Watch Apple’s holiday ad and how it was created
Apple's "A Critter Carol" ad campaign used a simple technique and witty furry puppets. See how they did it.
Apple released “A Critter Carol,” a 2-minute, 24-second film starring nine hand-crafted animal puppets. The ad campaign was directed by award-winning Australian filmmaker Mark Molloy, who previously worked on Apple commercials and made his directorial debut on the Netflix series “Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F.”.
In the ad, a hiker loses his iPhone 17 Pro, which is found by a curious raccoon who uses it to film an impromptu rendition of Flight of the Conchords’ “Friends” with other animals, including a bear, wolf, owl, deer, squirrel, and rabbit. The hiker eventually finds the phone and uses his Apple Watch to locate it.
Much like the introduction of the new “Apple TV” featured a glass model of its logo lit up with colored lights, Apple has released a behind-the-scenes look at the practical effects used in the creation of “A Critter Carol.”
There was a lot of blue screen and blue costumes, which allowed the forest environment to be digitally expanded and people to be removed in post-production, but the animals were hand-made puppets brought to life by a small army of puppeteers who controlled various body parts. And yes, the entire film was shot on an iPhone 17 Pro.
Apple’s “A Critter Carol” will roll out globally across broadcast TV, digital platforms and social media.
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