A breaching whale. A falling tree. A charging rhinoceros. These are just some of the extreme challenges Melissa McCarthy faces in Kia Motors’ hilarious Super Bowl ad for the all-new 2017 Niro crossover out of agency David&Goliath. Titled “Hero’s Journey,” the :60 is scheduled to air in the third quarter of the big game and finds McCarthy on a mission to save the environment.
McCarthy learns it can be perilous trying to save the trees, the whales or the rhinos. Luckily, she drives a Kia Niro, underscoring that "it's hard to be an eco-warrior but it's easy to drive like one."
Matthijs Van Heijningen of MJZ directed the spot with visual effects by The Mill.
Credits
Client Kia Motors Agency David&Goliath, LA David Angelo, founder & chairman; Bobby Pearce, Colin Jeffery, chief creative officers; Gustavo Sarkis, executive creative director; Ben Purcell, executive creative director/writer; Mark Montiero, writer; John O’Hea, creative director; Courtney Pulver, Robert Casillas, associate creative directors; Curt O’Brien, executive broadcast producer. Production MJZ Matthijs Van Heijningen, director; Joost Van Gelder, DP; David Zander, president; Eriks Krumins, exec producer; Donald Taylor, producer. Editorial Work Editorial Jono Griffith, editor; Keith Hamm, Ben Foushee, assistant editors; Marlo Baird, exec producer; Lynne Mannino, producer. VFX The Mill Peter King, EP; Anastasia Von Rahl, sr. producer; Karina Slater, associate producer; Robert Sethi, VFX shoot supervisor, creative dir; Chris Knight, VFX shoot supervisor, creative dir, 2D lead artist; Tom Graham, VFX shoot supervisor, 3D lead artist; Michael Lori, tracking lead; Daniel Stern, FX lead; Michael Comly, ltg lead; Jacob Bergman, Jeffrey Lee, animation leads; Scott Wilson, Dag Ivarsoy, Jason Bergman, Yukiko Ishiwata, Daniel Thuresson, Andy Dill, Tom Robbins, 2D artists; Erik Zimmermann, Berk Hakguder, Daniel Soo, Robert Spaniolo, 3D artists; Juan Zavala, Mike Di Nocco, Katie Yancey, animators; Ziye Liu, Robert Chapman, Patrik Lindkvist, Shaun Comly, lighters; Krystal Sae Eua, Sharlene Lin, Cory Cosper, modelers; Chris Goodrich, Samantha Pedegron, textures; Nole Murphy, Ahmed Elmatarawi, riggers; Rasha Shalaby, Itai Muller, matte painting; Bradley Rhone, Emily Ann Morton, art dept; Danny Garcia, Freddy Parra, Steven Olson, Monique Espinoza, Alice Panek, Michael Archambault, tracking; Gary Marschka, Dylan Streiff, 2D assists; Cath Pryer, Thatcher Peterson, color EPs; Dan Kreeger, Diane Valera, color producers; Lucy Mason, Robert Cohen, production coordinators; David Ludlam, colorist; Brendan Buckingham, Thomas Mangham, Gemma Parr, Logan Highlen, color assist; Alex Gregory, Dan Levy, Megan Le, TK data lab. (Toolbox: Flame, Nuke, Maya, Houdini, Zbrush, Mari, Substance Painter) Music Editing/Sound Design stimmung Rory Doggett, creative director; Ceinwyn Clark, exec producer; Gus Koven, sound designer. Audio Post Margarita Mix, Santa Monica Nathan Dubin, sound engineer; Whitney Warren, exec producer. Licensed Music “Holding Out for A Hero” performed by Bonnie Taylor. Celebrity Talent Acquisition The Marketing Arm Chalcea Park, managing director
The Ad Council, partnering with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Administration for Children and Families (ACF) and AdoptUSKids, launched a public service campaign, created pro bono by Edelman, which aims to inspire prospective parents to consider adopting a teen from foster care.
This centerpiece PSA titled “The Rewards”--directed by The Hudson Dusters (Michael Kuhn and Niles Roth) via Greenpoint Pictures--spotlights real adoptive families who have personally experienced the mutual benefits of adoption. This longer form PSA (and cutdown versions) begins with a touching display of openness and vulnerability as adoptive parents reflect on their adoption journeys and their initial questions and hesitations about adopting a teen. Then, in a deeply emotional turn, the adoptive parents witness their children recounting the profound rewards of adoption in their lives. The teens speak of the love they share with their parents and how the decision to become a family is reciprocal. The campaign directs viewers to the AdoptUSKids website to learn more about adopting a teen from foster care.
