What can one do when stuck on the metaphorical Paramount Mountain other than sing with Creed?
On Wednesday, Paramount Plus shared their fever-dreamish Super Bowl commercial starring Drew Barrymore, Patrick Stewart, Miami Dolphins’ Tua Tagovailoa, Peppa Pig, and Arnold from Hey Arnold as they figure out how to get over a snowy mountaintop.
“If it were a football, I’d be able to reach the top,” Taogvailoa says after throwing an anchor.
“What about a football-shaped head?” suggests Stewart, looking at Arnold from Hey Arnold. “We throw the child.”
Knuckles from Sonic agrees, as does Thomas Lennon in his Reno 911! character. But Barrymore dissents, of course. “That’s dumb thinking. He’s not throwing Arnold,” Barrymore says. “You can’t throw a child.”
Annoyed, Stewart asks Barrymore to “shut your face… Unless you prefer to freeze to death” and volunteers to throw Arnold himself. He suggests that Taogvailoa “watch and learn” as Creed members Scott Stapp and Mark Tremonti make a surprise appearance to perform “Higher.”
“It’s the fifth quarter, and we need a hole-in-one before the seventh-inning stretch. Be brave,” Stewart says before kissing Arnold on the head and chucking him. As Arnold flies through the sky, Stewart sings along to the 1999 classic with Creed. “I just threw him higher,” he belts in his ever-recognizable accent as the rest of the crew (Barrymore included) sing along, too, confused.
Arnold ends up hitting the side of the mountain and sliding down. “So close. Now, if there was only someone made of pig skin,” says Stewart before the group points to Peppa Pig. “Oh dear!”
2024’s Super Bowl ad marks the return of Stewart to the Paramount Plus Super Bowl spot since 2021, who summoned the likes of RuPaul, Gayle King, James Corden, DJ Khaled, and the Young Sheldon kid on the top of Paramount Mountain. “It is elegant storytelling,” he declared in that commercial.
Last year’s spot starred Sylvester Stallone, Dora the Explorer, and Beavis and Butt-Head.
Daniel D`Amico for SANREMO.FM
