more geared toward kids. It was blatant, in your face, urging kids to go out and get the product. It still plays today as just good, simple fun.”
“I’m a real fan of 1950s and 1960s commercials,” related Kricfalusi. “I grew up on them. That’s what attracted me to this [Old Navy] project.”
In the big picture, Kricfalusi described commercialmaking as “a good business to be in. I like to experiment with different styles and work with different creative ideas. If you’re doing a TV series, once you style the series, that’s the style you’re stuck with. We structured Ren & Stimpy so that we could experiment with different styles–like the bumper commercials. And commercials themselves open up a lot of creative possibilities.”
The Old Navy campaign was produced by Spumco and San Francisco-based (Colossal) Pictures. (Colossal) is representing Kricfalusi on a non-exclusive basis throughout the U.S. for commercials. He also continues to be available for spot assignments directly via Spumco. In addition to directing and producing the Old Navy ads, Kricfalusi worked with Spumco’s ensemble of artists to generate layouts and sheet timing, which were then relayed to Chuck Gammage Animation, Oakdale, Ontario. Former college classmates in Toronto, Kricfalusi and animator Gammage–who also has a long-standing working relationship with (Colossal)–teamed on the job. Animators were Gammage, Daryl Graham and Morgan Ginsberg–all of Chuck Gammage Animation. Kricfalusi said that most of the animation was done at the Gammage studio with Spumco contributing “a little bit here and there.”
Needledrop 1950s sitcom-style music was used to enhance the retro spirit of “Big Pocket Jeans.” The back-to-school campaign represents Old Navy’s first attempt to appeal directly to youth demographics, specifically 6-to-11-year-olds, according to agency VP/creative director Dennis Leggett. “The beauty of using John [Kricfalusi],” related Leggett, “is that plenty of adults also love Ren & Stimpy. So it’s the kind of work that can help hook parents, too.”
Ironically, there was nothing retro about how Spumco and (Colossal) hooked up. It was a relationship born on the World Wide Web. (Colossal) executive producer Jana Canellos checked out Kricfalusi’s Goddamn George Liquor, which Spumco bills as being the first animated cartoon series on the Internet. Canellos was asked to give her opinion of the cartoon and left her critique on the Web. Kricfalusi responded, and the seeds were planted for what turned out to be a working relationship between the two houses. Prior to (Colossal), Spumco was repped for commercials via Hollywood-based Acme Filmworks.
Spumco was founded by Kricfalusi in 1989. Two years later, he debuted The Ren & Stimpy Show on Nickelodeon. After two seasons and 19 episodes of the successful series, Kricfalusi and Nickelodeon parted ways. Since then, Spumco projects include providing original animated content to NBC for its “peacock” network logos, the music video “I Miss You” for pop singer Bjork, an Aoki’s Pizza spot for Japan, a snippet for a Barq’s Root Beer spot in the U.S. and an unaired Nike :30. At press time, Kricfalusi was in the midst of directing a Spumco-produced Cadbury Chocolate :60 for TBWA GGT Simons Palmer, London.
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Shelter Questions Crunch ‘n Munch
CLIENT
International Home Foods/Crunch ‘n Munch.
PRODUCTION CO.
Shelter Films, New York. Jonathan David, director; John Toll, DP; Steven Shore, executive producer; Buzzy Cancilla, producer; Jim Unger, production manager. Shot on location.
AGENCY
Young & Rubicam, New York. James Caporimo, creative director; Jeff Salguero, executive producer; Olivier Gauriat, producer; Geoff Mullett, copywriter; Dan Miner, art director; Paul Greco, music producer.
EDITORIAL
The Pi Edit Company, New York. Stu Eisenberg, editor.
POST/VISUAL EFFECTS
Manhattan Transfer, New York. John Bonta, colorist. PrinczCo Productions, New York. Gary Princz, online editor; John Miller, compositor.
AUDIO POST
The Mix Place, New York. Kenny Fredrickson and Bobby Elder, engineers.
MUSIC
Pinwheel Productions, New York. Leon Pendarvis, composer/arranger.
THE SPOT
Three :30s in Crunch ‘n Munch’s “Life’s Little Morsels” campaign–“Make a Wish,” “Sharing” and “Appetite”–feature a mother cynically answering her young daughter’s serious questions as they walk along a beach on a beautiful day. The surprising answers express how much one can love Crunch ‘n Munch, “Because life is sweet … and crunchy.”
Spots broke May 18.
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Finish Signs On For Days Inn, Decker
CLIENT
Days Inn.
PRODUCTION CO.
September Productions, Boston. Dan Driscoll, director; Glen Mordeci, DP; Sonta Giamber, executive producer; Eran Lobel, head of production; Kim Daniels, associate producer; Bill Weems, line producer. Shot at Charles River Studios, Brighton, Mass.
AGENCY
Decker, Glastonbury, Conn. Paul Murray, creative director/art director; Paul Tedeschi, senior copywriter; Michael Marlowe, producer.
EDITORIAL
Finish, Boston. Scott Knowlton, editor; Neal Duffy and Stacey Kelly, assistant editors; Don Packer, producer.
POST
Nice Shoes, New York. Scott Burch, colorist. Finish. Scott Knowlton, online editor/Fire artist.
VISUAL EFFECTS
ViewPoint Studios, Boston. Glenn Robbins, creative design director; Sarah Archambault, producer; Donna Marie Floyd, Flame artist; Perry Harovas, 3-D artist. Alfred D’Angelo Design, Wellesley, Mass. Alfred D’Angelo, animator.
AUDIO POST
Soundtrack Studios, New York. Bill Bookheim, engineer; Ann Hanlon, producer.
MUSIC/SOUND DESIGN
Soundtrack Studios. Bill Bookheim, composer/sound designer; Ann Hanlon, producer.
THE SPOT
In “Hollywood,” three Days Inn signs are shown in succession. Supers reveal the first sign as Bozeman, MT., the second is Sidney, NE. and the last is Hollywood, CA. Spotlights then streak across the Hollywood sign while a campy fire-breathing lizard creature steps into the shot. The voiceover relates that with so many Days Inns across the country, “Finding a place to stay doesn’t have to be a big production.” “Roswell” opens with three more signs: Elkins, WV; Keene, NH; and finally Roswell, NM. Suddenly a bright light streams from the door and picks up a newspaper, which is transformed into particles that float through the door. The voiceover explains, “There’s always a Days Inn hotel nearby. Wherever you’re going, wherever you’re from.” “Bowling Green” opens with a a baseball flying over a Days Inn Baseball City, FL sign, to a football passing above a Green Bay, WI sign and two Days Inn signs positioned like a football end zone upright. In the final scene from Bowling Green, KY, a bowling ball rolls toward Days Inn signs positioned in a bowling pin triangular configuration, as the voiceover explains that Days Inn is always down the lane.
Spots broke June 15.
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Big Deahl, Cutters Trusts St. Lukes
CLIENT
The St. Luke Hospitals.
PRODUCTION CO.
Big Deahl Productions, Chicago. Sam Ciaramitaro, director; David Kessler, DP; Alan Sadler, executive producer; Chris Mayer, producer. Shot on location.
AGENCY
Coil Counts Ford & Cheney, Chicago. Ben Counts, creative director/copywriter; Mike Cheney, creative director/art director; Michelle Hoagland, art director; Ron Coil, producer.
EDITORIAL
Cutters, Chicago. Steve Wood, editor.
POST
Cutters. Doug Johansen, online editor; Greg Kulhanek, online assistant. Optimus, Chicago. Craig Leffel, colorist.
AUDIO POST
Cutters. Mark De Vos, mixer; Jeff Krajewski, assistant.
MUSIC/SOUND DESIGN
FUSE Music and Sound Design, Chicago. Pat Yacono, composer/sound designer.
THE SPOT
The :30 “A Mother’s Trust” tells the story of a woman who delivered a healthy baby at St. Luke’s after falling down stairs and breaking her leg when she was eight months pregnant.
Spot broke in July.
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DPC Goes To The Dog House For D’backs
CLIENT
Arizona Diamondbacks.
PRODUCTION CO.
Desert Production Center, Phoenix. Rick Pease, director/DP; Carlos Flys, producer. Dog house built by Sunbelt Scenic Designs, Tempe, Ariz. Shot on location.
AGENCY
SRO Communications, Phoenix. Lanny Ward, creative director; Sharon Bruton, producer; Tom Ortega, copywriter; Deb Graham, art director; Angela Woods, assistant art director.
EDITORIAL
Center Court Digital Post, Phoenix. John Oselette, editor.
POST
Center Court Digital Post. John Oselette, online editor. Hollywood Digital, Hollywood. Rob Sciaratta, colorist.
AUDIO POST
Lambchops Studios, Phoenix. Jim Sherry, engineer.
THE SPOT
“Retractable Ruff” promotes the Arizona Diamondbacks’ Team Shops. The :30 stars a Diamondbacks fanatic who builds a dog house (complete with a retractable roof), modeled after Bank One Ballpark, the home of the Diamondbacks. As the fan displays his masterpiece to the dog, the spot cuts to footage of Diamondbacks apparel available at the Team Shops. Returning to the dog house scene, the man is dismayed that the pooch relieved himself in the dog house’s ballpark swimming pool.
Spot broke in May
