INFO
Frankie Fit Does It Again!
1959
Joop Geesink’s Dollywood
directed by József Misik
35mm animation film
3 m 14 s
Dollywood does it again
Joop Geesink and his Dollywood Studio’s faced quite the challenge in creating this animated commercial for Amstel beer. The 3-minute and 14-second stop motion film required nearly 100 metres of film reel, comprising a total of 4344 frames. An entire team was needed to move the puppets and sets fraction by fraction to shoot each consecutive frame.
Aside from the title and concluding slogan, the story of Frankie Fit Does It Again! is primarily conveyed through visuals, which made it suitable for the international market. Accompanied by music and sound effects, the story unfolds in the heart of a jungle teeming with wild animals. Explorer Frankie and his mate run out of beer while playing cards. A luck would have it; they receive a telegram just in the nick of time: Major Smack is sending a crate by plane.
Beer bash in the jungle
The sound of an engine roars through the jungle, raising hope, but suddenly the men spot a small plane performing alarming loops before crashing. In their quest to locate the pilot and cargo, they stumble upon a crucial clue in a clearing: a crown cap bearing the words 'Amstel Holland Beer.' A bit farther ahead, a lively beer party is in full swing among the animals. Fortunately, the pilot turns up with the very last bottle, which Frankie empties to the last drop. All's well that ends well!
Not again
Geesink made the commercial in 1954, as his first assignment for the Amstel group. A year later, he produced Makers of History for Heineken, a film about beer on the moon, followed by the puppet film series 'Delicious, clear Heineken.’ The title Frankie Fit Does It Again! hints at Geesink’s potential plans to expand Frankie and possibly create a series for Amstel as well. However, due to the extended production time and high costs, it appears that only this single episode was ever produced. Dollywood eventually also made the abstract advertising film West Side Story for Amstel lager in 1962.