We simply refuse to embark on the countdown to Christmas until Costa’s festive menu drops, beauty advent calendars hit the shelves and… John Lewis airs its Christmas advert.
Today, we were treated to our first look at the highly-anticipated screening, which tells the heartwarming story of a little girl and her friendship with an excitable young dragon.
‘Excitable Edgar’ is a two minute thirty second advert set to the iconic song Can’t Fight This Feeling by REO Speedwagon and re-recorded by Dan Smith, lead singer of the band Bastille. It centres around the theme of bringing people together at Christmas time through delicious food and thoughtful gifts, which show loved ones how much you care. Nawww.
The story follows a little girl, Ava, who is eagerly preparing for Christmas along with her family and friends. This includes an enthusiastic dragon called Edgar who, unable to contain his excitement for the festivities, is finding it increasingly hard to control his instinct to breathe fire.
The ad follows the pair as they attempt to join in with seasonal activities – with some unexpected consequences. Ice-skating is brought to a standstill when Edgar, in his festive excitement, accidentally melts the ice-rink. A carefully built snowman is reduced to a puddle and the annual dressing of the village Christmas tree ends in disaster once Edgar is involved.
Worried he will ruin the Christmas festivities even further, Edgar shuts himself away. But his best friend Ava dreams up the ideal way to show Edgar how much she cares about him. She presents him with the perfect gift – a delicious Christmas pudding – which ensures he plays a unique role in the spectacular village feast, lighting up Christmas in his own special way. Way to go and tug on our heartstrings again, JL.
Here’s what some of the GLAMOUR team made of the advert…
Chelsea Hughes, Digital Multimedia & Picture Editor: I didn’t know it was possible to have so much empathy for a small, green, fire-breathing animation. This year, I’m a fan of the John Lewis advert #ExcitableEdgar. It made me think ‘aww’ instead of sinking me into deep and dark anguish like The Man on the Moon in 2015.
Kerry Squires, Designer: It has the charm of the cutest kinds of fictional worlds we all delight in at Christmas – while still carrying a poignant and important message.
Kiran Meeda, Online Features Intern: Filled with joy, sadness and a final moment of embracing who you are with the people around you, the ad celebrates everything that Christmas is about. Excitable Edgar tugs on our heartstrings and follows an emotional Christmas journey we’ve all been on at one point or another.
Josh Smith, Celebrity and Entertainment Director: I never knew a dragon could reduce me to tears. It’s a beautiful, heartwarming story about accepting an outsider even when you don’t quite understand them.
Lottie Winter, Beauty Editor: Obviously I instantly fell in love with Dragon, but I wasn’t satisfied by the ending – one single Christmas pudding isn’t going to tame that flame for long. I’m still worried for the villagers.
Rosanna McLaughlin, Account Manager: I love it! The moment we’ve all been waiting for as a sign that it’s acceptable to start eating mince pies and playing Christmas songs. John Lewis didn’t disappoint me this year, love the heartwarming song and message behind it.
Dennis Lye, Creative Lead: The underdog wins the day! Cute, awkward and not too perfect.
Chloe Laws, Social Media Editor: Well, my first reaction is that Excitable Edgar is the cutest thing ever. My second is that it’s a perfect metaphor for how our differences often divide us, when actually they’re what should make us closer.
Did you love it as much as we did?
