Apple has released its annual holiday ad, and it’s not as good as the videos from the past. The new spot, called “A Critter Carol,” features a group of handmade woodland puppets who find a lost iPhone 17 Pro, film themselves singing a friendship song, and return the phone to its owner. The short is meant to be warm and whimsical, but it’s cringey and confusing.
The video is shot entirely on an iPhone 17 Pro (of course) and uses features like 8x Zoom, Center Stage and Dual Capture. On X, Apple executive Greg Joswiak said, “Love seeing how iPhone features like 8x Zoom, Center Stage, and Dual Capture helped woodland friends create a musical masterpiece!” He added that the short is “a great reminder that kindness brings us all together.”
Tim Cook also shared the film, writing, “Holiday cheer, a little bit of magic, and a whole lot of heart, captured on iPhone 17 Pro by a few handmade puppet friends!” The holiday ad debuted on U.S. Thanksgiving.
Apple also posted a behind-the-scenes video showing the amount of work that went into the production, including puppeteers dressed in blue (so they disappear behind the blue screen) individually placed whiskers and a full miniature forest built three feet off the ground.
Despite the craftsmanship, the reaction from many viewers has been the same: confusion about what Apple was trying to do this year, and why the annual ad, usually one of Apple’s strongest, feels out of touch. Honestly, where are the classic tearjerker holiday ads we’ve seen in years’ past (this one from 2013 was filmed in Canada and is one of the best).
Here’s the behind the scenes video:
What do you think of Apple’s 2025 holiday ad?
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It's fine. My heart was warmed.
Thought it was cute. Not every year has to be a tear jerker.
It’s a bunch of muppets singing. Why is this a problem?
Wow! Was that tear-jerker 2013!?
Anyway, it worked its magic again.