Last week we saw a great Japanese commercial of a "xylophone" in a forest, and read that it took 4 days to setup and get a successful take for the video.
That might seem complicated, but perhaps nothing will ever match the Honda Accord commercial. It is called "Cog". The team created a Rube Goldberg-type machine using actual parts from an Accord (actually, two). In the end, the commercial required over 600 takes over a week to get it right... this after six months of planning, with total budget of $6 million. It was created in 2003 by London agency Wieden & Kennedy.
No, there is no CGI here either, although the tires rolling uphill make people skeptical. It *is* possible using clever weighting. Final voiceover by Garrison Keillor. However, although it appears that it was one long shote panning with the action, it is two shots linked together.
Honda followed-up with this commercial in 2006, but although neat, just can't compare to "Cog". In this video, a 60-person choir makes the sound effects for driving a Civic. Keep it up, Honda.