Permanent Collection

Joel Kefali Takes the Road Less Traveled for AA Insurance

Posted on Tuesday, September 1, 2026

One nice result of the rise of AI in creative production is the quiet backlash against it as directors like Joel Kefali at Good Oil in Sydney make an effort to craft motion as hand-made, low tech, and charming as possible.

In this spot called “Born Ready” for AA Insurance thru McCann New Zealand, Kefali and crew combine old school practical effects, stop motion, and green screen (plus two of the sweetest child actor performances you will ever witness) to help parents relax about their teenage drivers.

“It felt like the best thing was to create this tactile, handmade world because that kind of felt imaginary, or how you might imagine your toddler’s slightly-warped vision of that world.”

Joel Kefali (via LBB): Parents worry about their child driving for the first time. That’s what the ad is about, encouraging people to insure young drivers. From that is a pretty logical step to the insight: parents always see their kids as more vulnerable than they really are.

It felt like the best thing was to create this tactile, handmade world because that kind of felt imaginary, or how you might imagine your toddler’s slightly-warped vision of that world.

Watch the BTS video:

Images

Colorful toy cars circle a roundabout with a tall, tree-like structure made of numerous traffic lights—a whimsical scene reminiscent of Joel Kefali’s playful style. Tall buildings and clouds of smoke are visible in the background under a clear blue sky, suggesting an urban landscape where AA Insurance might just keep the little drivers safe. Frame from Stash Magazine article.

Aerial view of colorful toy cars driving in three concentric circular roads surrounding a small green park with trees in the center, with clouds partially surrounding the scene—an imaginative setup reminiscent of the playful visuals from the AA Insurance Born Ready Ad by Joel Kefali and Good Oil. Frame from Stash Magazine article.

A person sits in a gray, boxy car atop a small hill with sparse, dry plants, set against an orange sky. The scene has a surreal, almost animated appearance, reminiscent of Joel Kefali’s unique visual style. Frame from Stash Magazine article.

A person in a small gray car, perhaps contemplating whether to call AA Insurance, looks up nervously while driving between a large white truck on the left and a massive red truck on the right under a gray sky—a scene evocative of Joel Kefali’s cinematic style. Frame from Stash Magazine article.

A complex tangle of highways with signs, surrounded by modern buildings and clouds, with a mountain and a Wrong Way sign in the foreground—an urban scene reminiscent of Joel Kefali’s distinctive style, perhaps serving as a visual metaphor for navigating life’s roads with AA Insurance. Frame from Stash Magazine article.

Credits

Client: AA Insurance

Agency: McCann New Zealand

Production: Good Oil
Director: Joel Kefali
Managing Director: George Mackenzie
EP: Andrew McLean
Producer: Mark Foster
Production Designer: Neville Stevensen
DOP: Adam Luxton
Online Editor: Stuart Bedford
BTS Director: Adam Page

Production Service: Loupe
Photographer: Frances Carter
Camera Operator: Adam Page

Post: Good Oil
Editor: Luke Haigh
Colorist: Matic Prusnik

Music/Sound: Franklin Road
Sound Designer: Miller Yule

Stephen Price

Stephen is the co-founder/CD of Stash Media Inc. and the executive editor of Stash Magazine and the Stash Permanent Collection.
Follow on LinkedIn, X, and Instagram

Category: Advertising, Featured, Stop Motion, VFX · Tags: AA Insurance, Franklin Road, Good Oil, Joel Kefali, McCann