VW ad destroys a classic

The UK Guardian has an article on Volkswagon’s latest marketing item involving a CGI Gene Kelly break dancing through his “Singing in the Rain” movie number:

Blingin’ in the rain: The advert for the new Volkswagen Golf GTI hits screens tonight and was the result of months of negotiations with the star’s family, the movie rights’ owners and record label EMI.

It remasters the scene using masks, wigs and a digital techniques to impose Kelly’s face on the dancers. …

“The idea of Gene Kelly doing this wasn’t disrespectful. If he was around it’s the kind of thing that he would do, he was very innovative,” said copywriter Martin Loraine, from the advertising agency DDB London.

Judge for yourself: video (5MB, Quicktime Format)

Personally, I find most of it creepy in that Gene Kelly’s face doesn’t line up perfectly with that of the dancer’s body and the whole thing comes across as an updated dancing zombie from Michael Jackson’s Thriller.

What do you think? Add your opinion to the growing list below …

 

12 thoughts on “VW ad destroys a classic”

  1. I think this advert is a true classic for me and will be remembered by me and many others as a brilliant advert of its time. The soundtrack is great the break dancing is pretty cool and it makes total sence, its a classic not changed dramatically but updated to suit the times.

    I think Gene Kelly would love it and not look at it as a “dancing zombie out of Thriller”… there are about 100 adverts out there at the moment which are real bad and this is 1 out of the handful which is top notch!

    H Man

  2. Why is it that car ads always are more eyecatching and interesting to watch than any other industry? This advert has it all, the clasic side, the scene, the dance and above all the music! Put it all together and you get people writing forums about it! Great job:D

  3. You have no clue to what you are talking about. That is an excellent video. I read an article on it somewhere that EVEN his family thinks that he would have approved of the commericial and the style of dancing. This is probably one of the best that I have seen. It is an excellent video!!!!

  4. What an advert!!!!
    I have been watching comercial TV in Britain since it started and adverts can get in the way of a good programme but this advert just blows me away. The film was Great but the add is better

  5. nah man, reality check, technically this ad pushes the envelope but step back and think about it, the end result sucks, jittery and freaky, check out the euronics ad for cool dancing and smooth use of technical fx.

  6. The greatest advert ever made!
    You ought to check out one of the dancers who is known as david elsewhere.his moves are freaky unreal.way better than the stuff you see him do in the gti commercial!

  7. Once again VW have created an excellent advert!! Just look at there previous record of creating great adverts.

    The 80’s GTi ad where the wife leaves her husband, throws away everything he’s ever given her, comes to the car keys for her GTi and thiks to herself, nah! gets in a drives away! Cool as!

    Or the UFO advert where the Hillbillies are tryin to describe what they’ve seen that nite. ‘ em, it was kinda like a Vee Dubbya!’ Quality!

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