BBC One has struck a different chord with its 2017 Christmas ad 'The Supporting Act' which uses an animated short film to tell the story of an emotional connection between a father and his daughter.
Designed to build on the idea of 'oneness' that the channel has been focusing on via its idents and other advertising throughout the year, the feel-good ad follows a 10 year-old girl as she tries to convince her dad to take an interest in her Christmas talent show.
She is shown practicing day in and day out, at the supermarket, in the kitchen and on the street, to give the most important dance performance of her life. Her dad is always with her, but he is busy with work and fails to notice until the moment that really matters when he helps his daughter remember her dance moves in a touching show of 'oneness'.
The film was created by BBC in-house and produced by Blinkink. The characters were animated using the traditional stop-motion technique but the facial expressions were created and mapped on the puppets using CGI to give the film more emotional richness.
The colourful and sweet spot will run throughout the Christmas period on the channel to illustrate the joy of a shared moment between loved ones. It is soundtracked by Clean Bandit and Zara Larsson's upbeat track Symphony, which was specially re-arranged by the award-winning producer Steve Mac.
“Christmas is a time when people come together to enjoy shared experiences, and special moments. We wanted to reflect that in our Christmas campaign this year and we hope this film will touch hearts and make you smile over the festive period," said Charlotte Moore, BBC director of content.
The film will be accompanied by four idents and a range of digital assets that will continue the theme at other times during the day.