Apple’s 2025 holiday film, ‘A Critter Carol,’ features charming, handmade woodland puppets, prioritizing authentic craft. Director Mark Molloy shot the whole spot using just an iPhone 17 Pro, blending high-tech filming with practical artistry.
Apple’s marketing team picked this style to stand apart from manufactured perfection. Tor Myhren, Apple’s Vice-President of Marketing Communications, explained the creative choice:
“We wanted the puppets to be imperfect, with matted fur, and a bit worn and grungy like they’ve been out in the forest their whole lives. There’s something relatable about that and makes them more authentic and endearing.”
The short, heartwarming film shows a lost iPhone found by a group of chirpy critters. They use the phone to film an unplanned music video for the song “Friends” by Flight of the Conchords.
The campaign centers completely on the handcrafted look. All nine puppets—the curious raccoon, the gentle bear, and others—were built with careful, hands-on techniques. The typography used throughout the marketing materials was hand-printed from wood blocks.
