Watch Universal’s animated teasers for new Coen brothers’ film Hail, Caesar!

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Watch Universal’s animated teasers for new Coen brothers’ film Hail, Caesar!

To promote the release of the Coen brothers’ new film, Hail, Caesar!, Universal Pictures has commissioned five animators to create a series of teasers for social media. Made using papercraft, 2D and stop motion animation, the films offer an entertaining but enigmatic look at key scenes and events…

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Hail, Caesar! is out in UK cinemas on March 4. Set in Hollywood in the 1950s, it follows a chaotic day in the life of a studio fixer (Josh Brolin) trying to find an A-list actor (George Clooney) who’s gone missing. It also stars Ralph Fiennes, Tilda Swinton, Channing Tatum, Scarlett Johansson, Jonah Hill and Frances McDormand. Here’s a look at an official trailer:



And another, which was released this week:



To promote its release, Universal Pictures commissioned five animators from the UK, US and Canada to create animated shorts referencing the film and the brothers’ previous work.

Jess Deacon‘s pastel short depicts a scene where Scarlett Johansson dives into a pool of synchronised swimmers while dressed as a mermaid:


Stephanie Blakey‘s spoof news broadcast reports on the alleged disappearance of Clooney’s character, Baird Whitlock:


Matthew Keen‘s animation pays homage to classic 50s cartoons and sets the scene with a look inside Capitol Studios, the fictional company making Hail, Caesar!:


Edinburgh-based motion graphic designer Fraser Croall‘s begins with a revelation that Whitlock has been kidnapped (and features some lovely typography):


While Foolhardy Films founder Trevor Hardy has recreated characters from Fargo, No Country For Old Men and The Big Lebowski in plasticine.


The films don’t give much away, but they don’t need to – with an all-star cast, two of the world’s best-known directors and two very funny trailers, there’s already plenty of excitement surrounding its release. Instead, the animations channel the film’s witty tone and the glamour of Hollywood in cinema’s Golden Age.