KFC "Big Chicken, Small Movie" (2017) 5:10 (USA)

The Big Chickenis a feature in Marietta, Georgia, a suburb just outside of Atlanta. It's a fifty-fix foot tall giant chicken as part of a KFC there. I used to drive by it all the time when I lived in Atlanta. Not only is it a well-known landmark, having been there since 1963, but it's also been given a two million dollar renovation after suffering some storm damage back in the 90's. The chicken reopened back in May of this year. To celebrate this, W+K came up with a heartwarming story of a nerdy boy who loves his giant friend and becomes the butt of everyone's jokes until his friend becomes real and they have fun adventures together and then the town realizes what they were missing and when the chicken comes back, both he and the boy are celebrated as heroes. It's such a nice story with cute animation that feels so much more like a Chipotle ad in its cuteness. I was secretly hoping for some heartwarming announcement at the end. Something along the lines of "We love chickens, so we're now only serving organic, hormone-free ones." You know. Some big brand statement to go along with the five minute animation piece. But no. It's just an ad. Celebrating the renovation of a big chicken mascot. In suburban Georgia. W+K CD and Snellville Georgia native Jason Kreher puts it best: “It’s every child’s dream to one day grow up and create a film based on an enormous metal corporate mascot. Today, I am that child. The child who grew up.” If sources are correct though, this is the beginning of a new campaign in which every week The Big Chicken will be played by a different comedian, none of them from Atlanta. First up will be Dane Cook. He seems to fit the brand well.

CLIENT KFC PROJECT NAME Big Chicken Small Movie FORMAT Animated Short Film CLIENT CONTACT Anthony Gianino, VP of Marketing, KBP Foods LAUNCH DATE TBD URL bigchickensmallmovie.com W+K PORTLAND Executive Creative Directors Eric Baldwin, Jason Bagley Creative Directors Jason Kreher, Freddie Powell Copywriter Mike Egan Art Directors Matthew Carroll, Tim Semple Producer Blake Carrillo PRODUCTION Production Company Awesome Inc Director & Lead Design Craig Sheldon Executive Producer Ashley Kohler Line Producer Allison Sanders Design Chris Anderson Lead Storyboard Artist Craig Sheldon Storyboard Artists Guillermo Comin, Billie Liao Character Design Sofia Salazar Animators Craig Sheldon, Chris Anderson, Joshua Mullinax, Mark McDonald, Edgar Ferrer, Nathan Churney, Jeff DiMaggio Production Assistant Titus T. Bug Editor Thomas Fine Studio Manager Lauren Teasley MUSIC + SOUND DESIGN Music+Sound Company Bluetube Composer Michael Kohler Sound Designer Michael Kohler Producer Michael Kohler