Ataboy dreams up surrealist worlds for White Castle

(New White Castle work from Ataboy Studios)

There is actually advertising going on that doesn’t include the two words – Super Bowl. Creative production company Ataboy partners with full-service advertising agency Merkley + Partners to bring to life a mind-bending, animated campaign for the world’s first fast-food hamburger chain, White Castle.

Directed by Ataboy Founder Vikkal Parikh, the campaign, entitled “In These Times,” visualizes the pure sensory experience of the brand’s comfort food lineup through fast-paced animation juxtaposed with collage-inspired imagery.

The style gives a nod to a technique used for centuries by surrealist artists to create paintings and posters. Featuring the all-new Smoky Joe Slider as well as returning fan-favorites the Sloppy Joe Slider and Mac N’ Cheese Nibblers, the narrative steps into realms of the unexpected with dream-like environments and quirky characters.

From a bear-headed lumberjack and unfurling tongue carpet to an exceptionally long hand getting cozy with a Sloppy Joe, the compositions all come together to create a charming and fun world accompanied by a friendly, loving voiceover. Watch below:


ALSO READ: Autism Speaks launches bilingual campaign “Big Day”




Created during the pandemic, the art, design, and animation were carried out remotely by Ataboy. “Animation was the best and really the only way to fulfill this shared vision. The medium offers a brilliant canvas for imaginative storytelling and we have the virtual pipeline set up to channel this element into advertising from the safety of our own homes,” says Parikh. “At the end of the day, we all wanted the same thing: to capture that delicious White Castle goodness.”

The work follows the brand’s winter announcement on the launch of their new menu items as well as builds upon the content and themes from the recent “Long Live Sliders” campaign which was also developed by Merkley + Partners and White Castle with end tag designs by Ataboy.

According to Ataboy Senior Producer Rasha Clark, “The title of the campaign and the voiceover allude to our current isolation and the fact that we are missing things we love, but the spot shows the viewer that you don’t have to give up everything you love.

Clark adds, “The teams at Merkley + Partners and White Castle really understood our vision, so the environment was highly collaborative during the entire process. From agency to client, all parties were familiar with our mixed media capabilities and resources as well as talent so there was a refreshing level of trust in our direction. White Castle is such a fun brand that consistently pushes the boundaries of innovative storytelling to connect with their audiences.”


Nominate Someone You know For The Reel Black List OR Reel Women


CREDITS:

CLIENT: White Castle

AGENCY: Merkley + Partners

PRODUCTION COMPANY: Ataboy Studios

  • Director / Creative Director: Vikkal Parikh
  • Senior Producer: Rasha Clark
  • Design / Concept Art: Aaron Maurer
  • Editor: Michael Equi
  • Lead Animator: Adam VanDine
  • Animation: Ridvan Maloku, Dmitry Morozov
  • Audio / Sound Design: Heard City
(New White Castle work from Ataboy Studios)

There is actually advertising going on that doesn’t include the two words – Super Bowl. Creative production company Ataboy partners with full-service advertising agency Merkley + Partners to bring to life a mind-bending, animated campaign for the world’s first fast-food hamburger chain, White Castle.

Directed by Ataboy Founder Vikkal Parikh, the campaign, entitled “In These Times,” visualizes the pure sensory experience of the brand’s comfort food lineup through fast-paced animation juxtaposed with collage-inspired imagery.

The style gives a nod to a technique used for centuries by surrealist artists to create paintings and posters. Featuring the all-new Smoky Joe Slider as well as returning fan-favorites the Sloppy Joe Slider and Mac N’ Cheese Nibblers, the narrative steps into realms of the unexpected with dream-like environments and quirky characters.

From a bear-headed lumberjack and unfurling tongue carpet to an exceptionally long hand getting cozy with a Sloppy Joe, the compositions all come together to create a charming and fun world accompanied by a friendly, loving voiceover. Watch below:


ALSO READ: Autism Speaks launches bilingual campaign “Big Day”




Created during the pandemic, the art, design, and animation were carried out remotely by Ataboy. “Animation was the best and really the only way to fulfill this shared vision. The medium offers a brilliant canvas for imaginative storytelling and we have the virtual pipeline set up to channel this element into advertising from the safety of our own homes,” says Parikh. “At the end of the day, we all wanted the same thing: to capture that delicious White Castle goodness.”

The work follows the brand’s winter announcement on the launch of their new menu items as well as builds upon the content and themes from the recent “Long Live Sliders” campaign which was also developed by Merkley + Partners and White Castle with end tag designs by Ataboy.

According to Ataboy Senior Producer Rasha Clark, “The title of the campaign and the voiceover allude to our current isolation and the fact that we are missing things we love, but the spot shows the viewer that you don’t have to give up everything you love.

Clark adds, “The teams at Merkley + Partners and White Castle really understood our vision, so the environment was highly collaborative during the entire process. From agency to client, all parties were familiar with our mixed media capabilities and resources as well as talent so there was a refreshing level of trust in our direction. White Castle is such a fun brand that consistently pushes the boundaries of innovative storytelling to connect with their audiences.”


Nominate Someone You know For The Reel Black List OR Reel Women


CREDITS:

CLIENT: White Castle

AGENCY: Merkley + Partners

PRODUCTION COMPANY: Ataboy Studios

  • Director / Creative Director: Vikkal Parikh
  • Senior Producer: Rasha Clark
  • Design / Concept Art: Aaron Maurer
  • Editor: Michael Equi
  • Lead Animator: Adam VanDine
  • Animation: Ridvan Maloku, Dmitry Morozov
  • Audio / Sound Design: Heard City