This commercial kind of saddens me. The guy seems a bit forlorn and looks defeated and sad. He lights up when thinking of being 5 again, almost as if hope was reborn in him. It’s still depressing.
I first saw the commercial and thought, is that Jon Lovitz singing? Then I realized where the song was from and that it was Gene Wilder.
I think the point of the ad must be that when we were five, we didn’t care all that much about making or receiving important phone calls. Thus AT&T is a perfectly reasonable choice.
Love,
Disgruntled AT&T Customer
What struck me about the ad and the song is that what they are promising is a “World of Pure Imagination,” which to me says “We’re giving you absolutely nothing. You have to imagine everything.”
At least they won’t be liable for false advertising claims.
Call me crazy, but I’ve always loved that song. There’s just something hauntingly soothing about Gene Wilders voice when he sings. The animation they accompany it with in the commercial just makes it even more appealing to me. I don’t particularly care what they’re selling, I like it.
I like it too, partly because of the incredible sweetness of Gene Wilder’s voice. But it’s a song from Willie Wonka, who was, to put it mildly, a morally ambiguous character. I think my translation of “Come with me and you’ll be in a world of pure imagination” as offering absolutely nothing is probably not too far off base. Willie Wonka wasn’t given to truly generous offers, at least not to everyone, and certainly not to all of the children/parents to whom he was singing the song.
But it is hauntingly beautiful, as are the three notes that people above have described as ominous, but I think of as …expectant. Hovering on the brink of something. Perhaps rather wistful.
It is, in fact, a perfect song for advertising, as it suggests that what is offered will be utterly wonderful, when in reality, it promises nothing of the sort.
But what exactly are they selling!?
That horrible tune makes me want to get all stabby. I didn’t realize it was Gene Wilder. I just thought it was some guy who couldn’t carry a tune in a bucket. Knowing where it’s from doesn’t help, though. It’s just dreadful.
Wow. I’ve seen him on a TV show and would never have guessed it was the same person. They put a lot of effort into making him look like a deeb on Harper’s Island.
So that means you never saw the movie as a child?
I get what they are trying to sell…after figuring out what company it is after seeing it six times…guess I always blinked at the end. They are saying that using their products will make you more creative, set you imagination free, and make you enjoy life again, like you did when you were five and imagination was the bread of life. What I don’t like is how he looks so depressed and downtrodden by life and reality and stuck in a rut, until he looks down at whatever hand-held electronic device he’s carrying, and suddenly he is inspired again…what, did he forget he owned the darned thing? Did he not get inspired when he bought it and it was new and shiny and full of possibilities?
But all in all I like it…the song is one that brings back all the wistfulness that Willy Wonka felt, trapped in his chocolate factory, longing to be free…
Here’s the long version
You may not care for Wilder’s voice, but he carries a tune just fine. He’s obviously not a trained singer, and you may find the sweetness repugnant (although Willie Wonka is whirling a riding crop around much of the song; he is not a sweet man no matter how sweet his voice sounds), but he can carry a tune and he doesn’t need a bucket.
Just sayin’.
Not even a… Charlie** Bucket?
He looks like Sean Bean and Philip Seymour Hoffman having a baby.
Sorry, I still don’t get it.
My brother was visiting me last week and that commercial came on.
I asked him what it was for and he had no idea either.
We stopped it (on DVR) and skipped back. It still took us awhile to figure out it was from AT&T - which is not exactly a ringing endorsement for an ad we had heard hundreds of times and neither of us knew who the advertiser was.
And the point of the ad still is going over my head - so why again should I subscribe to AT&T, or what am I supposed to do?