[TV] New T-Mac, Garnett, Duncan Adidas commercial to air Super Bowl Sunday

[TV] New T-Mac, Garnett, Duncan Adidas commercial to air today [see it here first]

Or watch it now: http://www.21121.com/
That commercial is badass. The animated short that follows is pretty cool too. Great website.

http://www.sportsbusinessnews.com/index.asp?story_id=44421

Super Bowl XXXIX -- adidas Campaign to Launch During Super Bowl Pre-Game
Activities adidas announced Saturday the debut of a new global basketball campaign featuring NBA All-Stars Kevin Garnett (#21), Tracy McGrady (#1) and Tim Duncan (#21), in a spot that reveals that they were "Made to Perfection."

"Made to Perfection" coincides with the launch of Kevin Garnett's second signature performance basketball shoe, the a3 Garnett '05 (launches February 11th, 2005). This fully integrated campaign was created by 180/TBWA (TBWA\Chiat\Day San Francisco) and will debut in the US on network and cable television starting Sunday, February 6th, 2005. "Made to Perfection" will be supported with extensive print, outdoor, point of sale, public relations and on-line executions.

"The objective of the campaign is to take three of the game's best players, players that represent what is great about basketball and tell a story that is positive, fun and completely different," stated Uli Becker, Head of Global Brand Communications for adidas. "We feel that the message behind this campaign will resonate with our consumer and create excitement for the launch of a3 Garnett '05."

"Made to Perfection"

The campaign opens in a remote workshop with an artist who is making a very detailed lifelike figurine of Kevin Garnett. He is very meticulous in his work, taking great effort and care in his creation. As he progresses we realize that he has created very realistic models of Kevin Garnett, Tracy McGrady and Tim Duncan.

The craftsman then takes the figures to a small door located on the floor of his workshop. At this point, we begin to realize that he is no ordinary toy maker. He then reaches down and lifts the roof off of a real arena and begins placing the three superstars on the court. While being lowered onto the court Garnett, McGrady and Duncan all come to life. Lastly, a basketball drops down and lands between the players on the court. "The Big Three" then realize what their mission is: be the best basketball players and ensure the future of the game. For those who see the commercial and wonder what is next, where does this "Journey" take these three great players, all they need to do is log onto www.21121.com < http://www.21121.com/ > to find out.

"Our challenge was to showcase three of the game's most dominant players in a fresh and unexpected way and create a story line where they would interact together," said Chuck McBride, creative director North America, TBWA\Chiat\Day. "What evolved is a tale in which we show how KG, T-Mac and Tim were literally created to play the game."

www.21121.com "The Journey"

"The Journey" is a 3D animated short film featuring NBA stars Kevin Garnett, Tracy McGrady, and Tim Duncan. The film is a continuation of adidas' broadcast spot "Made to Perfection." KG, T-Mac and Tim find themselves in an empty arena where they encounter a mysterious janitor, who leads them on a time-warp journey to basketball's past, present, and future. The janitor shows them basketball in its purest form in the past, the game's present day heroics, and an unsettling glimpse of what could be basketball's future. The players, fraught over the future state of the game, realize that they must work to preserve the purity of the sport for future generations.

The online film was illustrated, designed and directed by Mekanism's Ian Kovalik. Visually inspired by street art tagged around urban basketball courts, Kovalik designed the characters and sets so they appear hand-painted. "The challenge was to create the characters so they feel raw while at the same time using sophisticated 3D models and rendering techniques," said Kovalik. "By writing our own animation renderer, we were able to achieve a unique look that blends flat graffiti art with dynamic 3D animation."

Communications Campaign

"Made to Perfection" launches on FOX during their pre-Super Bowl show on Sunday, February 6th. The ad will also be aired on NBC, ESPN, MTV, TNT and Comedy Central starting on February 7th and will have added visibility on TNT's broadcast of the NBA All-Star Game (Sunday, February 20th). The print campaign will be found in a number of high profile and target publications (ESPN the Magazine, DIME, Inside Stuff, School Sports, SLAM, Source and XXL).

 

Wallpaper here:

http://www.adidas.com/sports/basketball/content/21121/country/com/wallpaper_21121_one.html

 

That doesn't even sound like his voice on the animated feature.
Also, click on the tv on the main page for the behind the scenes stuff.

 

I just sit back in awe of the amazing computer work done on this commercials and others these days. To think that there are people that smart really makes me feel even dumber.