Apple’s holiday ad is an animated short film

Apple always has an interesting ad for the holiday season. This time, it’s a cute little animated short film. It feels like a hybrid between a Pixar movie and a Wes Anderson creation.

Named “Share Your Gifts,” the ad focuses on a dreamy teenager who spends a lot of time on her MacBook. She regularly prints something she has created. We never know for sure if it’s a text, a drawing, some lyrics, etc.

But every time she looks at her creations, she dismisses them and puts them in a green box. Sheets of paper pile up in the box and the girl can’t even close it anymore.

During a cold winter night, her dog accidentally opens the window. The sheets of paper fly out the window. She ends up chasing her creations so that nobody sees them.

Eventually, she realizes that sharing feels great and overcomes her fears. It’s a feel-good story that rings true with many creative people, even in the age of Instagram.

Compared to previous years, the soundtrack might not sound familiar. That’s because it’s an original song from sixteen-year-old singer Billie Eilish. Like many young musicians, Eilish started writing music on a Mac in her bedroom. And this song was also written with her sibling Finneas O’Connell in her parent’s home.

Interestingly, there’s no iPhone, no iPad, no Apple Watch. This year, it’s all about the Mac. Apple wants to make sure that everybody knows the Mac is an important product for the company. At least that’s what Tim Cook said on stage during its fall event.