Sometimes being hungry for a hot dog is no laughing matter. Thanks to Los Angeles-based DUCK, formerly Duck Soup Studios latest Wienerschnitzel campaign, craving a hot dog has never been more amusing!

Helmed by live-action directors Docter Twins and animation directors Lane & Jan (Lane Nakamura and Jan Chen) the four laugh-out-loud spots, via DGWB of Santa Ana, CA, represent the fast food chain’s resurrection of their beloved animated character The Delicious One (TDO).

“The Wienerschnitzel spots are hysterical!” exclaimed Mark Medernach, Executive Producer at DUCK. “Docter Twins and Lane & Jan worked really hard, and we are very happy with the results. It was a total team effort. The spots are a fantastic blend of live-action environments and an unmistakably original animated character, TDO.

Made entirely in-house, the campaign reflects the versatility of services we offer here at DUCK.” “The spots were really fun to make!” said Docter Twins. “The agency had a clear vision of what they wanted, and everyone at DUCK was very supportive in helping us guide that vision. Working with Lane & Jan was a pleasure. We are extremely excited have DUCK’s amazing resources at our fingertips. It opens up endless creative possibilities.”

SPOT DESCRIPTIONS:
HR – A traditional meeting between an employee and an HR manager. TDO complains that he’s been receiving inappropriate advances from his co-workers. Meanwhile, two hungry office pranksters are outside the HR office taunting him. It appears that everyone in the office wants to eat The Delicious One!

Gotcha – Set against the backdrop of a college dormitory filled with debauchery. We see a hungry female student frantically chasing TDO through the hallway. She’s starving, and boy does she want a hotdog.

Blubber – A group of Eskimos are huddled in a make shift tent in the Alaskan tundra, preparing to have yet another meal of blubber – boring, old, tasteless blubber!

Predator: A witty spoof of the MSNBC news documentary show To Catch a Predator.

ABOUT DOCTER TWINS:
Docter Twins have completed spec spots for Spike TV, Kit Kat (Arnold), Truetone Music (Y&R, Irvine) and the Fox Soccer Channel. They also helmed two regional spots for Indianapolis’ Roman Brand Group client Sky Bank.

In addition to their directing prowess, the Docter Twins are also actors, appearing in campaigns for EarthLink, Northwest Airlines, IBM, Saturn, and POWERade. The duo has worked with companies including Traktor, Biscuit, and Pytka to name a few. As a Local 600 Camera Assistant, Matt has worked heavily in commercials, music videos, and in episodic TV. Matt directed a music video for Alanis Morissette which won Best Director and Best Video at the Elevate Film Festival (2007).

While in college, the Docter Twins formed an indie rock band which toured with Oasis, Sheryl Crow, Matthew Sweet, and Poi Dog Pondering. Between tours, Matt began producing and directing documentary projects for PBS while Jason moved to Los Angeles to record a solo record. Not long afterwards, Matt too moved west, and the twins earned a demo deal with Virgin Records. The deal birthed many songs which have been placed in shows like Army Wives, ER, Roswell, and The Real World.

Both Jason and Matt are graduates of the University of Illinois where they each double-majored in English.

ABOUT DUCK:
Los Angeles-based DUCK, formerly Duck Soup Studios, is a continually evolving creative studio producing commercials, music videos, short films and web content. DUCK offers a wide range of services, including live action and integration, character design, film title design, 2D and 3D animation, digital compositing, digital/traditional ink & paint. In recent years, the studio has expanded, adding an original content division that works with writers and animators on unique ideas for film and TV.

CREDITS:
Client: Wienerschnitzel
Spots Title(s): HR, Gotcha, Blubber, Predator

Agency: DGWB
Partner/ECD: Jon Gothold
ACD/Writer: Steve Harbour
ACD/Art Director: Joe Cladis
Agency Producer: Scott Seltzer

Prod Company: DUCK
Directors: Docter Twins
Director of Photography: Simon Thirlaway
Animation Directors: Lane & Jan
Executive Producer: Mark Medernach
Producer: Jim O’donnell
Production Designer: Justin Trask
Editor: Melissa Timme
Animators: Jim Richardson, Tom Roth, Eric Molina, Jan Chen, Lane Nakamura, Dony Permedi
Modeling and Rigging: Brandon Perlow
Lighting & Texturing: Huyen Dang, Stephen Hensley
Compositing and FX: Joe Kim