Chevrolet is building quite a heritage of holiday season commercials that tackle difficult subjects around family relationships. Its 2024 campaign by Anomaly is a five-minute short film, The Sanctuary, about family expectations, directed by Smuggler director, Tom Hooper.

This fourth in Chevrolet’s series of holiday commercials about family topics begins with a young man feeling the pressure of being asked about his college plans, moves into the story of an understanding father and their connection, and wraps it all up in a celebration of working-class values. Emotive American commercials can be emotive with a row of exclamation marks, and this one certainly is. And at moments, the sincerity of its message gets lost in emotionality – but the message is important, and the brand is inserted with subtlety, represented as a vintage ’78 Chevy truck. A sense of heritage that parallels the story perhaps?

The full film is running on Chevrolet’s social channels, with cutdowns making its on air debut in the US air during prime Thanksgiving programming, including the Detroit Lions football game, and running throughout the holiday season.

Credits:
Client: Chevrolet 
Agency: Anomaly

Production Company: Smuggler
Director: Tom Hooper
Executive Producers: Patrick Milling-Smith, Brian Carmody, Carlin Wilson-Webb
Managing Director: Sue Yeon Ahn
Head of Production: Alex Hughes 
Producer: Carmen Bosley
Production Supervisor: Paul Richards
Commercial Coordinator: Mia Doyon
1st AD: Chris Northup
Director of Photography: Steve Annis
Production Designer: Michael Moran

Editing: Exile Editorial 
Managing Director & Executive Producer: Sasha Hirshfield 
Editor: Kirk Baxter 
Producer: Sophia Mosner Koor
Assistant Editors: Shane Van, Aaron Castro, Jason Tawiah

VFX + Finishing: Pariah VFX
Mix + Sound Design: One Thousand Birds 
Co-Founder Laura Dopp 
Producer: Elisabeth Viel 
Sound Designer & Engineer: Hayley Livingston