Super Bowl ads: Why Volkswagen returned to ‘Star Wars’

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Few Super Bowl commercials have been as highly anticipated as the ‘The Dog Strikes Back,’ the (potentially) ‘Star Wars’-themed spot for Volkswagen that airs during this weekend’s game. Teased in this initial promo that features dogs barking the ‘Imperial March,’ the new movie-referencing ad, which you can watch below, sees a suburban dog coming to life when a red Volkswagen passes by. (It wraps up with the motley crew of colorful characters from the franchise’s Chalmun’s Cantina debating whether the Darth Vader kid from last year was better ... before a surprise guest shows up to settle the matter.)

In the above video, the creators behind this year’s spot explain how and why they furthered their ‘Star Wars’-themed story, dog fat-suits and all. Like last year’s commercial, the new ad is directed by Lance Acord, a well-known cinematographer who was nominated for a BAFTA for his work on ‘Lost in Translation,’ shot Spike Jonze films such as ‘Where the Wild Things Are’ and ‘Adaptation’ and also produced this year’s Sundance hit ‘Robot and Frank.’

And like the competing Ferris Bueller homage for the Honda CRV, his commercial airs during the Patriots-Giants game this Sunday -- and is likely to elicit party chatter along the lines of the debate seen in Mos Eisley’s pirate bar.

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-- Steven Zeitchik
twitter.com/ZeitchikLAT