Autodesk Media & Entertainment
February 10, 2025
2 min read
For some, Super Bowl LIX is about watching the Kansas City Chiefs chase their third consecutive win—or seeing the Philadelphia Eagles take it from them. For others, it’s the excitement of Kendrick Lamar and SZA taking the halftime stage. But for many, it’s all about the commercials—one of the only nights where the ad break is not the time for refills.
The annual Super Bowl is a showcase of the year’s most creative, witty, and visually stunning spots—where storytelling must captivate in seconds, and the animation and visual effects rival what you see on the big screen.
This year’s fan favorite commercials includes the on-screen reunion of Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (2024) castmates Willem Dafoe and Catherine O’Hara in an unforgettable Michelob ULTRA ad. They face off in a pickleball world tour against opponents who are too quick to underestimate them. Their opponents? Basketball star Sabrina Ionescu, NFL legend Randy Moss, and Olympic track and field champion Ryan Crouser.
But pulling off a production with such high-profile talent, filmed in multiple locations, came with its challenges.
The Mill, a full-service global creative content studio, is no stranger to transforming similar logistical challenges into seamless Super Bowl amusement by way of innovative VFX tools and creative expertise. Jimmy Bullard, a former Autodesk Flame artist and The Mill’s longtime Creative Director teamed up with Director Stacy Wall and Wieden+Kennedy to create the ad.
“It was great to get back together with Stacy Wall and the WK team for another Michelob ULTRA Super Bowl spot,” says Bullard. “The Mill has a great history of working with Michelob ULTRA, and this is another excellent addition to the list.”
“The VFX challenges on this project mainly centered around schedule and locations,” Bullard explains. “It wasn’t possible to have Willem and Catherine available on all the locations and shoot days, and we also wanted to have them do a cross-country pickleball tour while shooting it all in LA.”
That’s where another dynamic duo came into play – Maya and Arnold. The Mill turned to Autodesk Design and Make software to credibly bring both stars together. Maya handled modeling and animation, while Arnold brought the matches to life through high-quality rendering.
“The solve for all of this was a lot of bluescreen shots of the celebrities and a lot of CG set extensions and DMPs for backgrounds. We built out the locations using Maya, rendered them with Arnold, and then augmented all the CG with digital matte paintings that sat our celebrity talents seamlessly into locations all across the USA.”
In this industry, you learn to expect the unexpected—but sometimes, the surprises are good ones.
“We had originally planned to do most of the pickleballs and paddles in CG, but Willem and Catherine went the extra mile and did the majority of the stunts themselves. They were impressively good at pickleball—if they challenge you to a game, be sure to say no,” Bullard jokes.
After all, no one out-hustles the ultimate hustlers. Willem and Catherine brought their A-game for Michelob ULTRA, and The Mill crafted it into something incredible. And sprinkle in an infamous Green Goblin laugh? Now that’s a game-day recipe worth saving.
