November 9th 2023.
Every year, as summer turns to autumn and the festive season approaches, excitement for the new John Lewis Christmas advert reaches fever pitch. For the last 16 years, the retailer has been delighting consumers with its enchanting tales of love and generosity, creating classic ads such as The Long Wait, Monty the Penguin and The Man on the Moon.
Now, for their 2023 offering, the company has brought us a joyous story that takes an unexpected turn… and features one of their most legendary music stars to date. While in the past, John Lewis have set their adverts to the tunes of recognisable covers, this time around, they have included an original song sung by none other than the globally-renowned Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli.
The iconic singer – who is widely regarded as having one of the most beautiful voices in the world, and is ‘very passionate’ about Christmas – has joined forces with the retailer to tell the story of Snapper, an uncontrollable but lovable Venus flytrap. When The Agency had the opportunity to preview the advert, they spoke to John Lewis and advertising agency Saatchi & Saatchi about the film, hearing about how the 65-year-old Andrea recorded the original song Festa from his home in Pisa.
The film follows the story of a young boy, played by eight-year-old Teddy Holton-Frances, who finds a mysterious box at a market with an old-fashioned design that reads: ‘Grow your own perfect Christmas tree.’ He plants the seed that was inside the box at home, and watches attentively as a little plant sprouts out of the soil. Much to his surprise, the little Venus flytrap comes to life… and then, it begins to grow in size and personality at an alarming rate.
Very soon, Snapper is almost the same height as Teddy, who beams with delight over his new friend as his mum, gran and sibling look increasingly concerned by the Little Shop of Horrors-esque creature in their home. The boy tries to convince his family that Snapper is the perfect alternative to their traditional Christmas tree – but they’re not convinced, dragging the plant out of the living room when he becomes too big and continues to cause havoc in their home.
Snapper looks distraught when he’s cast out into the cold and forced to watch festive activities from the garden, witnessing a traditional Christmas tree being put up, much to the boy’s dismay. When Christmas day arrives, the young boy decides to take a present from the tree and place it on the snowy ground by his devastated plant friend, before his family go out to join him.
For a split-second, it appears as though Snapper has inadvertently put a stopper on the Christmas magic, when he snaps up a present and seems to gobble it down his throat. But it’s quickly revealed that the Venus flytrap is actually unwrapping the gifts for his family, as he spits them back out into their arms.
The main message of the advert – which is titled ‘Snapper, the perfect tree’ – is celebrating old family traditions, as well as embracing new ones that might have evolved over time. We might even start putting up giant Venus flytraps instead of Christmas trees in the years to come?!
John Lewis purposely wanted to go down the more joyful route with their ad this year, in response to the ‘mood of the nation’ and a ‘tough few years’ that many have experienced. Teddy was able to convey the innocent sadness and unadulterated joy of a child with immense skill, despite having to imagine Snapper with the help of puppeteers and human stand-ins.
Franki Goodwin, Chief Creative Officer at Saatchi & Saatchi, spoke at greater length about how the character of Snapper was designed, who’s set to appear on all sorts of John Lewis merchandise, including fluffy children’s slippers. The eight-year-old actor was discovered after an open casting call, prompting around 2,000 children to audition for the lead role.
The John Lewis ad was filmed on one of the hottest days of the year in August, with the residential backdrop of a street in Pinner. Andrea Bocelli belting out a powerful melody in Italian while a young boy finds a best friend in an anthropomorphic Venus flytrap is a combination full to the brim with festive magic.
Andrea’s song for the John Lewis 2023 Christmas advert is called Festa, meaning ‘celebration’. Written and produced by Italian electro-pop duo Le Feste Antonacci, the tune is an original song. Speaking about his involvement in the campaign, Andrea said: ‘I am delighted to take part in this wonderful and unique tradition of Christmas storytelling. It is very special for me given the great support this will bring to both the John Lewis and Andrea Bocelli foundations. Joy to all of your worlds this Christmas!’
Festa is set to be released in a longer form as a charity single, with proceeds of the sale going to the John Lewis Partnership’s Building Happier Futures charities, which help to support young people and families with experience in care who are in need.
The John Lewis 2023 Christmas ad is certainly full of festive cheer – and it’s sure to be a classic for years to come. With the dulcet tones of Andrea Bocelli, the imagination of a young boy and the lovable character of Snapper, it’s an advert that’s sure to bring a smile to everyone’s faces.
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