Submarine Channel

December. That time to confront the better images of ourselves. And advertising is no exception.

The weeks before Christmas mark the period in which even ads show a more human side; no longer exclusively focused on selling product, but on trying to prompt us to rememberwhat really matters. To stir emotions. To bring up the light hearts, the fuzzy feelings, the merriness, the cheers, and everything else we love about these special days. And with them, bring creative freedom and less restrictions for directors and audio-visual production companies. Like last year, we picked five Christmas ads we simply can’t stop watching and thinking about.

1. Finn, directed by Ben Liam Jones @Passion Pictures

God, those puppy eyes are straight from the dictionary’s definition of ‘cutesy’. Animators Kyra & Constantin together with live action director Ben Liam Jones from Passion Pictures give life to one of the most adorable characters ever: little Finn, the beeper in the supermarket, who just happens to love, but who is alone on Christmas. In a very subtle way, however, this is more than a classic story of finding people to share the holidays with, prompting us to literally give spending a break!

2. The Supporting Act, directed by Elliot Dear @BlinkInk

The people’s darling, this Christmas ad has it all: a great recognizable story, relatable characters (looking at you, dad’s beer belly!), catchy soundtrack, sleek animation. Not to mention a lovely portrayal of  the relationship between a single dad and his daughter, which is less commonly represented on screen. BlinkInk producing high end content, as always, and Elliot Dear (check him out on 2Pause) directing a different sort of music video. Enchanting! And here’s the Making Of.

3. Moz The Monster, directed by Michel Gondry @Partizan

They say: it’s the least successful John Lewis Christmas ad in five years. They say: it’s plagiarism. We say: we don’t care! We love Moz nonetheless! Gondry flaunts his usual fab style, the ad has a great story with a teenie-weenie personal touch as the monster, despite being utterly huggable, remains a monster and thus is slightly destructive. And did we mention the app? Yep, you get to create your own Moz monster AND take a selfie with it!

4. The Battle, directed by Moth Studio

This last installment in the stunning looking series of Christmas ads directed by Moth Studio for the Salvation Army provides exactly conclusion it needs. It is however no excuse to not watch the individual episodes featuring Emma, Chloe and Gus. Each episode beautifully portrays a side of this very complex and, unfortunately, quite true story.

5. A Magical Holiday, directed by Johan Renck @Forsman & Bodenfors

This one is fully packed with stars. Nicki Minaj, Jesse Williams (*cough* Grey’s Anatomy), John Turturro and Lily Collins among others, entrust their talents to Swedish director of music videos-fame Johan Renck. The result is a whimsical modern fairy tale with what can be called a psychedelic, yet undoubtedly fun, story-line. Perhaps at moments a tad too politically correct and heavily saturated with the “girl power” ideals, but given this year’s #metoo context, it seems more talk is needed. And Renck brilliantly addresses these serious issues but makes sure to top them with “glitter and glee”!