Thoughts
Bee Movie TV Juniors – television spots on NBC
By Nathan Johnson
I haven’t seen Jerry Seinfeld’s Bee Movie. I suspect, however, that, as you’re reading this, it has probably been the “Number 1 Movie in America Two Weeks in a Row!” or something like that. It might turn out to be a great movie, but if the pre-promotion stuff is any indication, Bee Movie might be more of a “D” movie (I wrote this ahead of time, so if Gene Shalit used that same terrible pun to describe the movie in his review, then you’ll know I made the “joke” first).
In this review, I’m going to ignore all of the print ads, movie trailers, cross promotion with other products and normal TV spots. Instead, I’m going to focus on the hijacking of NBC commercial airtime with the Bee Movie TV Juniors campaign. These spots are so ridiculously off the mark that I have to wonder if Seinfeld is playing a joke on the viewer.
Quick crash course: the Bee Movie TV Juniors are faux documentary style vignettes with movie creator and former NBC golden boy Jerry Seinfeld meeting with writers, snack food promotions people and voice talent – to discuss a variety of behind-the-scenes Bee Movie related stuff. They run in between commercials during NBC shows.
Bee Movie is another of those computer animated movies targeted at kids and adults looking for a fun family time at the movies (accomplished arguably to greatest effect by Toy Story all those years ago), but the TV Juniors spots seem targeted only at people who lack the ability to change the channel during the commercials, hit fast-forward on the DVR or close their eyes and stick their fingers in their ears.
The jokes aren’t funny for kids or adults. Seinfeld is doing some kind of weird pseudo-acting thing that reminds you how bad an actor he was in those very first few Seinfeld episodes. And the spots clock in at 90 seconds long – stretching the painful jokes and hammy half-acting way past the breaking point. But perhaps the campaign’s greatest flaw is its entire premise. Why are you showing me all of this unfunny real-life behind-the-scenes nonsense for a comedy that is supposed to take me into a fantasized animated world of bees? It doesn’t make sense on any level.
I’m sure Jerry wasn’t looking to save any money on promoting his film, but, if he’d wanted to save money and do a much better job of promoting, he could have kept it much simpler and taken the following advice:
If I’m a kid and you’re trying to get me to come to your animated movie, show me the cute characters, the pretty colors and a couple of mildly amusing jokes that involve bodily functions – maybe throw in some catchy songs. If I’m an adult and you want me to come to your animated movie, show me a glimpse of the quasi-sophisticated in-jokes, a quick jaw-dropping animated sequence and name-check the famous voice talent.
Images: DreamWorks, NBC.com