Galaxy Chocolate’s Facebook post linking to its latest advertisement reads, “Just for you, here's our brand new Galaxy advert, featuring a very special Galaxy girl.”
The Galaxy girl they’re referring to? A resurrected Audrey Hepburn, who died in 1993. NBCNews.com reports Hepubrn’s likeness was created with a combination of footage shot on the Amalfi Coast in Italy and computer-generated imagery (CGI) animation of the actress.
The commercial for the candy, which is owned by Mars, opens with the song Moon River (which Hepburn sang in 1961’s Breakfast at Tiffany’s), and a shot of the mountain side. The camera then zooms in to show a bus stuck on the road behind a tipped fruit cart.
Hepburn, as passenger on the bus, peaks in her purse to see a Galaxy chocolate bar, then out her window at a man in a convertable who invites her to join him. She hops off the bus, into the back seat of the man’s car and pops a piece of the Galaxy chocolate bar in her mouth as they ride off into the distance.
Hepburn’s sons, Sean Ferrer and Luca Dotti, have control of her estate and issued a statement in support of the ad.
However, the spot has garnered some criticism. On the Galaxy Facebook page, the comments were mixed. While Mark Graham writes, “I saw it last night on TV. Really well done,” others weren’t so excited about the spot.
Katie-Ellen Freeland says, “I absolutely hate this ad!! They've obviously got a look-a-like and also kind of computerised her on-top! Found this ad really disturbing, which is a shame as I love Audrey Hepburn and Galaxy!!
And Tracy Noodle Lockyer says, “One of the worst adverts ever, it’s just creepy and I’m pretty sure she wouldn’t like this advert at all.”