Once the most feared predator on earth, the Tyrannosaurus Rex has been reduced to a comical figure, due to its short arms. The fearless dinosaur has become a running gag on social media. Although ferocious, T-Rex somehow ended up being a laughing stock. But not for long! Car manufacturer Audi has a plan with the monstrous creature.

To promote its most advanced piece of technology—the RS7 piloted driving concept car—Audi hired a depressed T-Rex to advertise for the brand, giving the ‘dino’ back its former glory as being the most dangerous animals on the planet. But in this day and age, the sad protagonist needs a bit of help by Audi.

In the 2016 campaign by the German automaker, courtesy of creative agency Razorfish, Sehsucht in Hamburg, and Stink Studios, the predator finds itself in an identity crisis. The video which accompanies the initiative focuses on an emotional journey of the large animal, which sees the T-Rex talking about its slow decline from a ferocious creature to a 9gag joke. And all because of its tiny, short hands compared to its huge body.

During this week’s #ThrowBrandThursday you will get to see the ‘dino’ failing in daily tasks. Sadly, it can’t even make its own bed. Also, the creature can’t cook a meal, not to mention that buying a ticket at the station is way out of its league. Depression and humiliation start to shroud him, as it finds itself unable to complete day to day activities.

Understandably, Mr. T-Rex gets depressed, but not for long. After all the hardship, the dinosaur gets a chance for a “Comeback“! We can reveal that it’s a successful one thanks to Audi’s high car and new driving pilot technology. So, although the dinosaur is sad at first, and ready to give up to life, all things change once the creepy creature sees the self-piloted Audi car. “It’s quite hard to convey… the feelings that one has,” complains the ‘dino’ in the video. But let’s not ruin this lovely ad for you. Have a look at the video below and listen to the dinosaur’s story…

“With ‘The Comeback’ Audi has allowed us to create a work that not only picks up on a popular internet meme but also adds a new dimension to it. This shows the brand’s great understanding and enthusiasm for social media,” concludes Sascha Martini, CEO of Razorfish Germany.

Florian Zachau, Head of VFX at Sehsucht in Hamburg adds a bit more about providing vicious T-Rex with believable feelings: “The biggest challenge was to make the dinosaur look depressed. A T-Rex is a rather stiff character and there is not a lot of variety of expression and gestures the animators could use in order to bring out the sadness.”

We had a look at the video (more than once) and the T-Rex is really convincing. All we want to say is that the creative team did a wonderful job when they ‘humanized’ the dinosaur. Follow its experience below and let us know if you think the same as well!

Credits:

Client: Audi

Agency: Razorfish

Production: Stink GmbH

VFX & Post Production: Sehsucht Hamburg