What would be Christmas without love? Erste Group raises a thought-provoking question in its Christmas commercial, which tells a heartwarming story about the power of love, of believing in yourself and in the good of others.
The animated spot, created by Passion Pictures Studio and directed by Kyra & Constantin, features a hedgehog that is avoided by everyone because of his spines. At school, no one cares about him, at the playground no one pushes him on the swing, and on the school bus no one wants him close, so he ends up alone in the back seat. There is a squirrel, though, that seems willing to befriend him until one day, before Christmas, when she gives the hedgehog the impression she’s mocking him as well. The truth is she had prepared a surprise for her lonely classmate, together with the other animals, and they all wait for him in front of the school. Receiving a nicely wrapped gift box, the hedge starts searching among the dozens of small soft white pieces until the squirrel helps him understand that those pieces are actually the gift. Carefully placing one on each spine, the squirrel and the other classmates are then able to hug tight the cute hedgehog, who is deeply impressed by their gesture.
The song serving as soundtrack was specifically composed for the film by Mike Connaris at Mcasso Music and features vocals from Alee Kinder. The lyrics are as follows:
“So this life is giving
Everyone a present
Beautiful, shiny and new.
Everyone but you
Golden ribbons, diamonds
Line everyone’s path
That leads to wide open doors.
Everyone’s but yours
Wide open doors…
Hold on! Keep on!
Even when the road seems very long.
Open your eyes!
Even if it’s cold now,
There’s one thing you should know:
Rain will turn into snow
All the rain turns to snow.
People from across the world have praised the film, describing it as the best this year.
