Watch how Apple made its new puppet-packed holiday ad
- Apple’s new holiday ad, “A Critter Carol,” features a forest full of tech-savvy woodland creatures, showcasing practical effects instead of generative AI.
- The ad stars a raccoon who uses an iPhone 17 Pro to shoot an impromptu performance of the song “Friends” by Flight of the Conchords, along with other animals.
- Apple used blue screens and blue bodysuits to digitally extend the forest set and remove human performers in post-production, while hand-crafted puppets brought the critters to life.
- The entire production was shot on an iPhone 17 Pro, highlighting Apple’s commitment to using practical effects in its advertising.
- Apple released a behind-the-scenes look at the making of “A Critter Carol,” showcasing the creative process and attention to detail that went into creating this unique holiday ad.
While companies like Coca-Cola turned to generative AI to create “visually jarring” holiday ads this year, Apple continues to embrace practical effects with its new festive short film called A Critter Carol featuring a forest full of tech-savvy woodland creatures.
In the ad a hiker drops their iPhone 17 Pro, which is found by a curious raccoon who uses it to shoot an impromptu performance of the song “Friends” by Flight of the Conchords, along with other animals including a bear, wolf, owl, deer, squirrel, and rabbit. The phone is eventually retrieved by the hiker, who uses their Apple Watch to locate it.
Similar to how the new Apple TV intro was created by filming a glass model of the logo illuminated with colored lights, Apple released a behind-the-scenes look at the practical effects used to make A Critter Carol. There were lots of blue screens and blue bodysuits used that allowed the forest set to be digitally extended and human performers to be removed in post-production, but the critters were all hand-crafted puppets brought to life by a small army of puppeteers controlling various body parts. And yes, the entire production was shot on an iPhone 17 Pro.