Kylie Minogue, Hugh Jackman and Troye Sivan star in a new Qantas commercial that reworks the iconic ‘I still call Australia home’ anthem and which the airline made its own more than 35 years ago.
The commercial also features Australian professional tennis player Ash Barty alongside Bangarra dancers, Qantas staff and the airline’s very own choir in the reworked classic and has taken on a poignant new meaning as Australia reopens its borders following nearly two years of pandemic border closures.
Filming actually took place before the pandemic and the commercial was originally meant to mark Qantas’ centenary celebrations in 2020 but the ad had to be indefinitely shelved when COVID-19 struck.
“Now that borders are finally open, and staying open, this is the perfect time to relaunch this Peter Allen classic as the national carrier’s anthem,” commented Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce on Friday.
“The full version of this advert is effectively a short film that highlights Australia’s stunning natural beauty and unique culture while celebrating the incredible resilience that has really shone through recently,” Joyce continued.
The classic song was first written and performed by Peter Allen in 1980 and was adopted by Qantas in 1987. The song has been used in Qantas commercials over the years including in 1994, 1998 and, most recently, in 2009.
The song also features in the latest Qantas safety video and the airline released a special version on its social media channels during the pandemic.
The latest commercial was filmed on location in Australia and around the world with scenes in Uluru, London, Tokyo and the Whitsundays.
Pop superstar Minogue teased the advert on Monday with a short clip of her humming away to the song released on her Instagram.
Would prefer if Qantas had paid Kylie and Hugh to answer their phones rather than star in another unnecessarily expensive ad. Different priorities I guess.