Apple’s latest Christmas film has put the focus on a passion for art that never really disappears, even when the confidence to pursue it does.
Titled ‘The Dreamer’, the film follows a boy with a fascination for drawing and painting, tracing his relationship with art from childhood through to adolescence. What began as an instinctive love of creativity gradually became something he felt compelled to hide, as the pressures of growing up chip away at his confidence.
Despite stepping away from his artistic hobby in public, the boy continued to draw in private. His parents, however, did not lost sight of his creative potential. The story reached a turning point on Christmas morning, when they gift him a MacBook Neo, giving him the encouragement and tools to explore his artistic ambitions again.
Rather than building the campaign around the laptop’s technical capabilities, Apple made the device part of a much more personal story.
The campaign was developed by TBWA\Media Arts Lab and directed by Melina Matsoukas through production companies PRETTYBIRD and De La Revolución. Cinematography comes from Bradford Young, while Chicago-based artist Hebru Brantley created all the artwork featured throughout the film.
Brantley’s contribution is central to the film. His illustrations evolved alongside the protagonist, reflecting the different stages of his own relationship with creativity, from the drawings in his younger years to the animated character that eventually emerged at the end.
The final character was developed using the MacBook Neo and gave the product a more tangible role in the story.
Set to ‘Give Me A Dream’ by Strawberry Guy, the film unfolded without dialogue, relying only on music, visual storytelling and the progression of Brantley’s artwork.
The release continues Apple’s tradition of using the holiday campaigns to tell longer-form stories that connect its products with personal experiences.
The campaign works as reminder that technology can provide the means to make something, but the confidence to start often comes from within.
