Two weeks after adam&eveDDB’s four-minute Christmas epic for Disney, the agency’s London and New York offices have teamed up for a three-and-a-half minute celebration of the 60th anniversary of the song, It’s a Small World.
Written by the Sherman brothers for a Disneyland water ride, we see the song performed in punk, disco and hip hop styles to represent the last six decades of music. The film is running on Disney channels, debuting alongside a documentary called The Untold Story of Mary Poppins.
It seems a shame to focus on this one song when the Shermans – whose rocky relationship was by all accounts a match for Oasis’ Gallagher brothers – won Oscars for better tunes in films like Mary Poppins, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, The Jungle Book, and Aristocats. (These other films are represented by shots of memorabilia at the end of the film.)
Walt Disney Company CEO Bob Iger said: “As the legendary creators of some of the most cherished music of the past century, the Sherman brothers will be remembered for their profound impact on our global culture. This beautiful short film is our tribute to their immeasurable musical contributions, their memory, and to the countless memories they helped create for generations of people around the world.”
Richard Sherman died in May this year age 95 (12 years after his brother Robert), so a commemorative film for the duo might have allowed room for better tunes. Such a strong endorsement from the CEO will please adam&eveDDB, but the film feels like client-led creativity.
Maybe it’s a song close to Bob Iger’s heart? He does say that he will “carry forever the memory forever of Richard Sherman reciting the final verse before he died.”
MAA creative scale: 4
