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Sony Xperia S ad directed by Royal Tenenbaums' Wes Anderson

Sony has turned to indie darling Wes Anderson, director of The Royal Tenenbaums, to flog new Xperia phones.

Richard Trenholm Former Movie and TV Senior Editor
Richard Trenholm was CNET's film and TV editor, covering the big screen, small screen and streaming. A member of the Film Critic's Circle, he's covered technology and culture from London's tech scene to Europe's refugee camps to the Sundance film festival.
Expertise Films, TV, Movies, Television, Technology
Richard Trenholm
2 min read

Sony has turned to indie darling Wes Anderson, director of The Royal Tenenbaums, The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou and Fantastic Mr Fox to flog its new Xperia phones.

The Sony Xperia S and its smart phone siblings are made of imagination, apparently. The ad is inspired by childrens' vision of a dream phone and features robots, rainbow monkeys and phones that grow hands and feet. It's all created in Anderson's signature quirky style and backed by the tinkling tones of Sigur Rós frontman Jónsi.

Anderson is a technology fan: he directed stop-motion kids movie Fantastic Mr Fox remotely, filming himself on a Flip camcorder acting out scenes and watching rushes on his -- whisper it -- iPhone.

The Xperia advert is unveiled on Saturday, but here's a behind-the-scenes taster. Stop-motion Androids everybody!

We're expecting a new lease of life for Xperia phones in the wake of Sony's decision to ditch both feature phones and partner Ericsson. So hopes are high for the Sony Xperia S, Xperia U, Xperia P and other new Xperias coming this year to reverse recent calamitous losses.

Anderson has directed a number of commercials, including recent ads for Hyundai. His next film Moonrise Kingdom is coming in May, starring Bruce Willis, Edward Norton, Tilda Swinton, Frances McDormand, Harvey Keitel and regular chums Bill Murray and Jason Schwartzman. Check out the artful symmetry in the trailer. I for one can't cussin' wait to see it.

Has Wes Anderson sold out, or could we do with a bit more thoughtful whimsy in the smart phone world? Which film stars and directors would you like to see flogging phones, and which mobiles would they show off? Pitch me your pitches in the comments or on our Facebook page.