---
title: "Kia’s Super Bowl Ad Turns Melissa McCarthy Into a Cartoon"
description: "McCarthy's efforts to save the planet all prove far more painful than driving her Kia Niro."
date: "2017-02-02"
modified: "2017-02-02"
authors:
  - name: "Will Sabel Courtney"
    job_title: "Contributor"
    link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/will-sabel-courtney"
url: "https://www.thedrive.com/news/7311/kias-super-bowl-ad-turns-melissa-mccarthy-into-a-cartoon"
categories:
  - "News"
tags:
  - "Kia"
  - "Melissa McCarthy"
  - "Niro"
  - "Super Bowl"
---

# Kia’s Super Bowl Ad Turns Melissa McCarthy Into a Cartoon

![](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/images-by-url-td/content/2017/02/kia-niro-melissa-mccarthy-super-bowl-ad-cartoon.jpg>)
*\<em\>www.thedrive.com</em>*

Most [car makers go one of two ways with their Super Bowl commercials](<https://www.thedrive.com/article/2027/the-9-greatest-super-bowl-car-commercials-ranked>): [sentimental](<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SKL254Y_jtc>) or [silly](<https://www.thedrive.com/news/1965/honda-hires-king-of-super-bowl-ads-gets-sheep-singing-queen>). We pretty much knew Kia was going the latter route the moment the automaker announced it had hired Melissa McCarthy to star in its ad for the new Niro hybrid wagon/hatchback/crossover/whatever.

What we didn't know is that Kia planned on basically turning her into a cartoon character.

## Melissa McCarthy's CGI double goes through hell in this Kia ad

The basic premise of the ad—most ways of saving the environment are hard, but driving the [40-plus-mpg Kia Niro](<https://www.kia.com/us/en/vehicle/niro/2017>) isn't—is clever enough. And seeing the delightfully charismatic McCarthy enthusiastically bop her way through one failed attempt at eco-activism after another would be entertaining...if Kia didn't feel compelled to show her (or rather, her computer-generated stunt double) suffering enough blunt force trauma to make Wile E. Coyote feel sorry for her.

Honestly, we at *The Drive* kind of felt like Kia missed an opportunity by not hiring Robert de Niro to hawk the Niro.

*MAN: Hey look, honey, it's the Niro!*

*DE NIRO: You talkin' to me?*

Boom. Better commercial. (No offense, Melissa. You're great.)

https://youtube.com/embed/1dQ9a5EFZeI

P.S. Let's be honest, Kia knew exactly what it was doing with *this* shot.

![message-editor%2F1486054716417-2017\_kia\_niro\_hero\_s\_journey\_starring\_melissa\_mccarthy.gif](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/message-editor/1486054716417-2017_kia_niro_hero_s_journey_starring_melissa_mccarthy.gif>)

## Author
Will is the former managing editor of *RIDES Magazine* and the former online editor for *0-60 Magazine*. He has worked for *Time Out New York* and *Rolling Stone*, and was the creator of *College Cars Online*, the first automotive blog specifically targeted at college students and young professionals.

### Author social links  
[Instagram](<https://instagram.com/willsabelcourtney>)  
[Twitter](<https://twitter.com/willscourtney>)