McDonald’s praised for ‘emotional’ Christmas advert about a mother reconnecting with her teenage son

McDonald’s has released its Christmas advert for 2020 and it has tugged on the heartstrings of viewers across the UK.

Titled “Inner Child”, the animated 90-second clip follows the story of a mother trying to get her teenage son, Tom, in the festive spirit by taking part in family rituals.

The advert starts with the mother bursting excitedly into her son’s bedroom with a box full of Christmas decorations for the tree. An image of Tom’s inner child appears excitedly in his stomach, but teenage Tom could not be less interested and turns his back to continue playing computer games.

In the next clip, they pair visit a Christmas market but, when his mother tries to make him laugh by pretending to be a reindeer, he becomes embarrassed and walks behind her with his headphones in and his phone in hand.

On the car journey home, the mother decides to stop at a McDonald's Drive Thru, where they collect some food, including a bag of carrots, labelled as “reindeer treats”, which Tom sneaks into his pocket.

When they return home, it seems Tom has had a change of heart and engages in a snowball fight with his mother, before helping to decorate the tree and laying out a glass of milk and the reindeer treats ready for Santa's arrival.

The advert ends with a still image of the mother and son’s terraced street as a message appears, asking “Are you reindeer ready?”

Social media users have praised McDonald’s for its 2020 festive offering, with many calling it “emotional” and saying to reduced them to tears.

“I don’t know if it’s 2020 or my eternal love for McDonald’s chips...but this is the first Christmas advert ever to hit me in the feels,” one person wrote on Twitter.

Another added: “Omgg the Mcdonald’s christmas advert, I’m crying.”

A third person commented: “It’s not even 9 o’clock yet and I am bawling over the McDonald’s christmas advert.”

The story, which is likely to ring true for many young people and parents across the country, is set to remake of the song “Forever Young” by Becky Hill, which was originally released by Alphaville in 1984.

The soundtrack will be released to raise funds for FareShare, with 10p from every download being donated to the food charity. McDonald’s has also committed to funding five million meals for FareShare.

Michelle Graham-Clare, vice president of menu and marketing at McDonald’s, said: “Our heart-warming tale of Tom and his mum aims to reignite the magic of Christmas across the UK and Ireland this winter.

"That moment as the pair reconnect over the reindeer treats, saved from their trip through the Drive Thru, represents the common truth of children determined to grow up but swept up by the festive spirit.

" I am sure it is a feeling that will be familiar to so many families and in this year we are proud to be spreading some much-needed Christmas cheer with this multi-channel campaign.“

The McDonald’s Christmas advert comes after the release of Amazon’s own offering, which follows the story of a young ballet dancer whose dreams of dancing in a lead role are ruined by the coronavirus crisis.

The retailer’s advert also received widespread praise on social media for highlighting the struggle arts workers have faced during the pandemic.

“The Amazon Christmas advert made me cry and was unutterably beautiful,” one person wrote on Twitter. “it was a moving film with a lovely message and a reminder of the beauty of the arts.”