We already lived in a world where one corporation could monopolize the entirety of our time and money (see: Disney), but somehow it feels so starkly dystopian when Chick-fil-A does it! Earlier this year it was reported the fast food restaurant would be launching a streaming service, which turns out to be not precisely accurate. The platform is actually an app called “Chick-fil-A Play,” which is “Designed for parents and kids to share and experience together whether they’re enjoying a meal at home, in the drive-thru, or anywhere in-between,” according to a press release. And now, we have our first taste of what the entertainment on this platform will be like when it launches on November 18.
According to a release from the company, the app is going to have pretty much every form of online entertainment you can think of—E-books, recipes and craft instructions, “games, jokes, and conversation starters,” original “kid-friendly” scripted podcasts, and yes, original animated shows. The company has already launched some shorts with their famous cow characters (you know, the ones who encourage you to “EAT MOR CHIKIN”) as well as a series called Evergreen Hills. The latter is about a girl who is chosen to help protect this alternate universe where kindness is a form of energy called “Spark” and bad actors seek to use “Spark” for their own nefarious purposes. The first few shorts are available on Chik-fil-A’s YouTube page, but a full-blown season of the show will be available on the app with one episode a week dropping after the launch.
The trailer for Legends Of Evergreen Hills bears some resemblance to old PBS Kids shows (think DragonTales, where the kids discover a friendly new world) but drops a surprising amount of lore—the main character’s adventures include learning how to sword fight, for some reason. The series, and the rest of the content on the Play app, is designed to align with the company’s “family values.” (The chain, which is closed on Sundays, is notoriously Christian.) Khalilah Cooper, vice president of brand strategy, advertising, and media, tells Fast Company that Chick-fil-A observed that it was becoming “harder and harder” to find “safe and trusted” family entertainment, so it decided to solve the problem itself. Of course, it’s also a way to keep customers—who are increasingly choosing to take out, rather than dine in—within its sphere of influence, a new form of customer service that you can bring inside your home. Whether this promotional endeavor is a return to times of old (like the McDonaldland universe) or a dark new chapter of a late-capitalist hellscape remains to be seen.
English (US) ·