In this Super Bowl commercial for Frito-Lay directed by Tom Kuntz of MJZ for Goodby Silverstein & Partners, the team at Untold Studios created a chorus of singing and breakdancing CGI creatures. From a beat-boxing fox, voiced by Charlie Puth, to a songbird which emerges from the mouth of a crocodile, played by Grammy-winner Megan Thee Stallion, Untold Studios pushed the boundaries for this Big Game ad in which varied creatures discover the captivating flavor of Flamin’ Hot Doritos and Cheetos.
The BAFTA and EMMY-nominated VFX team at Untold, made up of over 45 artists based around the globe, came together to craft the seven characters seen on screen. The entire anatomy of each creature was built from scratch, using state-of-the-art CGI technology over the course of three months.
Credits
Client Frito-Lay Agency Goodby Silverstein & Partners Production MJZ Tom Kuntz, director; Editorial Whitehouse Russell Icke, editor; Joe Carugati, assistant editor; Katrina Kuss, producer; Joanna Manning, exec producer. VFX Untold Studios, London Ben Cronin, creative director; Tom Raynor, VFX supervisor; Alex Kulikov, compositing supervisor; Martino Madeddu, CG supervisor; Tim Van Hussen, animation supervisor; Chloe Dawe, creature supervisor; Mauro Giacomazzo, rigging supervisor; Tomek Zietkiewicz, Sophie Harrison, exec producers. (Toolbox: Maya, ZBrush, Substance, Houdini, Nuke) Color Company 3 Stefan Sonnenfeld, colorist.
After losing part of his right leg due to cancer, Terry Fox campaigned to raise national awareness and funding for cancer research by running his Marathon of Hope, a cross-Canada 42-km daily run, on his prosthetic leg. Fox, who died in 1981, is a national hero. His image will be on Canada’s new $5 bill.
In this two-minute video titled “Finish It,” the Marathon of Hope is recreated. It’s all done in one take, and it features an actor/marathon runner who uses a prosthesis on the same leg as Fox. CGI was deployed to make him look more like Fox. To further ensure the actor represented Fox accurately, not only did the actor and team watch and study many videos of Terry, but Terry’s brothers, Fred and Darrel, coached the actor on Terry’s running style and mannerisms. They also created a copy of Terry’s prosthesis for the actor to use for the shoot.
The message is clear. As the Marathon of Hope now marks its 45th anniversary, we now have the opportunity to “Finish It” for Fox, raising money and awareness to get a cure for cancer over the finish line, completing the work that Fox started. The public service film starts with Fox on the marathon run, eventually joined by a crowd of other dedicated runners from all walks of life who take over the race.
Mark Zibert directed via production company Scouts Honour for Toronto agency Diamond. The video features a never-before-heard version of the song “Courage” from Canadian band The Tragically Hip.
“We wanted to create a campaign that captures the magnitude of Terry Fox’s legacy while driving meaningful action,” said Peter Ignazi, chief creative officer at Diamond. “By revisiting the Marathon of Hope with such care and reverence, we aimed to reignite Terry’s mission and... Read More
