Chili's spot uses animation to promote dessert's return
March 30, 2016

Chili's spot uses animation to promote dessert's return

DALLAS — Agency MindHandle recently tapped animation shop Element X (www.elementxcreative.com), here, to create a new spot that celebrates the return of Chili’s popular Oreo Topped Molten Cake. The dessert is a decadent, cream-filled cake, topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, Oreo cookie pieces, and a chocolate sauce. 

In the spot, two miniature alpine explorers work to reach the summit, but are slowed by cream-filled eruptions and flying Oreo bits.

“The unique, miniature stop-motion treatment we selected allowed us to get in tight for maximum appetite appeal and really sell the generous portion size,” explains MindHandle executive CD Ken Womack.

“Our only pre-existing asset was a still photo used for print,” notes Kevin Paetzel, MindHandle CD/writer. “Having worked with Element X before, I knew they would embrace this as a golden creative opportunity rather than a limitation.”

Element X’s executive CD Chad Briggs, oversaw the project, along with senior producer Tony Rucker. “Ken and Kevin really understand the animation process, so it was a very collaborative project all the way through,” recalls Briggs. “Our animation director, Luis Martinez, nailed the slow motion action shots that ended up being the pivotal moment of the spot. The client loved it.”

The Mt. Oreo Topped Molten Cake spot is running on all Chili’s Ziosk table top tablets, as well as on the Web.