The Disney Christmas advert is making people teary: why it's such an emotional watch

Disney knows how to bring us the most heart-warming stories, and the new Disney Christmas advert is no exception.

As we all know - the festive season is time for emotional Christmas adverts. From the John Lewis Christmas advert (opens in new tab)  to Aldi’s (opens in new tab) adorable carrot, Christmas adverts are sure to brighten our days.

Now Disney have released their 2020 Christmas advert - and it’s sure to tug at your heartstrings. 

What’s the Disney Christmas advert about?

The new Disney Christmas advert focuses on the idea of the love we hold for our families. It is a nostalgic trip down memory lane and is sure to remind you how powerful childhood (opens in new tab) memories really are. 

The short film is titled From Our Family to Yours and if that isn’t enough to draw you in, it begins with a young girl, Lola, being given a Mickey Mouse toy by her father in 1940.  

Then, 65 years later, she is a devoted grandmother, sharing the vintage toy with her granddaughter. The granddaughter adores Mickey, cuddling him before helping Lola to make traditional paper parols - Christmas lanterns from the Philippines. 

Time passes in suitably heart-wrenching style as Lola’s granddaughter begins to grow up. And as she enters her teenage years and then adulthood, the old traditions don’t seem to interest her like they once did.

Lola tries to hide her disappointment, until one day her granddaughter arrives home to find the old Mickey Mouse toy discarded, it's broken ear now having completely fallen off.

Seeing her granddaughter’s sadness and the family photographs that adorn the home, her granddaughter resolves to do something about it.

The next morning Lola comes downstairs to find the living room decorated with many star-shaped decorations (opens in new tab) like the ones they once made together. 

Casting her mind back through much-loved memories, Lola soon gets the biggest surprise of all…

Who is the Disney Christmas advert supporting in 2020?

If the story alone isn’t enough to bring a tear to your eye and warmth to your heart, this year Disney’s advert has been released in support of Make-A-Wish. This wonderful charity helps fulfil the wishes of children with critical illnesses. 

In light of this, the beautiful rendition of Love Is A Compass by 19-year-old singer Griff that accompanies the short film is now available to buy as a charity single. 

100% of the proceeds will be donated to Make-A-Wish (opens in new tab) for every download made before 31 December 2020.

Luciano Manzo, president and CEO of Make-A-Wish International, has been reported as saying that the charity’s 40-year partnership with Disney “has already helped grant so many wishes for children across the world”. 

He then added that the organisation is ‘really excited’ by this new Christmas campaign.

The Twitter reaction to the Disney Christmas Advert

Already people have taken to Twitter to announce their emotional response to the heart-wrenching advert.

“It’s 8am and I’m already emotionally devastated...” one user announced. 

Whilst another commented, “Is this just me? Hoping that @Disney_UK would turn this ad into a movie?”

Another Twitter praised Disney's portrayal of Filipino culture, writing: 'I'm so happy to see Filipino culture and representation in such a touching short.' 

With the advert only having been released on 9 November, it seems that we may already have a clear winner for favourite Christmas advert of 2020. 

Don’t believe us? You might just have to watch it for yourself!