John Lewis produced a classic John Lewis Christmas ad this year. So has McDonald’s.

The 90-second story, Imaginary Iggy, is about a young girl called Matilda and her imaginary friend, Iggy. She grows up and leaves Iggy behind until a scene in a McDonald’s restaurant reminds her of her long-lost friend. Kudos to junior creatives, Amy Bushill and Cristina Rosique Gomez, at Leo Burnett London who came up with the idea. And even more kudos to whoever decided to underscore the story with Mabel’s version of Cyndi Lauder’s ‘80s hit, Time After Time. Great Christmas stories make you cry.

The commercial fits into McDonald’s Reindeer Ready campaign a bit awkwardly, but Christmas isn’t the time for being narky about commercialising emotion. The message is to keep the spirit of Christmas alive by reawakening the magic of your child-like imagination.

Credits:

Client: McDonald’s
Senior Vice Presdent, Chief Marketing Officer: Michelle Graham-Clare
Director of Marketing: Steve Howells
Head of Marketing Affinity, Family And Trust: Chloe Bissell
Head of PR & Social Media: Louise Page
Brand Manager: Amber Myers
Campaign Assistant: Maxime Van De Riet

Creative Agency: Leo Burnett
Chief Creative Officer: Chaka Sobhani
Creative Directors: James Millers & Andrew Long
Creative Team: Cristina Rosique Gomez & Amy Bushill
Head of Planning: Tom Sussman
Planning Director: Hamish Cameron
Planner: Thomas Schofield
Client Partner: Sam Houlston
Account Team: Steph Bates, Alex Light, Nicola Kuan & Carys Parry
Project Director: Siobhan Mulcahy
Head of TV Production: Graeme Light

Media Buying Agency: OMD

Production Company: Object & Animal
Directors: Bert & Bertie
Producer: Lucy Gossage
Editor: Eve Ashwell @ The Assembly Rooms
Lighting Cameraman & DOP: James Whitaker
Post-Production: Framestore