From The Interwebs: Rocky & Bullwinkle Return...To Promote GEICO Insurnace

From The Interwebs is a feature where I highlight videos, articles and pictures from the Internet I find interesting and worthy of sharing on this blog. 

The characters that Jay Ward made in the 60's got a big boost in popularity this year when Mr. Peabody & Sherman was released to OK domestic box office and surprisingly high critical praise. I myself found what I have seen of the movie to be dull (my family and I left our theatrical screening about 40 minutes in, so I can't give an official consensus), but at least it gave the characters Jay created some publicity.


Now, his iconic duo Rocky & Bullwinkle, who were supposed to have a short film on Mr. Peabody & Sherman that wound up being tossed aside, have returned in a GEICO commercial. Actually, I don't really have a problem with this particular ad nor cartoon characters selling products. The Flintstones hawked cigarettes back in the day, and Adventure Time apparel drives many to Hot Topic. The flying squirrel and moose being a humorous part of this GEICO ad feels like a fine to start up their revival. Considering DreamWorks animation plan to use older characters from their acquisition of company Classic Media  (some of which include Casper, Veggietales, Lassie, Rudolph and all of Jay Wards creation) in their many new business endeavors (including the newly re-branded YouTube channel DreamWorks TV), reintroducing these entertaining characters in this fashion feels appropriate.

Check out the ad below, and then read on for some brief thoughts on the vocals behind this short.

Whaddya know? The two actually translate well from 2D animation to the world of CGI. Even better is the voices; June Foray (the voice of Granny from Looney Tunes and countless animated roles) is still playing Rocky at the young age of 95. Meanwhile, this is the debut of Tom Kenny playing Bullwinkle and man does he do a fine job. He doesn't usually play characters at a lower pitch like this, but he does an excellent job here. Hopefully this isn't the last time we hear him play this moose, nor is it the last time we see this hilarious duo. After all, as long as they get back in the spotlight, my impeccable Bullwinkle impression remains relevant! Yep, I do Bullwinkle impressions, which explains why I don't get invited to many parties.