Disney invites audiences into a heartwarming original story with A Disney Holiday Short: Best Christmas Ever, directed by Academy Award® winner Taika Waititi via production company Hungry Man. Premiering on Disney+ and online, and featuring the voice of John Goodman as Doodle, the short serves as the creative centerpiece of Disney’s new “Make Someone’s Holiday Magic” campaign.
At the center of the story is a little girl and her doodle who comes to life on Christmas Day after Santa mistakes the drawing for a holiday wish. The short follows the charming story of the friendship between the girl and the animated product of her imagination during this magical season in a uniquely Disney way. The film ends with a call to action for viewers, “Make Someone’s Holiday Magic,” which serves as the tagline for Disney’s holiday campaign this year. Renowned Walt Disney Animation Studios animator Eric Goldberg, the creator of beloved Disney characters such as Genie from Aladdin (1992), acted as an advisor on the animation of the short in collaboration with Untold Studios, Hungry Man and creative agency adam&eveDDB.
This short follows last year’s Emmy®-nominated, A Disney Holiday Short: The Boy & The Octopus, also directed by Waititi, whose numerous Disney credits include Marvel Studios’ Thor: Ragnarok (2017) and Thor: Love and Thunder (2022), and Searchlight Pictures’ Jojo Rabbit (2019), for which he won an Oscar® for Best Adapted Screenplay.
“What makes this story uniquely Disney is the fact that it’s set in the world of a kid. It’s a kid and her new best friend, navigating the complex world together, and doing it just with the power of friendship and imagination,” said Waititi.
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Credits
Client The Walt Disney Company Agency adam&eveDDB Ant Nelson, Mike Sutherland, chief creative officers; Richard Gayton, Darren Beresford, creative directors; Sali Horsey, copywriter; Zoe Nash, art director; Sally Pritchett, head of production/producer; Holly Wormleighton, assistant producer; Will Grundy, chief strategy officer. Production Company Hungry Man Taika Waititi, director; Matt Buels, managing partner; Hannah Stone, producer; Marian Mikhail, production manager; Ben Seresin, DP; Olly Williams, production designer; Ben Glickman, 1st AD; Monique Bezulderhout, key makeup & hair; Cathy Kukard, wardrobe stylist; Marareta Abena, casting director; Ruth Pickett, 2nd unit director. Production Services Gateway, Cape Town Beverly Wynne, exec producer; Laila Shrand-Hodgson, producer; Kelly Drummond, production manager. VFX Untold Studios Ian Berry, executive director; Melody Alexander, exec producer; Helen Tang, producer; Natalie London, production coordinator; Adam Droy, Tim Van Hussen, creative directors; Christian Baker, VFX supervisor; Hudson Martins, CG supervisor; Therese Vildefall, character concept; Cyriel Verkuijlen, character lead; Avinash Savant, Jinhul Wang, Philippe Moine, Sam Driscoll, Murali Krishna, Bhaveesh PV, Snram Namana, lead artists; Alberto Lara, Alex de la Sotilla, Alex Miller, Antoine Mariez, Bhavesh Budhkar, Bnag Mallat, Corentin Maudhult, Dhanesh Sudhakaran, Gianluca Di Marco, Henry Affonso, Jadheer TM, Kalaiarasu P, Lindsey Lo Presti, Luke Sarpus, Mack Knights, Mary Doyle, Melissa Yung-Hok, Nathan McKenna, Palia Netaji, Pim Meijer, Salman Attar, Silvia Bartoli, Snram Namana, V Siva Sarweswar, Victor Almela, VFX artists; James Pratt, Pete Hughes, online. Editorial Final Cut Joe Guest, editor; Hannah Burger, assistant editor; Michelle Comey, offline edit producer. Music Soundtree Music Music composed by Randy Newman, arranged and produced by Luke Fabia; Dave Foster, orchestrator; Luis Almau, head of music; Jay James, exec producer/managing director. Color Company 3 Jean-Clement Soret, colorist; Edwin Elkington, color producer.
This long-form spot for RWJBarnabas Health--directed by The Hudson Dusters of Greenpoint Pictures for ad agency StrawberryFrog--takes us to New Jersey families in the places and moments that matter most during the holidays. As the largest healthcare provider in the state, RWJBarnabas Health aims to show up in the everyday spaces where people already gather.
Lensed in Nutley, Clifton and Montclair, the film for the “Jersey Spirit” holiday campaign uses a local cast of New Jerseyans to convey authenticity.
“With this campaign, we wanted to bottle up the spirit of New Jersey during the holidays--the humor, the hustle, the heart,” said Tyler DeAngelo, chief creative officer at StrawberryFrog. “Every story told, from ordering Taylor Ham at a diner to sitting around Nonna’s table for the seven fishes, is a celebration of the traditions that make this state so uniquely vibrant. RWJBarnabas Health plays a central role in helping our communities live those long, connected, meaningful lives. This campaign celebrates that spirit with warmth, nostalgia and just the right amount of Jersey attitude.”
In a joint statement The Hudson Dusters shared, “The holidays are the best time of the year in the tri-state. From the city decorated to a tee and everyone out in the streets bundled up to Jersey, where they decorate their homes and towns to the nines. The excitement is in the air at businesses, homes and diners. We loved creating an authentic spot for the folks of Jersey, some of the most prideful people in the country, who keep holiday tradition alive in a major way. We wanted the characters to be real. If you live in Jersey, you know them, they’re you, your neighbor, or at the diner down the block from you. We wanted it to be relatable and... Read More
