Subway

The impact of a great viral video can’t be denied. But when Charged produced a video for Subway with an out-of-the-box scenario featuring Lenny, an animated monster who pauses in an urban setting to explain the benefits of eating fresh while munching on pedestrians – we experienced the power of viral media content firsthand.

Familiar with Subway’s well-known traditional live-action campaign promoting eating healthy,  Charged took a fresh look at it from our unique perspective – an animated style that brought home the message with a new twist – and then we got to run with it.  The success of the campaign prompted Subway to give us the go-ahead to create an entire Internet campaign and to re-design their website around the characters and style of animation we created. 

Adam Pierce directed, produced and animated the spots using classic clay modeling to creating Lenny – who at first glance appears to be the quintessential crudely formed modeled character that typically communicates on a Neanderthal level. However, claymation also gave Adam the flexibility to instill the character with a depth of emotional sincerity – and the ability to verbally articulate his enlightened level of understanding about the importance of eating fresh.  The unexpected contrast compels viewers to hang on to his every word. And, Lenny’s reaction – in an outtake clip of a scene ruined by another character – takes the humor to the next level.

Once we worked out the details and mannerisms of Lenny, we continued to experiment with camera moves to make the spots as cinematic as possible: So for instance, while Lenny is a bright orange monster, we didn’t let that stop us from cutting-in tight for a close-up, and using different camera perspectives to add depth and interest to the action.

We played around with several variants of the storyline, and also created a toned down version, in which Lenny makes the leap from a steady menu of garbage to a healthier diet of fresh food. The urban set, which was inspired by the studio's neighborhood, also contrasts with Lenny’s gruff exterior, and that of his less-sophistical monster friend, Blue.

Producers: Adam Pierce, Alex Cohn
Director: Adam Pierce
Animator: Adam Pierce
Sets, fabricators: Will Pike, Peter Erickson
Character design: Adam Pierce
Client: Catman and Mary for Subway