Day: 09.18.13

The Story Behind That Fiona Apple Chipotle Ad

jenthephoenix 2 Comments
Moonbot Studios
A still shot from “The Scarecrow” Chipotle ad 
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Although it’s set in a “dystopian fantasy world,” Chipotle Mexican Grill’s animated ad aims to address the real world subject of food production.

Created by Academy Award-winning Moonbot Studios, the animated film entitled “The Scarecrow” features a straw hat wearing scarecrow rebelling against his job in big agriculture to start his own farm stand.

“We’re looking to educate people about food,” said Chris Arnold, a spokesperson for Chipotle. “We’re dealing with very difficult issues, but we want to present them through the context of entertainment.”

Add Grammy-winning artist Fiona Apple covering “Pure Imagination” (from the  1971 movie “Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory”) and the video quickly went viral. Ms. Apple’s rendition of “Pure Imagination” is available for download on iTunes.

The 3:23-minute ad, released last week, has been viewed 5.5 million times. The supplemental iOS game promoting sustainable farming, also created by Moonbot, has been downloaded 300,000 times as of noon Wednesday.

While the film has won some critical acclaim, it also has been met with some resistance in the agriculture community.

“I would be hard pressed to call it an education film,” said Charlie Arnot, CEO Center for Food Integrity, a non-profit that works with farmers and restaurants to educate consumers on the American food system. “Some of it is a bit of been there done that,” he added. Chipotle’s 2011 commercial, “Back to the Start” featured Willie Nelson’s rendition of “The Scientist.”

“The Scarecrow” was the brainchild of Brandon Oldenburg and Limbert Fabian, the short’s co-directors. The duo rang up Speakeasy to discuss the two-year project, big agriculture, and their love for “Willy Wonka” star Gene Wilder.

Moonbot Studios
A complete illustration of the chicken featured in “The Scarecrow”
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How did you get involved with this project?

Oldenburg: We had just finished creating the app based on our short film “The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore” [a 14-minute film that won the 2012 Best Animated Short Academy Award] and we sat there with this pregnant pause thinking, ‘are we crazy to think we can start a studio in Louisiana and be embraced by the world?’ CAA [Creative Artists Agency] was one of the first groups to reach out and they had this idea of a commercial and a game and we were blushing by then end of the first phone call. It’s a universal concept about an unlikely hero up against a big problem making a decision to do something about it.

Besides evoking “Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory,” with “Pure Imagination,” there are several allusions to Fritz Lang’s “Metropolis.”

Oldenburg: Both of those movies had huge influences on us. I remember hearing “Pure Imagination” when I was four years old; it captures an emotional thing in the deepest part of our experience as children.

Fabian: It conjures up this beautiful cinematic moment for us, you got to look behind the curtain in “Willy Wonka” and you are doing it again now. It works so well, with the scarecrow working behind the scenes.

There’s some pretty pointed messaging in the commercial. Did that come straight from Chipotle?

Moonbot Studios
A crow illustration
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Oldenburg: CAA really stepped in and worked with us as the main force, but the messaging came from Chipotle. Kudos to them for not making a commercial to sell burritos but rather to start a dialogue about the change they are trying to make. Although, it did take a while for us to figure it out, crafting the messaging. It took two years for us to develop the commercial and the game.

Fabian: There was always this idea that it was going to be one character that was going to wake up and change something. Chipotle was very clear the intent was to initiate conversation and up the ante on “Back to the Start” and really go after some of these companies. We were surprised they wanted to engage on that level and call them out. It wasn’t about the [Chipotle] food product but about the change they are trying to make …

Oldenburg: About the hidden cost of a 99-cent menu and why it seems so appealing.

How and when did Fiona Apple come in?

Fabian: We were holding onto the Gene Wilder track for the longest time and really were attached to that. We were waiting to see who and what could come close to that.

Farm apps and games are nothing new. What makes yours appealing?

Oldenburg: The more you touch it, the more you affect it. When it’s night out, it’s nighttime in the game. It picks up where the film left off and when you go and play the game leads you back to the marketplace where you can join the ranks and go back to the farm or stay in the marketplace. There are four worlds/levels and each has its own mini game.

Watch “The Scarecrow” here and take a look at our exclusive production stills. Leave your thoughts in the comments.

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For more entertainment coverage, follow @alexandracheney.

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with passion & gratitude — jennifer