The Grammys' best performance might have come in a commercial.
The best Super Bowl commercial arrived during the Grammys. (sorry, Ferris)
And Willie Nelson possibly just out-Coldplay'ed Coldplay. (sorry, Coldplay)
A pretty neat set of accomplishments for what is ostensibly a two-minute commercial about a burrito chain.
But the animated Chipotle ad that made its TV debut during Sunday's awards show and features Willie covering Coldplay's "The Scientist" was something of a scene-stealer -- and even briefly dominated the Grammys-heavy conversation on Twitter.
It uses stop-motion animation to tell the story of a round little farmer who starts cooping up his cows and pigs and turns his quaint, country operation into a grim, industrialized factory farm. Tiny pigs are seen flopping onto a conveyor belt and pumped full of unknown substances which transform them into Franken-swine.
Until ... the farmer has a change of heart and shifts back to more simple, sustainable practices as Willie channels Chris Martin singing "No one ever said it would be so ha-a-ard. I'm going back to the start."
Ad Week called the spot an "instant classic" that delivers a "charmingly poignant" message about our industrial food supply. Coldplay chimed in on Twitter calling it a "Great cover, great short film."
Is it possible? Did Chipotle just make the first Michael Pollan-approved fast food ad? Impressive. A thought at one time considered about as unlikely as understated Adele grabbing more Grammy attention than celebrated schtick-masters Nicki Minaj and Lady Gaga.
The New York Times reports the commercial took almost a year to make and was created with an assist from an animator who worked on the British short film sensation Wallace & Gromit. Chipotle says that it will donate 60-cents from every iTunes purchase of Nelson's "The Scientist" cover to their foundation which supports sustainable farming methods.
So here's the ad. Check it and tell us what you think of Willie's Coldplay cover. And what about the ad's message?
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