While tech giants rush toward AI-generated content, Apple is doubling down on old-fashioned craftsmanship. The company just dropped 'A Critter Carol,' a whimsical holiday ad featuring an army of hand-puppeted woodland creatures - and yes, the entire production was shot on an iPhone 17 Pro. It's a deliberate counter-narrative to the industry's AI obsession.
Apple just threw down the gauntlet in the holiday advertising wars, and it's not what you'd expect. While Coca-Cola and other major brands are leaning hard into AI-generated content this season - often with visually jarring results - Apple went the opposite direction entirely.
The company's new festive short film 'A Critter Carol' is a masterclass in practical effects, featuring a forest full of tech-savvy woodland creatures that feel more Muppet Workshop than Silicon Valley. The premise is charmingly simple: a hiker drops their iPhone 17 Pro, which gets discovered by a curious raccoon who proceeds to film an impromptu performance of Flight of the Conchords' song 'Friends' with a cast of forest animals.
But here's where it gets interesting from a production standpoint. Apple released a detailed behind-the-scenes look that reveals the massive undertaking behind those adorable puppet performances. We're talking about a small army of puppeteers working in coordinated chaos, each controlling different body parts of the various creatures - bears, wolves, owls, deer, squirrels, and rabbits - all brought to life through meticulous hand-crafted work.
The technical execution mirrors Apple's recent approach to their TV+ intro, which was created by filming an actual glass model of the Apple logo with colored lighting rather than going the CGI route. It's becoming a signature move for the company - embracing analog techniques in a digital world.
The forest set itself required extensive blue screen work and digital extension, with human performers in blue bodysuits later removed in post-production. But the stars of the show - those expressive woodland creatures - are 100% puppet artistry. Each character required multiple operators working in perfect synchronization, creating performances that feel surprisingly organic and emotionally resonant.
And in a move that's pure Apple marketing genius, the entire production was captured on the iPhone 17 Pro, including both the main ad and all the behind-the-scenes footage. It's a bold statement about the device's filmmaking capabilities, especially when you consider the complex lighting requirements and detailed puppet work involved.
