IT’S HERE. Yep, the John Lewis Christmas ad has dropped, and it looks like another instant classic.
Watch it below:
It may feel like it was mere moments ago that we were basking in the summer sunshine, but the dark nights have drawn in, the temperature’s dropped and – the true marker of Christmas being just around the corner – John Lewis is now making us all get the tissues out.
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The ad this year, titled ‘Snapper, The Perfect Tree’, follows a little boy whose grow-your-own Christmas tree turns out to be a mischievous Venus flytrap.
The fast-growing plant becomes an 'equally big personality who wants to join in all the fun of Christmas', but is eventually cast out into the cold to make way for a traditional tree.
However, the boy is determined for Snapper to have a place in the celebrations, and his family all head outside with their presents and place them underneath the plant - who proceeds to eat them up and spit out gifts for each of them.
The ad then ends with the strapline ‘Let your traditions grow’.
The soundtrack is an original song called ‘Festa’ – which means celebration – composed for the campaign by Italian electro-pop duo Le Feste Antonacci and performed by Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli.
The soundtrack will be released in longer form as a charity single, with a proportion of the proceeds going to the John Lewis Partnership’s Building Happier Futures charities, which help young people with experience of the care system and families in need.
A short, 10-second teaser was shared earlier this week, showing a little boy picking up a box at a market before asking his grandmother: "Gran, can I have this?"
The box in question has writing over it which reads: "‘Grow your own perfect Christmas tree," with 'fast growing' penned across the bottom.
He then slides the box open to reveal a seed placed on some plush cushioning.
The retailer's Christmas advert has become a key moment in the festive calendar, with fans bracing themselves each autumn for the latest emotional watch.
Last year’s ad was a heartwarming short film called ‘The Beginner’, which saw a middle-aged man try to become a skateboarder – much to the dismay of his knees.
As he stumbled about while his wife smiled on from the sidelines, we began to wonder if John Lewis was aiming its seasonal campaign at dads going through a mid-life crisis. However, it turned out that our protagonist was actually learning his new hobby so that the shy foster kid called Ellie, due to stay with his family, felt more comfortable.
Remind of yourself of last year's ad here:
Not a dry eye in the house, was there? Especially with the poignant cover of Blink-182's 'All the Small Things, sung by Postmodern Jukebox featuring Mike Geier, playing over the top.
Previous ads have featured everything from a budding friendship between a boy and an alien to a bear who was woken up from hibernation so he could experience Christmas for the first time.
Then there was that adorable 2018 effort, titled ‘The Boy and the Piano’, which began with Elton John playing the opening notes of his hit ‘Your Song’ before he reminisced about his early years – including Christmas Day in the 1950s, when his mum gave him the gift that would change his life forever: a piano.
Topics: Shopping, John Lewis, Christmas, TV And Film
Jess Hardiman