Living Life on a Hill Isn't Easy in New Toro Lawnmower Spot

Marina del Rey, CA-based Backyard director Nick Piper tells the story of two people living in the most bizarre of living situations. The new lighthearted spot entitled “Slant House” portrays the misfortunes of a couple who built their dream house on a hill.  The incline causes their dishes to slide, drawers to fall open and vacuuming to be more of chore than it already is. But thanks to their new Toro all-wheel-drive lawnmower (and the redesigned, easy to use Z Tractor), mowing their steep lawn has become the least of their worries.

From the first conversation with the agency (Minneapolis-based agency Mithun), Piper knew this concept would hit a creative sweet spot. “Slant House blends two of my favorite filmmaking food groups; real, honest performances and a quirky photo-real effect,” notes Piper, “but it isn’t an effects spot, and it isn’t a montage of slapstick sketches either.  It’s a human story that delves into the lives of two people going about their daily routine, albeit in a slanted reality. The comedy is in the sincerity of the performances framed against the bizarre nature of their situation. The payoff becomes the perfect selling point for the product.”