Disney’s heartwarming Christmas ad highlights importance of being together as family welcomes newborn

DISNEY has launched its latest heartwarming Christmas advert highlighting the importance of family during the festive season.

It’s that time of year when your TV will be bombarded with festive adverts as firms begin the race to bag the title of best Christmas commercial.

And one of the first out of the gate is Disney – and its heart-warming tribute to the family and being together is sure to leave you feeling festive.

Released today, “The Gift” is a powerful story about family togetherness and this time preparing for Christmas and the arrival of a new baby.

The animated ad will act as the final instalment of Disney’s “From Our Family To Yours” festive shorts.

“The Gift” is the sequel to last year’s “The Stepdad” which saw the family navigate an emotive journey as they enjoy combining existing festive traditions with new ones in the run-up to Christmas.

Disney’s first-ever Christmas advert “Lola” was released in 2020.

In the first instalment, fans were introduced to Nicole and her grandmother, Lola, and watched how their bond deepened as festive traditions were passed down through the generations.  

Both the 2020 and 2021 adverts reached over 184million views worldwide combined, according to Disney.

This year, the family prepare for another festive period and the touching arrival of a new baby.

At the heart of the story is a beloved glow-in-the-dark Mickey Mouse soft toy, which connects both past, present and future.

Whilst the elder brother, Max is first shown giving Ella the Mickey Mouse to comfort her at night, Ella then gifts the soft toy to her newborn sibling at their first meet, welcoming them to the family.

The glow-in-the-dark Mickey Mouse is already for sale online and customers can bag it for £19.99.

The soundtrack featured in the ad is performed by Jessica Darrow who was featured in the animation studios’ Oscar-winning 2021 film Encanto.

Jessica is best known for voicing Luisa Madrigal in the feature film and sings “A Little More” in the ad – which was penned exclusively for the advert.

This campaign supports long-standing partner, Make-A-Wish, helping the charity to create life-changing wishes for children with critical illnesses that can be an important part of the healing process. 

Sarah Fox, vice president of marketing and comms, at Disney EMEA, said: “For the last three years millions have watched our characters in our ‘From Our Family To Yours’ animated series, as they spend time together building connections and making memories.

“We are truly grateful for the support we have received for this festive campaign and hope that families and fans enjoy this fitting, heart-warming final instalment of the trilogy.”