Now that Halloween has been and gone, the festive period is well and truly on its way, and with it the arrival of this year’s Christmas adverts.
While all the big brands strive every year to release the best, most memorable Christmas adverts possible, John Lewis always tends to nab the top spot, with past offerings from the retailer including a tribute to Sir Elton John, the Man on the Moon and last year’s Excitable Edgar the Dragon.
There’s no word on yet on when the John Lewis Christmas advert is going to be released, although it could be soon, as the past six were launched in the first half of November.
In the meantime, we’ve taken a look at the Christmas adverts that have been released so far, with some of the top releases including a comical advert from Very and an emotional short film about a ballerina from Amazon.
Here are the most (and least) impressive 2020 Christmas adverts so far.
6. Asda
Asda’s Christmas advert does what you would expect a conventional Christmas advert to do.
It reminds viewers about the importance of enjoying the little moments with family during the Yuletide season, featuring traditional scenes of children opening their presents and big family feasts.
‘I guess Christmas is going to be different this year, so let’s really make the most of it,’ Sunny (Muzz Khan) says as he hangs fairy lights up outside his home.
It’s sweet and carries across an important message, but – if we’re being honest – it’s not the most memorable of adverts.
5. Aldi
Aldi’s Christmas advert promises action and excitement, showing the anthropomorphic Kevin the Carrot and his companion Turkey flying in a fighter jet, before coming across Santa Claus flying in his sleigh.
‘Brace yourself Turkey,’ Kevin says, before Turkey accidentally ejects Kevin from the plane, leaving the carrot floating in mid-air with a parachute that’s caught on fire.
But, it stops there, making the advert feel pretty anticlimactic.
It’s safe to assume this advert is just a teaser, with a longer, hopefully more entertaining advert on the way. We’ll just have to wait and see!
4. TK Maxx
In truth, there really isn’t much to the TK Maxx advert. It stars a goat dressed in a hot pink jacket with an emerald green blouse and a red beret, strutting her stuff like she’s on the catwalk at Paris Fashion Week.
As the goat passes a herd of sheep, her owners discuss her fashionable turn from inside their home.
‘Did you buy the goat a designer outfit?’ the woman asks her partner, to which he replies: ‘Yes. She’s had such a hard year. She blooming well deserves it, if you ask me.’
It’s silly. It’s random. And it’s everything we need.
We have a sneaky suspicion people are going to love this funky little goat.
3. Argos
Not only does the Argos Christmas advert open with a close-up view of the widely-cherished Argos catalogue (which has been discontinued, with the exception of a Christmas Gift Guide), but it also stars two charming sisters, who delight their family with their impressive skills as budding musicians.
During the magic show the girls put on for their relatives, their tricks steadily become bigger and better, as they transform their living room light into a grand chandelier and the room into a magnificent theatre space.
The advert is admittedly quite cheesy, but it is an undeniably fun spectacle.
And the final shot of the advert – showing the Argos ‘Book of Dreams’ front and centre – will undoubtedly pull at the heart strings of all those who grew up circling the items on their Christmas wishlist in the supermarket’s catalogue.
2. Very
The reason why Very’s Christmas advert works so well is because it hilariously pokes fun at all the Christmas adverts that have come before it.
Sure, some sentimental festive ads can go down a treat and touch the hearts of people across the nation. But it’s also important to remember the small, mundane, ridiculous moments that make Christmas such a special time of year.
The advert opens with what appears to be an overly sweet, family-focused Christmas advert, before cutting to a family watching it on their TV who describe it as a ‘load of rubbish’.
It then shows a variety of little moments shared between the family, including the mum opening her present in secret before the big day, the son dressed as a ‘lumpy box’ for the school Christmas play (we think he was meant to be a camel?) and the mum and dad trying to stuff a 12-foot Christmas tree into a 10-foot high room.
It’s simple… and it works.
1. Amazon
Long-before the festive season was even on the horizon, there were some people who said they would absolutely hate it if this year’s Christmas adverts referenced the Covid-19 outbreak.
Why – after all – would we need yet another reminder of the seemingly never-ending situation we’re in and of being separated from loved ones at a time of year when we would usually all come together?
This year’s Amazon Christmas advert doesn’t shy away from the pain of this difficult period. But while some may have thought that would make it too upsetting to watch, it actually makes it more powerful and uplifting.
Set to an original arrangement of Queen’s ‘The Show Must Go On’, the advert features French ballerina Taïs Vinolo in a star-making role as a young ballet dancer whose dance show is cancelled as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.
In stirring scenes, her neighbours band together to help put on an outdoor show, where she showcases her spectacular talent in the snow, perfectly capturing the power and magic of community.
