Disney Christmas advert leaves viewers in tears with sweet Stepdad storyline

The sentimental advert is the sequel to last year’s instalment

Disney has released its Christmas advert early this year, beating the likes of John Lewis and many major supermarkets who generally release the adverts throughout November.

On 3 November, the media giant released The Stepdad, a story that follows Nicole, the granddaughter from last year’s advert, who is now all grown up with a family of her own.

Last year, Disney’s advert focused on Nicole’s grandmother Lola who was given a Mickey Mouse toy as a child and used it to form a connection later in life with her granddaughter.

The latest advert sees a grown up Nicole and her two children, Max and Ella, welcome their new stepdad. Mike. to the family home over the festive period and shows the children adjusting to him living with them.

Set to the song, “Love Runs Deeper” by Gregory Porter featuring CHERISE, with lyrics like “magic jumping off the page”, the advert shows the power of storytelling and centres on a storybook that Max was given by his biological father.

Through the storybook, we get a glimpse of iconic Disney films like Moana, Frozen and Toy Story - but there are also other Disney tributes peppered throughout the advert.

In the beginning we see Ella holding a Minnie Mouse plush toy, the kids play fighting with lightsabers, and a drawing of Trixie, the dinosaur from Toy Story placed on the wall.

In one scene, the family is shown building an Olaf-esque snowman outside in an homage to Frozen.

Throughout the three-and-a-half-minute advert, we see Max slowly warm to Mike as they make (and break) a gingerbread house together, meet Mike’s family and read stories together.

By the end of the advert, Mike has been accepted into the family by Max.

Disney fans have been brought to tears by the advert, with one Twitter user commenting: “Not me f***ing crying on the bus watching the Disney Christmas ad.”

Another user added: “If you are feeling fragile on this chilly Wednesday morning I absolutely do not recommend watching the Disney Stepdad Christmas ad. I’m a sobbing mess.”

Others commented that the advert should be “turned into a film” and that it’s “too good” to be an advert.

The song used in the advert, “Love Runs Deeper”, is available to download from today, 3 November, and for every download before 31 December, 2021, Disney will donate 100 per cent of the retail price to Make-A-Wish International, its long-standing charity partner.