As the company already bought out the venerable Royal Canadian Mounted Police, who did Disney call when it needed help – selling itself?

Before the ink was dry on the Disney deal, the boys in red kind of went to seed anyway; gone soft from too much warm weather, no wiretaps to plant, days spent hanging around trying to score with Pocahontas and – never mind the turbans – having to wear those damnable ears all day. Besides, the big-eared corporation is not trying to get a man, it’s trying to get youngsters, lots of them, to watch its specialty channel.

Enter Cuppa Coffee Animation, which will be redesigning the look of the Disney Channel together with London-based English + Pockett through Lee Hunt Associates, New York. Disney is redesigning the whole look of the channel in efforts to maintain a Disney-sized portion of the increasingly lucrative and competitive family/kids’ broadcasting market.

Cuppa is undertaking half of the broadcast design job, which includes redefinition of the logo, bumpers, id’s, menus and openings. Cuppa is responsible for two program categories: three- to five-year-olds for which the shop will use organic elements like paper and plasticine; and for eight- to 11-year-olds using more digital imaging, combining live action and animation.

Cuppa is doing much of the post in its two AfterEffects suites and Spin Productions is handling compositing in Inferno.

Cuppa head Adam Shaheen says this type of project is important for the shop now; with a major design imperative it allows wide creative input from the ground up. ‘People are now realizing – for the agency work we do as well – we’re involved in designing boards, contributing to the creative process, not just executing someone else’s idea.’

Cuppa is also bidding on work for three Canadian specialties, and Shaheen will also be pitching a feature film project at an upcoming l.a. animation show.

-Alien artistes

It’s not a Derek Vanlint flashback, it’s a new spot for Ontario Lottery’s Proline featuring a pair of scary looking creatures come-a-callin.’ Vanlint reprised his role as alien lenser in the Proline spot from Promanad directed by comm.bat films’ David Storey.

Vanlint was on camera for Ridley Scott’s Alien – the really scary original which spawned legions of sequels, rip-offs and jokes about indigestion – and Storey says that experience came in handy for capturing convincing alien moments.

The spot opens with an Indepedence Day-esque augury of impending trouble as two goo-covered visitors of unsavory mien march into a desolate diner. As they approach the bar, quick moody shots of reptilian eyes and claws set a forbidding tone, until the motives of the visitors are revealed – a grab is made for the remote, the game is clicked on, and the aliens communicate their sporting purpose in ungodly screeches.

While originally entertaining then dismissing the idea of using cuddly creatures, Storey, together with model maker Paul Jones, conceived of a hideous beast with an intimidating intelligent presence.

Jones created two alien full-body suits, one with an animatronic head (lovingly called Nigel on set) to allow movement of eyes and lips and other appendages.

Storey says he was aiming for a dark, threatening look, and toward that end proper monster movement on set and Vanlint’s lighting acumen were important. Storey says much of the smoke and lighting and quick cuts – whereby the camera focuses on alien parts and the alien is never really seen in full for any length of time – were used to lend authenticity.

As for moves, Storey envisioned an aggressive stride and demeanor. But as alien suits with no eyes are the stuff of blooper reel dreams, on the first take the aliens entered the bar and one promptly crashed into a table, the other slipped on the floor, grabbing at the bar on his way down.

The spot’s sound design was handled by The Einstein Bros.’ Jody Colero, who used an array of sound effects and his own distorted voice to create the otherworldly alien speech. Agency writer was Jeff Durocher and art director was Nelson Cabral and Panic & Bob’s David Hicks edited.

-Tag lines

MacLaren McCann has been playing with our minds again, recently adding a new jeopardy spin on some tried-and-true tag interp spots.

On the Nestle front, per cd Rick Davis, the seasoned ‘makes a nice, light snack’ promise has added emotional charge via ‘Coffee Crisp makes every moment a little nicer.’ And as moments go, the Columbus spot directed by Partners’ Clay Staub (wherein things look like a wash for the round earth theory as the explorer’s venerable vessel takes a vertical nosedive), it’s off to a memorable start. The dialogue also contributed to the inherent wit of the 30, contributing such gems as ‘The queen’s gonna be cheesed’ and ‘Nice theory velvet boy’ to the pooled commercial consciousness.

Jon Frier was copywriter, Sean Davison was art director, Franca Piacente produced.

The other tag-play was with the new Molson Canadian ‘I am’ spot shot by Pete Henderson at Spy. This is the fun 30 where the Caddyshack-esque Beaver traps a trapper with beer (and fish?) bait. It closes on the tag energetically circling the gloating, devious, big-toothed rodent.

Apparently the ‘I am’ concept is ready to branch out, and cut a wider creative swathe. Davis describes this year’s approach as more eclectic, not a cookie-cutter, all ads looking the same in all media m.o., likening the maturity of the concept to the footsteps possible with Nike’s ‘Just Do It.’

Davis was cd on ‘Trapped’ with Mark Fitzgerald, who was also copywriter on the spot, Kerry Reynolds art directed, Deb Narine produced. Einstein Bros. did the ‘no more Mr. Nice Guy’ sound, which is one of those musical mind traps that beer spots seem to brew.

-Just Due it

The pool of three 30s for Due South on Showcase are another quirky find.

In a style somewhere between Bill Nye and old-style news reels/elementary school info films, the pool uses a mix of new and old elements to present ‘Constable Benton Fraser on Canada.’ Stock footage, jestful graphics and Paul Gross’ dry comic style deliver ‘Did you know that’ nuggets such as ‘Alberta is the world’s largest rat-free land mass?’

The cheeky montage of curious Canadiana was done by Showcase’s in-house promotions department: Sandy Fraser was creative director, Stephen Markel was writer/producer/director, Ryan McMaster was dop. Lorne Wright edited, Edit Box work was done by Nick Ianelli at Post Port, graphic design was handled by Shelley Morrow.

-Jolly John

John Mastromonaco is now represented by Jolly Roger, as if you didn’t know.