Middle Eastern airline Emirates has previously featured A-listers including Jennifer Aniston and Chris Hemsworth in its advertising. But now it's turned to an alternative ambassador—a Canada goose.

"Gerry the goose" is the CGI star of Emirates' new global campaign, which was produced in-house and created by London and L.A.-based Untold Studios. The ad starts out like a nature documentary, showing Canadian geese opening their wings and taking to the skies, accompanied by a voiceover that sounds unnervingly Attenborough-esque. 

However, things take an unexpected turn when one goose opts for a more luxurious mode of travel—an Emirates plane seat. There, we see him watching a movie called "The Goose, the Bad and the Ugly" on his video screen with headphones and contemplating a sumptuous airline meal. "If you're going to fly, you may as well fly better," says the voiceover. 

The spot was helmed by Ben Cronin, director and creative director at Untold Studios. The team at Untold filmed mostly clean plates, with 3D-printed and taxidermy goose stand-ins, and then went to work on crafting the CGI geese. The project involved a range of techniques from water simulation to matte painting as well as careful compositing to seamlessly integrate the CGI elements into the live-action plates. 

“I loved this script instantly and knew it was an endearing story to tell," said Cronin in a statement. "Our VFX team did an amazing job bringing Gerry to life, especially as CGI birds are incredibly difficult to get right!"

The ad will run in 25 countries until the end of September. It's designed to illustrate the airline's "Fly Better" tagline, indicating that as long-haul travel returns after the pandemic, with its accompanying chaos, Emirates can offer a more comfortable experience.

"Gerry is a savvy traveller who knows what he wants and where he wants to go- but he’s adamant he’ll do it in style, with luxury and comfort as a priority," said SVP of Marketing & Brand at Emirates Richard Billington in a statement. "Having witnessed his seamless travel experience, we are confident that next time his friends will choose to 'Fly Better.'"