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Kia’s Dancing Hamsters Return in Newest Soul Ad Campaign

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Kia Soul Jam 2016 Kia Soul Commercial

The hamsters are back and funkier than ever before

Kia’s fun-loving hamsters (or, as we like to call them here at The News Wheel, Kamsters—or in some cases, criminals) are back, looking to dance their way into our hearts once again.

It looks like Kia’s going with the old adage, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” on this one, guys.

Starting in movie theaters this weekend, Kia is beginning a new advertising campaign for the 2016 Kia Soul, showcasing the music-loving hamsters and their sweet moves. In this new campaign, the hamsters transform the classic “Dueling Banjos” into a brand-new anthem.

The 60-second spot that uses this musical classic is called “Soul Jam,” and begins in an idyllic park setting with Nathaniel Rateliff, the frontman of Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats. Rateliff is dueling it out on the banjo with a hamster, who arrives on the scene in a Soul. More and more hamsters join the fray, changing the scene from a friendly competition into a jam session inspired by music from around the world. The commercial features influences ranging from African and Korean drums to a sitar and bagpipes.

“The hamsters have always been plugged-in to what is going on in the world around us, and in the ‘The World Needs More Soul’ campaign, they are back to share their infectious spirit of optimism and celebrate things that bring people together like music and dance,” said Michael Sprague, chief operating officer and EVP for Kia Motors America. “With each Soul execution we strive to bring a fresh musical perspective and ‘Soul Jam’ blends a variety of styles and cultures with a highly recognizable piece of music to create something fun and different that stands out from the crowd, just like the Soul.”

“Soul Jam” required almost 3,000 hours of computer generated imagery (CGI) to make. It will debut on more than 34,000 movie screens on Friday, May 27th and is currently available to watch below.

VIDEO: Jam Out with Kia’s Hamsters