Samsung makes phones, tablets, watches and more, but did you know it also makes movies? Well, kind of – in a new video promoting Exynos processors, the company plays like Pixar by recreating Up in some of the strangest ways imaginable. And while no adorable wilderness explorer is out there, there are many musically gifted mutant mascot characters.
The video starts with the classic Up tropes you know and love: the shaving cream, the tie, the journey of a flight of stairs. But it quickly leads to problems. The protagonist of Samsung’s Up-knock-off isn’t good old grump Carl Frederickson. Instead, his name is John Williams, and he’s just retired and loves using his Samsung phone and strumming his acoustic guitar.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=98GXzGYwtn 4
After looking for post-retirement hobbies on his phone (and maybe taking some hallucinogenic drugs), John is amazed to see an Exynos chip magically pop out of his phone – complete with an adorable mini Mewtwo-esque mascot character and stuff. The magical mutant takes John on a journey of discovery, experimenting with everything from deep-sea fishing to climbing a frozen mountain before finally realizing what he really wants to do is play generic acoustic rock with his new pets.
Exynos just wants to help you enjoy your retirement.
He goes on to do just that – and is surprised to find that his phone was live streaming his performance for the world to watch. (Probably not on Periscope.) The video ends with a slow disappearance of John, who is probably thinking of becoming the next Ed Sheeran or something. I’m still a little baffled by the latest slogan (“in the journey back in the phone you love”) which feels a bit half-baked after the surprisingly well-animated visuals that precede it.
This is certainly one of the wildest promotional videos I’ve seen this year. Is it secretly preparing us for a future where our smartphone processors will manifest as adorably terrifying cartoon creatures? It’s 2020, so who knows.
If you’re in the mood to check out more dubious picks from big techies, check out our list of the 11 most sour smartphone ads of all time.
