Get Your Christmas Spirit Buzzing With a Joyous Ad and the Story of Its Making

Every year, a John Lewis advertisement marks the beginning of the Christmas season and spreads that cozy, Christmassy feeling that makes winter even more magical. And this year, we think they’ve created something really special. The ad is already creating a lot of buzz on the internet, as the story of the adorable Edgar makes everyone’s Christmas a little better.

We at Bright Side really liked Edgar the Excitable Dragon, and we wanted to share this amazing story with you and take a little sneak peek behind the scenes, to find out more about the making of Excitable Edgar.

John Lewis & Partners is a chain of high-end department stores operated throughout the United Kingdom, but what they’re probably most well-known for are their amazing Christmas ads. This year, John Lewis collaborated with its sister brand, Waitrose & Partners, to tell the story of a loveable and chubby dragon, Excitable Edgar, and his best friend Ava.

Each year, the company receives somewhere around 300-400 scripts for their Christmas ad, but there was something special about this one. The 2-and-a-half minute Christmas advertisementwas shot in Hungary during the summer, when the weather was very hot, so all the winter scenes had to be made using large amounts of biodegradable, fake snow.

10-year-old Scot Ruby, who played the character of Edgard’s friend, Ava, had to practice her reactions with another actor, as the lovable dragon was obviously created virtually.

But the tricky part, according to the creative director, was to give the character a recognizable face with all the right emotions. What the people over at John Lewis & Partners liked about this story was that it focuses on thoughtful gifting, and this specific story shares the wonderful gift of acceptance.

And the producers wanted the audience to learn that we should be accepting of each other’s differences. And that is exactly what Ava did to remind Edgar that being different isn’t necessarily a bad thing. It may just mean that you’re special.

This funny and heartwarming story is set to the legendary ’80s tune of Can’t Fight This Feeling by REO Speedwagon. And just for this occasion, the song was re-recorded by Dan Smith, the singer from the popular band, Bastille.

Martin George, a partner and customer director, also added a few words about the production of this ad, saying, “The magic of friendship and making our loved ones feel special are some of the most wonderful things about this time of year.”

What do you think about the latest John Lewis Christmas ad and the way it was created? Did it awaken your Christmas spirit? Share your impressions about the ad in the comment section.