An animated update for the holidays
Does set-up ring familiar?
The NBA’s new holiday commercial features five players practicing three-point shots to the tune of “Jingle Bells.”
Of course, that describes “Jingle Hoops” from 2013, one of the most beloved Xmas-themed sports ads ever made.
Today, the league presents “Jingle Hoops Regifted,” billed as “an animated remix” of the earlier spot. It just dropped across NBA social platforms and the league’s app, with a TV debut during tonight’s Emirates NBA Cup action on TNT, truTV and Max.
In keeping with our tech-driven times, the superstar quintet of Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, LeBron James, Luka Dončić and Jayson Tatum appear as stylized cartoon action figures in a hyper-real fantasy land.
The flesh-and-blood Curry, Durant and James starred in the original, too. In “Regifted,” Jalen Brunson, Anthony Edwards, Nikola Jokić, Tyrese Maxey and Victor Wembanyama also appear for a chaotic finale. Versions of ESPN’s Malika Andrews and ABC’s Mike Breen show up for the play by play:
Basically, it’s the same old song—with a very different beat. Fussier than its predecessor, “Regifted” proves fun nonetheless, a loving homage to this all-time great:
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“We tap into nostalgia while delivering modern, festive animation, allowing us to connect with all corners of our diverse fanbase,” NBA CMO Tammy Henault tells Muse
“Once we landed on the concept of a remix to ‘Jingle Hoops,’ we knew that it should include a few familiar elements from the original to resonate with our audience,” she says.
To that end, the opening lines are the same, with Tatum stepping in for Derrick Rose and bidding Durant to “tune it up!”
King James gets the last word in both iterations by saying, “Please tell me the camera was on.”
“Another fun piece in the development of ‘Jingle Hoops Regifted’ was the incorporation of the players’ true likeness down to their gameday shoes,” Henault says. “Each player that has a signature shoe is wearing actual, animated models in the creative from LeBron in his Nike LeBrons to Stephen in his Curry Brands.”
Translation led campaign development with director Dave Scanlon and animation studio Passion Pictures. The same team put together last year’s somewhat similar Yuletide spot.
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