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The live-action portion of the commercial was shot at
Vasquez Rocks, located a few miles southwest of Palmdale,
California (the site of many an old Western and more than a
few Star Trek episodes!). The animatronic puppet was
animated by a combination of hand, rod and radio control,
and it took a total of five skilled puppeteers to breathe
life into this magnificent replica. Three of the performers
worked underneath a raised 4 foot-high platform using rod
puppetry (with mechanical enhancements) to animate the
anteater's hands, feet, and head. Two other puppeteers used
radio control to animated sophisticated mechanisms in the
anteater's snout, nose snuffle, mouth, eyes, ears, and brow.
The anteater also had another realistic touch. The character
was able to look as if it were breathing as two rubber
bladders placed under its chest fur (oh all right, they were
Whoopee® cushions!) expanded and retracted. For the shot
where the anteater snorts, creating clouds of dust, a
flexible tube ran from the tip of its' snout to a can of
compressed air. Two short taps on the valve trigger were
enough for the snorts to kick up dirt realistically. Lazzarini is well-known for his work on such films as
Operation Dumbo Drop,
Outbreak and The Santa Clause; commercial
spots featuring the Bud
Frogs, Foster Farms Chickens and Duracell Toys, and
for his frequent appearances on national television,
including such shows as Entertainment
Tonight, The Discovery Channel's Movie
Magic, and Late
Night with David Letterman. What's New | Features | Commercials | Resume | Realistic | Whimsical | Scary | Animatronics Prosthetics | Puppets | Publicity | Waldo® | TCS Fun | FX FAQ | Feedback | Reference Except where noted, all contents are the property of The Character Shop, Inc. and copyright 1995-2006
Television viewers across America are familiar
with those disco-loving, hard-partying Budweiser Ants. In
the first commercial spot produced by ad agency DDB
Needham, television viewers were treated to computer
generated ants, designed and animated by the hotshots at
Digital Domain, a major force in the effects field. This
time around, Digital Domain teamed up with one of the
industry's leading character creators, Rick Lazzarini and
The Character Shop, to introduce a new creature for the
second Bud ants spot; a cute and fluffy anteater.
The
commercial starts with a lone anteater sitting next to an
ant mound. There is a bottle of Budweiser in the foreground,
stuck upside down in another ant mound nearby. The anteater
snuffles about, snorting and kicking up dust. He then sticks
his nose into the empty ant mound, searching for a meal.
As he vacuums the inside of the ant hole, the
Bud bottle starts to move; it seems that it's being
tugged somehow. Suddenly, the bottle disappears
underground. The anteater's eyes widen, and he pulls his
nose from the hole. Oops! He's accidentally sucked the
empty Bud bottle onto the end of his snout!
As he sits there with his Bud-bottle nose, puzzled and trying in vain to pull it off, he is interrupted by a curious parade: The famous ants do a victory dance in front of him to the tune of the Bee Gee's "Staying Alive", while carrying a new, ice cold bottle of Budweiser.
The anteater is not real, of course, but it sure looks
that way. It is a highly realistic animatronic puppet,
created at The Character Shop in only four weeks' time. To
begin, The Character Shop crew did extensive research on
anteaters. "It was an exciting project to do because an
anteater is such a unique creature." says Lazzarini. "I
don't know that one's ever been done before." But because
anteaters are so rare, it made the animal that much more
difficult to research. "We did find some reference on an
electronic encyclopedia, and we took a trip to the Santa
Barbara Zoo.
Using photos and video footage from the Zoo, and a few
photos from the odd animal book, the crew researched the
size, form, fur, and movement of the giant anteater. The
crew kept the creature's appearance close to reality, yet
gave it enough character to appear cute and funny, stamping
it with the popular trademark of many of Lazzarini's
wonderful creations. Although it was very close to actual
size, the anteater had to be scaled up about 15% to
accommodate the size of the overscale prop Budweiser
bottle.
Over
the years, Lazzarini and his talented crew have developed a
reputation as well-respected professionals capable of
tackling the most difficult tasks. Working with materials
like silicone, foam latex, urethanes, and epoxies, and
utilizing the latest in electronic and mechanical
technology, The Character Shop has crafted some very
memorable creatures indeed.
"You develop a real appreciation for the design of nature
when you try to duplicate its colors, textures, forms, and
movement," Lazzarini marvels, "to come even close is our
great challenge, and on top of that we've got to be creative
and add in an appealing character." He adds: "We're
constantly striving to improve the believability of our
creatures, so for someone to say "I thought that was REAL!"
is one of the greatest compliments we can receive."
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