Pharrell Williams may have been deprived of an Oscar win by the unstoppable minivan-driven juggernaut that is Disney's "Frozen," but that didn't stop him from unleashing a globe-trotting music video movement on the Internet.
It started with "We are L.A." a 24-hour music video set in, as you probably guessed, L.A. When we say 24 hours, we don't mean it was shot in 24 hours. We mean the music video itself is 24 hours long, shot over the course of 11 days with 400 dancers.
We have not watched the entire thing. Partially because that's entirely too long, but mostly because to us at TravelPulse, the more interesting thing is what happened next. Cities all over the world (and beyond) started taking the "We are L.A." vibe and making it their own, using the hashtag #HappyDay to spread the word.
It's all being done in anticipation of "International Day of Happiness" March 20. According to the website, the day is a collaboration between Williams and the United Nations Foundation in support of humanitarian efforts around the world. So it's people filming themselves and their crazy dance moves, but for a cause.
There are hundreds of these things by now, but we've gathered our favorite ten, offering up a taste of some international sights, their colorful people and their sick dance moves.
We Are From Paris
The City of Lights got this phenomenon started off right with a beautiful video shot around Paris. The sights take center stage here, with cameo appearances by the Louvre and others. Which is good, because as passionate as they are, the people of Paris are some surprisingly unenthusiastic dancers. With the exception of the guy in the lion suit. Dude's got mad flavor.
We Are From Amsterdam
Dear Lord, Amsterdam. For a city so well-known for its smokeables, you sure have some energy. The Amsterdam edition of the video makes an attempt at Pharell's 24-hour format by unleashing their entry, a 47-minute tour of the city. We'll spare you having to listen to the same song 11 times over and give you the highlight: Guy at the 20-minute mark can tap dance like a fiend.
We Are From Berlin
The Germans really make this thing their own, starting with a strange, jangly-guitar remix of the original. They also pack their 12:47 second video with Teutonic wonder including the phenomenal stanky leg right off the bat, the pop and lock artist at the 5:38 and the juggler (a juggler!) at the 11:35 mark. There's so much talent on display, you'll forgive them for eschewing any of Berlin's magnificent sights and filming the whole thing in a mall and a subway station.
We Are From Moscow
Moscow is usually known for its stoicism, but you'd never know it from this video. The lightning-fast editing never keeps you in one place for long, but the short bits we see showcase an exuberant and historical city. The trio of Muscovites getting their groove on in front of the Triumphal Arch in Victory Park at the :35 mark and the young lady crushing it in front of St. Basil's at 2:54 sum the whole experience up perfectly: This is a unique setting with a rich history - now let's boogie.
We Are From Sydney
The Aussies nail it, giving us a taste of some high-energy choreography against a stunning backdrop of sandy beaches. While there are plenty of surfers and bikini-clad sheilas doing their thing, we have to tip our hat to the senior gentleman at the :30 mark who was clearly just trying to go fishing when someone asked him to sing along to some goofy song. Look for the Sydney Harbour Bridge cameo at the 2:30 mark and cameos from Despicable Me's "minions" throughout.
We Are From Bermuda
We're not sure whether it's just because of the stunning landscape of Bermuda or because someone has some fierce tourist marketing chops, but this one captures a lot of scenery in three minutes. Between dancing through moongates, frolicking on white sandy beaches, cutting a rug with dolphins at Dolphin Quest and even firing off a few cannons at Fort Hamilton, the people of Bermuda really rolled out the welcome mat for this one.
We Are From Singapore
The endless shopping and dining of Singapore is on full display here, a stunning backdrop for some of the most exuberant dance moves you'll ever see. Around boxing rings, along water fronts, and through the city's famous architecture, the people of Singapore cut a rug. But the real star is the little kid losing his mind at the water park. He pops up at the 3:48 mark, but he's all over this thing.
We Are From Casablanca
We were expecting Rick's Café Americain, but the Afaplace shopping center, Tahiti Beach Club and Morrocco Mall will fill in just nicely for this dance collaboration. And while the people of Casablanca seem like they're genuinely thrilled to be on camera, not a one of them seems all that psyched to be dancing. Except for the guy at the 1:45 mark. I want to party with that guy.
We Are From Tokyo
If you've ever listened to Japanese pop music, you know it's the aural equivalent of Pixy Stix. Super energetic, upbeat, and probably only good for you in small doses. But this squad of 65 friends took to the decidedly more chill Pharrell Williams track with gusto, filming their happiest dance moves from Ginza to Shibuya, via Azabu juban through Odaiba.
We Are From Tatooine
So we're cheating a little with this one. Actually filmed in Tunisia, the locational stand-in for Luke Skywalker's home planet of Tatooine in four of the Star Wars films, this one features a fan club full of intergalactic cameos from C-3PO, R2-D2, Boba Fett, Darth Vader and a stormtrooper at the 1:11 mark who can straight-up work it.
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