Is it that time again? While the US has the Super Bowl, we have the John Lewis ad - a very well known UK department store that's been making us sob every Christmas - and not just at their prices. Last year a Calvin and Hobbes relationship between a boy and his penguin tugged at our heartstrings. This year the story is called 'The Man On The Moon' and features the voyeuristic relationship between the world's best hermit and a girl with an implausibly powerful telescope.
I really really like #TheManOnTheMoon but not gonna lie, it didn't get me quite like the penguin one did.
a toy all along. The bear wakes up from his hibernation to enjoy Christmas with his friend. The boy can't wait - not to get his presents - but to give presents. Where's the reveal here? We already know the little girl is trying to send a message to the man on the moon, so when she does, it's exactly what we were expecting. There's no grounding; no bringing it back to earth. How much more powerful would this message about loneliness have been if the sweet old man had been revealed to really live, say, opposite, rather than 384,000 km away. The ad finishes with the reminder to 'Show someone they're loved this Christmas', with the obvious subtext - 'by shopping at John Lewis'.
