In Alberta, land of the prairie rodent, they have a saying: ‘Squirrels are just gophers with good pr.’

White Iron Productions producer/director Simon Dekker spent a couple of February days with the under-appreciated gopher so familiar to residents throughout the Prairies. In effect, he was leveling the pr field by embracing the little beasts for two live-action/animation spots for the Alberta Ford Dealers through Young & Rubicam West.

The animated gophers – Chubby and Skinny – are personified, Laurel and Hardy style, for the 30-second ads that pitch the F150 Super Cab pickup truck and the Windstar family van. They look and sound a bit like The Chipmunks on a testosterone program – no high-pitched voices or cute t-shirts.

Dekker worked closely with animator Chris Delaney of Vancouver’s Delaney and Friends and the creative team at y&r. ‘[We] went through the actual motions that the gophers were going to go into so we could build reference, so the [animators] could actually start doing the animation, ahead of time.’

The live action was shot over two days in two different locations by dop Craig Wrobleski.

‘Good Vibrations’ for the F150 was shot in Granum in southern Alberta. ‘It was mittens cold, but we had to create a sense of spring,’ says Dekker, whose crew got to work with shovels and sprayers to speed up Mother Nature.

In the spot, the two gophers are trudging down a country road when Chubby feels the vibrations of what he correctly identifies as a Ford F150 pickup. He lists the truck’s features to his buddy, who doesn’t ‘feel’ a thing. As the vehicle hurtles toward the unsuspecting rodents, Chubby describes the anti-lock breaking system. At that moment, the truck makes a positive stop, just before turning the animated heroes into roadkill. Skinny faints into his friend’s arms.

In the Windstar spot, shot in Calgary, the gophers are hanging out in a hole on the lawn eyeing the family van. Suspecting it might contain groceries, they head inside in search of a snack. As they discuss the roomy interior, each thinks he hears the other’s stomach growling. They turn in unison to find the family dog showing a little tooth. As they bolt out of the van, the voiceover explains the five-star safety rating the Windstar has received five years running. This time, Chubby (who hates running) collapses into the arms of his pal.

y&r credits go to creative directors Christopher Heatherington and Mark Kamachi, art director Annette Perry and producer Max Wawruck.

For White Iron, Michael Herringer was executive producer and Colin Allin was associate producer. Ken Filewyck edited at Calgary’s Leader Productions.

Dekker recalls a hairy moment during the F150 shoot. As he and dop Wrobleski lay in a ‘bunker’ to get a shot of the pickup barreling towards them, the truck began to skid out of control. The driver saved the day by spinning off into a ditch.

‘You know, it was one of those moments where you go, ‘What is it worth to do this? I’m shooting a gopher commercial and I’m risking my life!” Dekker laughs.

Recently, Dekker was in the safety of Toronto doing post for a commercial he directed for Subway National u.s.