If Disney did not have a sad moment in their film, was it really a Disney film?

On November 9, Disney UK and Disney Ireland released an animated Christmas Ad for their “From Our Family To Ours” campaign. The advertisement featured Filipino characters and Christmas traditions.

The Ad begins in 1940 where a Filipino father arrives at his home and is greeted by his young daughter. The daughter receives a Mickey Mouse plush from her tatay (father). Skipping to 2005, the once young daughter is now a lola (grandmother) and is with her apo (grandchild), making a Christmas lantern.

As the years go by, the two have less interaction, for the granddaughter gradually loses interest in making lanterns. Keep in mind, the same Mickey Mouse toy the grandmother kept is in the frame.

In the next scene, the granddaughter is a young adult who rushes to kiss her grandmother’s cheek and leaves the house. The film then focuses on the lola and the dog becoming forlorn because the family are not going to spend time during the Christmas holiday with each other. You best believe Disney inserted a sad tune in the background at this point.

The apo arrives back to an empty, vacant home with an earless Mickey Mouse. The film cuts to the grandmother waking up the next day to a house filled with

many Christmas lanterns. The grandmother’s face brightens up as the apo gives her lola the same Mickey she was given from her father but with fixed ears this time around.

Parol, a Philippine lantern, is a common Christmas tradition in the Philippines. Many Filipinos on Twitter expressed emotions of gratitude and nostalgia towards the short animated film, for the Ad had representation and portrayed aspects of Filipino culture.

Disney states that 25% of proceeds made from the real-life version of the vintage Mickey plush (shown in the Ad) will go towards the Make-A-Wish organization. The proceeds from all downloads of the song that was present in the advertisement, “Love Is A Compass” by Griff (19-year old Jamaican Chinese singer), will go towards the organization from November 9th to December 31st as well.

Want to share your festive moments from the past and present with Disney? Include #LoveFromDisney in your caption. According to NextShark’s article, the franchise will donate $1 to Make-A-Wish for up to $100,000 for each memory shared.

Disney never fails to have its films heart-wrenching. What you can get from watching the Christmas Ad is to appreciate and show gratitude to your loved ones.