Super Bowl Ads: The Best Of 2021 | HuffPost Life

The party may be a little smaller this year, but the Super Bowl is still barreling on.

On Sunday evening, the Kansas City Chiefs, led by Patrick Mahomes, faced off against Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at the Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla.

As is now tradition, many of the companies that invested huge sums of money to broadcast advertisements during the big game have already released their ads, in full or in part, on YouTube.

One notable change, though, is that several of the companies that are used to serving big hits at the Super Bowl every year are skipping this years broadcast. Budweiser, Coke and Pepsi are all no-shows.

Its a sign of the times that the 30-second TV spots, which cost a hefty US$5.5 million each, took two months longer to sell than usual.

But fear not: Doritos, Bud Light, and Mountain Dew have all invested in ads, along with other big names, and a ton of celebrity cameos.

Heres what you can expect to see on Sunday night.

Jeep

Theres a chapel in Kansas it never closes. All are more than welcome Wise words, as The Boss Bruce Springsteen makes a big play for unity, adding that, Fear has never been the best of who we are, and as for freedom, it's not the property of just the fortunate few, it belongs to us all. The two-minute spot for utility vehicles continues, as the Born in the USA singer makes a case for why we need the middle, noting, Whoever you are, wherever you're from, it's what connects us, and we need that connection. Four-wheel drive The equalizer.

T-Mobile

Yes, on paper, you would not expect the punkish ska princess Gwen Stefani to fall for country star Blake Shelton, but after their platonic meet-cute on The Voice, they quickly became romantic. But leave it to T-Mobile to reimagine the now-engaged couples origin story, complete with a cameo from fellow longtime The Voice judge, Adam Levine. According to the mobile provider, Levines spotty reception led to a gross misunderstanding of what Gwen was looking for in a partner, and accidentally brought this odd couple together. Hes a little bit country Shes a little bit rocknroll. It works.

Honeycomb

Be best? More like Bee Big. Terry Crews, the former NFLer-turned Brooklyn Nine-Nine lieutenant, brings his high energy motivational pep talks to the breakfast food game, as a champion for sugary cereals.

Cadillac

Well, this is something. Gen X queen Winona Ryder (as Kim Boggs) and young millennial Timothe Chalamet cash in on their fame in this Tim Burton-infused spot and Edward Scissorhands homage that doubles as promo for the all-electric Cadillac LYRIQ, complete with a hands-free feature. To our knowledge, no waterbeds were harmed in the making of this '90s homage.

'Old'

Seeing Golden Globe winner Gael Garca Bernal on a beach sounds idyllic. But not when its in M. Night Shymalans new thriller. Here, he plays a frantic dad who sees his kids age rapidly before his eyes while on vacation. Nothing like some family-friendly nightmare fuel to spice up the Big Game, right?

State Farm

What happened to our 6ix God? Well, like a good neighbour, the proud Torontonian pops up in this State Farm commercial as their spokesman Jakes stand-in. Sadly, he learns stand-ins dont have lines, even if they have a special heart-shaved haircut. But Drake from State Farm does have access to craft services. (and a chance to toss around a football with Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes IIs stand-in Paul Rudd and Green Bay Packers QB Aaron Rodgers)

'The Falcon and The Winter Soldier'

O Captain, My Captain. Oh wait Whos the new Captain America after all? As Anthony Mackies Sam Wilson (Falcon) asks himself Where do we start? Well, heres what we do know about this Avengers spinoff series. Port Perry, Ont.s Emily VanCamp returns as Sharon Carter and she holds up our heroes at gunpoint.

'Raya and the Last Dragon'

As if you needed more reasons to be hyped up for the latest Disney animated offering, how about this intro? From the studio that brought you Frozen... Two fresh :30 spots for Disneys Raya and the Last Dragon aired at prime Super Bowl time, 5:59 p.m. ET and 6:47 p.m. ET, featuring Kelly Marie Tran, and the ultra sarcastic voice of Awkwafina.
Oh, we were doing a jumpy thing? asks Awkwafinas character Sisu. So sorry, my bad.
Canadian treasure Sandra Oh also stars, but were not quite sure how she fits into this adventure, which debuts on Disney+ Premier Access on March 5.

Bubly

For the third straight year, Canadian crooner Michael Bubl shills for flavoured soda water cans now in pineapple and peach that hold a striking resemblance to his last name. But for the first time ever, Vancouvers smirking export delivers a unique ad tailored especially for his home country. And even dogs cant get his name right. Maybe they just havent met [him] yet. Or sniffed?

Uber Eats

Mike Myers and Dana Carvey reunited for a very 2021 update to "Wayne's World."

M&Ms

"Schitt's Creek " star and very recent "SNL" host Dan Levy is one of many people apologizing with candy in this M&M's ad.

Doritos

Matthew McConaughey stars as "Flat Matthew," along with appearances by Mindy Kaling and Jimmy Kimmel, who appeared in the teaser released a few days earlier.

GM got Will Ferrell, Kenan Thompson and Awkwafina to advertise their electric cars, along with ... Norway?

Amazon Alexa

What if Michael B. Jordan were Alexa, and Amazon could advertise both its smart speaker and an upcoming movie of his at the same time?

Bud Light

Post-apocalypse, but make it Bud Light, with appearances by Post Malone, Cedric the Entertainer, and other characters from previous Bud Light commercials. (You can see some of their individual contributions , if you want, in a number of other shorter spots.)

Bud Light

Wait, did you think Bud Light would have only one series of Super Bowl spots? This ad takes the old "when life gives you lemons" adage and makes it literal to illustrate the hellish experience of 2020.

Ford

Yep, that's Bryan Cranston's voice , urging viewers to follow COVID protocols and, presumably, buy a Ford.

Robinhood

No, this ad does not mention GameStop .

Tide

"Seinfeld" star Jason Alexander stars kind of in this ad encouraging us to all do laundry more often than we think we need to. (He's also in the bonus clips.)

Cheetos

Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher star in a Cheetos-themed version of Shaggy's gaslighting anthem "It Wasn't Me" (with a bonus Shaggy appearance and verse, naturally).

Rockstar Energy Drink

Rapper Lil' Baby is the star of Rockstar's ad.

Scotts

Some of the cameos here include Martha Stewart, John Travolta, Carl Weathers, NASCAR driver Kyle Busch, Leslie David Baker of "The Office" and Peloton instructor Emma Lovewell.

Michelob ULTRA

Michelob opted for a number of big name athletes including Serena Williams, Los Angeles Lakers star Anthony Davis, and retired NFL quarterback Peyton Manning.

Hellmann's

Hellmann's opted to wait until the game to air their full ad, but released a teaser starring Amy Schumer and ... the shadow of a chicken?

Squarespace

Dolly Parton's classic "9 to 5" is re-introduced as "5 to 9" in this ode to side hustles.

Frito-Lay

Former NFL running back Marshawn Lynch narrates this spot, starring a pyjama-clad Eli and Peyton Manning.

Stella Artois

Lenny Kravitz wants you to invest in each other over a beer, according to this rhyming ad.

Oikos

Athletes galore, as well as SpongeBob SquarePants, show up in this yogurt ad.

Toyota

This Toyota spot highlights the journey of U.S. Paralympic champion Jessica Long, a Siberian orphan who had both legs amputated as a baby.

Defy Logic

Lil' Nas X, his song "Call Me By Your Name," and his excellent fashion choices star in this Logitech commercial.

Dexcom

Nick Jonas, who's been open about his Type 1 diabetes , shows up to help sell glucose-marketing service Dexcom.

Jimmy John's

Yes, the "King of Cold Cuts" in this commercial is Brad Garrett of "Everybody Loves Raymond."

Klarna

Four Maya Rudolphs, all singing "These Boots Are Made For Walkin,'" star in this cowboy-themed ad for Swedish bran Klarna.

Chipotle

Chipotle asks the important questions, like: Can a burrito change the world?

Samuel Adams

Pringles

Vroom.com

Skechers

Another football star, Tony Romo, stars in this ad along with his wife, Candice Crawford.

Mercari

Dawn

Dawn's ad addresses the gender gap in household chores , something that's been exacerbated since the start of the pandemic.

Fiverr

Indeed

Anheuser-Busch

TurboTax

WeatherTech

Cutwater Spirits

Dr. Squatch

Bass Pro Shops

This story originally appeared in French on HuffPost Qubec . Translation by Maija Kappler.

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