I’m still not sure what to make of this. Visa recently launched another ad in their ‘cash and checks are evil’ series, taking place in a toy store. It is easily the most visually stunning of these spots to date, thanks in large part to the fact that literally everyone in the commercial is juggling. (You can view the clip here, scroll down to “View ‘Juggling’ TV Commercial). I love the fact that they used Danny Elfman’s theme to “Pee Wee’s Big Adventure” as the background music. That piece changed soundtrack music forevermore, no joke. It was also the song my wife and I chose as cake-cutting music at our wedding. Again, no joke.
Now here is where my spider sense starts tingling.
Have you seen the trailer for the upcoming Dustin Hoffman/Natalie Portman family movie “Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium”? The majority of it takes place in a toy store, and in the background they play, yep, Danny Elfman’s theme to “Pee Wee’s Big Adventure.” Huh. How about that. To 20th Century Fox’s credit, they also commissioned a remix of the Pilot song “Magic” for the spot as well, and anyone who wants to resurrect that song has our blessing. Still, something here just seems off.
Now, you could argue that the creative directors from two very different companies decided to use the same song at the same time, each one unaware of what the other was planning. Or, perhaps, this is calculated product placement, only we’re not supposed to know it yet. Maybe, a couple weeks from now, that Visa spot comes with a tag that says “See ‘Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium,’ in theaters November 16.”
Changes things, doesn’t it? I suppose time will soon tell whether I’m a prophet or paranoid, though I suppose those traits aren’t mutually exclusive.
