This year’s Super Bowl commercials feature animated grasshoppers, Chester the Cheetah and the long-awaited pairing of, um, Bob Dylan and will.i.am?

Though GM, Ford and Chrysler had common sense enough to sit out this year’s game, plenty of other companies were more than willing to fork over the $3 million per 30 seconds of air time.

Of the handful of commercials I saw sneak peaks of, my favorite was the NFL commercial featuring Usama Young, a cornerback for the New Orleans Saints, and his father. In the piece, father and son talk about how Young used to sell snow cones at Washington Redskins games. While getting a lecture from his boss, Young tells him off by saying he “doesn’t want to be up here” in the stands selling syrupy ice drinks. “I want to be down there,” motioning to the field.

“And now I’m in the Super Bowl!” Young says, triumphantly, only to have his father say, “It’s just a commercial, son.”

The you-can-do-anything-you-want-if-you-put-your-mind-to-it point is cliché, but effective.

My second-favorite commercial is one for Cars.com featuring David Abernathy and his “extraordinary confidence.” The spot follows his life — including his performing open-heart surgery in a crowded opera house with a ballpoint pen — but concludes with his struggling to purchase a car, which is where Cars.com comes in.

The animated grasshoppers (along with bees, ladybugs and butterflies) are featured in “Heist,” a cute commercial for Coke in which the insects steal a napping man’s soft drink and “open happiness.”

The other Coke ad I saw, entitled “Avatar,” is well done, but not quite as cutesy, with people moving throughout their lives as strangers and morphing into cartoon characters. Finally, a couple connects through a soft drink and are strangers no more.

I take exception, however, to another Coke commercial plugging Coke Zero with a remake of the 1980 classic Mean Joe Greene commercial in which he tosses his jersey to a young fan. The “Mean Troy” remakes features Steelers star defensive back Troy Polamalu. I haven’t seen the ad, but as a fan of the classics, I don’t think they should be messing with Joe …

I’ve seen parts of a commercial for Universal Orlando featuring a youngster striking heroic poses for an ad that asks the question: “Am I the kid in the cape?” Universal is promising an “unprecedented offer” during the plug and as a big Islands of Adventure fan, I’ll be checking that one out.

Other Super highlights:

— Chester the Cheetah will make his Super Bowl debut with Frito Lay hoping to push the fact that the cheesy snacks aren’t just for kids. “More than 60 percent of Cheetos fans are over the age of 18,” according to the company’s advertising firm. My question, who answers such a poll and, better yet, who asks these important questions? “I’m sorry to bother you, mam, but in these trying economic times, what cheese snack do you turn to for comfort?”

— Heineken sent out releases promoting its commercial that will feature “iconic actor John Turturro.” Now I like John Turturro all right (especially in “O Brother, Where Art Thou”) but iconic? Don’t think so …

— Toyota has an ad promoting its crossover car entitled “Are you Venza?” Toyota’s advertising company was quoted in kickingtires.com as saying “With the launch of Venza, we wanted to dig deeper, so we reached out for new research that combines cognitive neuroscience, anthropology and sociology.” I don’t know about you, but “anthropology and sociology” are two of the factors I seriously consider when I buy a car …

— Hyundai has a commercial for its Genesis coupe which features the car racing around a racetrack to the new Smashing Pumpkins song “FOL.” The song isn’t bad, but not as good as “1979.” The commercial, well if you like watching a car drive in circles, you’ll dig it …

— Speaking of cars driving in circles, GoDaddy.com features two racy commercials (had to do it) featuring Indy driver Danica Patrick. Everyone knows GoDaddy’s reputation for, ahem, provocative ads, so, well, as a happily married man who wants to remain as such, I’ll, um, leave it right there …

— For music fans we get Lil Wayne in a G (formerly Gatorade) commercial, Yo-Yo Ma in a Hyundai spot and the inspired teaming of the legendary Bob Dylan and wil.i.am of the Black Eyed Peas. The spot features Dylan’s “Forever Young,” surfers and skateboarders.

It plugs Pepsi … I think.