A longhaired man wearing shorts and knee-high rubber boots appears on the screen. He’s soon joined by an animated pig, who rolls into the frame on a shopping cart. With a charming British accent, the man tells us that one-third of kids in England don’t know where bacon comes from. Next, our boots-wearing host transports us to his farm, events transpiring partly through animation and partly through live action.
Speaking to uninformed youth in an open field, the host says that broccoli — not bacon — comes from a secret compartment at the back of the pig. It’s so secret, he says, the pig doesn’t even know the broccoli is there. He explains that once the broccoli has been released, an eagle nabs it and drops it down a chimney — which is how we get yogurt.
It’s a pretty absurdly entertaining short, part of the YBCA’s annual screening of the British Arrows Awards for the best ads on British TV, which has become one of YBCA’s most popular programs.
I know it seems odd to willingly subject yourself to 75 minutes of nonstop advertising. Thing is, the ads worthy of the British Arrows consist of such well-crafted stories with such expert production value that the screening will feel more like a short film festival where the filmmakers politely try to sell you something. Also, there’s something about the conscious decision to enter a theater to watch ads that allows you to enjoy them more than you might in their natural interruptive form.
2011’s Best TV Commercial of the Year
Viewing the ads back-to-back means following an extraordinary amount of creative story arcs in quick succession. There’s glamour, humor, nostalgia, triumph. Animals speak. An athlete makes the most important play of his life. Londoners fall in love. They grow old. Somehow, even butter sizzles dramatically. The ads masterfully build suspense. Such a barrage of short-form storytelling should feel exhausting, but each small tale is so compelling, you’ll feel a bit let down by the plodding nature of normal life once you leave the theater.