Actress and comedienne Melissa McCarthy is tasked with saving animals and the environment in Kia’s new Super Bowl LI commercial.
In the 60-second spot, titled “Hero’s Journey,” the Ghostbusters star is seen saving the whales, trees, ice caps, and rhinos with each daring attempt at heroism ending in painfully dramatic fashion.
“Watch Melissa McCarthy during the Big Game as she sets off on a mission to save the planet,” Kia says of its new Super Bowl advert. “Unfortunately, she finds out the hard way that it’s not easy to be an eco-warrior.”
With Bonnie Tyler’s song “Holding Out for a Hero” playing in the background, McCarthy is seen driving the “fuel efficient” 2017 Kia Niro to save the day:
“People will go to great lengths to support the causes they are passionate about, and the Niro is a ‘smarter kind of crossover’ for those looking to go green without making sacrifices,” Michael Sprague, chief operating officer and executive vice president for Kia Motors America, said in a press release, Ad Age reports. “The Niro is like nothing consumers have seen before, and with an audience of over 100 million people tuning in, Melissa McCarthy is the perfect partner to tell the world about Kia’s uniquely alluring yet practical new crossover.”
McCarthy said the Kia ad was the “perfect project” for her, one that combined her signature slapstick-style comedy with her “desire to help save the environment.”
“For years, I’ve been trying to find the perfect project that combined the real threat of me breaking every bone in my body, with my desire to help save the environment,” the actress said in a statement. “Thanks Kia!!! XOXO Love, Melissa.”
Watch McCarthy get pulverized by a whale, fall off a 100-foot tree, slide into an icy ocean, and be trampled by a rhino in the video above.
The Kia Super Bowl commercial will air on FOX during Super Bowl LI on February 5.
Follow Jerome Hudson on Twitter @jeromeehudson.