[ad_1]
If anyone knows a thing or two about sweet dance moves, it’s Jon Heder.
And the star of beloved indie hit Napoleon Dynamite—whose awkwardly joyous freestyle routine became an iconic movie moment—has notes for some young proteges after watching them skip, hop and grapevine.
“We need to crustify it,” Heder says.
Maybe no one understands what that means, but Efren “Pedro” Ramirez gamely offers to translate for the kid crew.
The endearing Napoleon Dynamite reunion comes courtesy of the GapKids back-to-school campaign, with the surprise reveal of the two actors in the final frames.
The work, launching today for the key sales season, continues the Gap’s revamped marketing strategy of mashing up contemporary and throwback concepts, aiming to appeal to today’s nostalgia-hungry audiences.
The new spot, clocking at about 80 seconds, features plenty of callbacks to the 20-year-old comedy, starting with the “Canned Heat” soundtrack from Jamiroquai. Eagle-eyed fans will find more Easter eggs and pop culture references, from an old-school boombox in the opening seconds to Heder’s “just do it from your heart” closing line.
‘Like no one is watching’
The diverse young hoofers in “Just Dance” aren’t copying the Napoleon Dynamite scene step for step—Heder has famously said he busted out the whole sequence improv-style—but they’re inspired by its unapologetic goofiness.
The video, directed by Charlie Di Placido with original choreography from Ysabelle Capitulé, intends to boost the fall lineup of clothes that includes baggy denim cargos, striped polos, varsity jackets and logo hoodies.
“Back to school can be a daunting time,” Heder, a dad himself, said in a statement. “This campaign is an important reminder to encourage children to celebrate their superpowers and dance like no one is watching.”
This is Heder’s second go-around with Gap: He previously starred with Janelle Monae in a musical holiday ad in 2008, where he added his patented loose-limbed moves to the singer’s version of “Winter Wonderland.”
