The legend of Elvis Presley, aka the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll, will never die but that in itself is not good enough reason to bring him back to life for promotional purposes. Especially when the result is as uncanny and ill-suited as the latest ad for Brazil’s Fiat Strada is.
Available at the bottom of the page is “The Legend” short film, a massive production to introduce Fiat Strada to Brazil, made possible through the collaboration between Fiat Strada, Leo Burnett and the Globo Group. The idea is very simple: much like the legend of Elvis Presley, the legend of the Fiat Strada “will never die,” as Pedro Prado, Leo Burnett Brazil Creative VP explains.
The film was released last week but it’s only reached viral status in the past couple of days. It shows Elvis Presley performing his famous “Blue Suede Shoes” (and doing some flips the King himself never included in his already-controversial choreography, for the simple reason that he wasn’t an acrobat), when a red unibody pickup smashes through the set.
Elvis jumps in and, together, the two – car and man – set out on an adventure that will see them cross multiple and very varied movie sets, while making ample use of Strada’s awesome features. The whole thing climaxes at an Elvis concert, where he does some crowd surfing, but also includes picking up Elvis impersonators and fighting samurais. It’s a hoot.
Aside from the fact that the Strada isn’t nearly half as flashy as it would have had to be to catch Elvis’ eye (Presley’s tastes were very particular and well-known), there is something inherently creepy about watching a CGI-ed Elvis in a modern-day context.
A body double was used to get the exact movements and mannerisms (Dean Z from Missouri, U.S., known as the best and Presley Estate-sanctioned Elvis impersonator), while his face was replaced with CGI from Presley movies and TV appearances. The result is cool in some places, and downright unsettling in many others. “Creeptastic” is a term that comes to mind.
The production was a massive one, involving some 600 people, three separate locations and six days of work, before the footage headed to the editing room, according to Live Marketing.
That said, the idea of the ad is great: use Elvis’ stage presence and exuberance to sell a small pickup that promises to be as thrilling as it’s capable. It’s the execution that lacks – not that we should let it get in the way of enjoying the result, in all its terrible CGI glory.
Elena has been writing for a living since 2006 and, as a journalist, she has put her double major in English and Spanish to good use. She covers automotive and mobility topics like cars and bicycles, and she always knows the shows worth watching on Netflix and friends. Full profile
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