Apple Releases 2025 Holiday Ad 'A Critter Carol,' Shot on iPhone 17 Pro [Video]

Apple has released its 2025 holiday ad, "A Critter Carol." The spot was filmed with practical effects and puppetry to highlight the video capabilities of the iPhone 17 Pro. It follows a group of woodland animals who find a lost iPhone in the snow, use it to record a song about friendship, and return it to its owner.

The ad is set to "Friends" by Flight of the Conchords and relies entirely on hand-built puppets rather than CGI. Apple also released a behind-the-scenes video that shows how the team built a forest set three feet off the ground so puppeteers could work from below. The campaign underscores what the iPhone 17 Pro's 48MP Fusion camera system and A19 Pro chip can capture in controlled production environments.


The release comes as Apple enters the peak holiday shopping season. During a recent earnings call, CEO Tim Cook projected that this would be the "best ever" holiday quarter for the iPhone, citing strong early demand for the new lineup.

You can watch both the ad and the behind-the-scenes video below...