Most retailers’ Christmas adverts have resisted the urge to pull on heartstrings this year, instead harking on nostalgia with 90s raves, beloved family characters and even festive fairytales.

But Disney has bucked the trend and released a tearjerker of a Christmas commercial, tapping up Oscar-winning director Taika Waititi to direct.

Inspired by Toy Story, the advert centres around a little girl named Molly who draws a scribbly doodle on her letter to Santa Claus telling him what she would like for Christmas.

When Christmas Day rolls around, Molly finds that she’s received than she bargained for as Santa has not only gifted her with Lego and a stuffed toy, but he has also brought her doodle to life.

The film is a reference to Toy Story 4, where Bonnie’s homemade toy Sporky – made from a plastic spork, googly eyes and pipe cleaner – comes to life and joins Woody and Buzz Lightyear on their adventures.

Doodle is a colourful creature with a yellow head and blue hair, a multi-coloured body, wonky blue eyes, red antennae sticking out of his head, curly arms and small feet.

After coming to life, he follows Molly throughout the year but is unable to speak because he doesn’t have a mouth.

On Christmas morning, a year later, he finally gets a mouth and can talk to Molly.

Throughout the advert, Doodle becomes sadder and sadder about not having a mouth.

On Halloween, Molly takes Doodle trick or treating and they both dress as vampires, but while Molly can bare her fake fangs, Doodle can only hold them in one of his scribbled hands.

When the following Christmas arrives, Doodle and the family go out onto their doorstep to listen to carol singers and Doodle attempts to sing along – but can only hum in a high-pitched manner.

The carol singers stop abruptly to give him an incredulous look and Doodle shies away from them, running up the stairs to Molly’s room.

As she goes to check on him, she sees Doodle holding her Stitch toy, from Lilo & Stitch, up in front of the mirror and imagining what he might look like if he had a mouth.

On Christmas Day, Molly and Doodle run down the stairs in excitement and Molly quickly tears open a present, revealing a Mr Potatohead.

She promptly pulls the mouth and moustache off Mr Potatohead and sticks it straight onto Doodle’s face.

Doodle is initially confused by the development, but quickly realises he now has a mouth – and he can talk.

Taika said that being asked to create another short film for Disney for the second year in a row was something he wished he could do as his ‘only job’.

Taika, who also directed The Boy & The Octopus in 2024, said: ‘I would love for the Taika Waititi Disney Christmas Short universe to just keep going, so we could try and do new, different things every year.

‘For me, it’s like making a Disney film, but without having to do five years of work!

‘I love creating these emotional stories with fantastical elements about the classic Disney themes like friendship, and being who you are, and putting others before you – all those things that we know from Disney films – but in short form.’

Taika, who is married to pop star Rita Ora, also revealed that there are a few Easter eggs to be found within the short film – such as Heihei from Moana, balloons from 2009’s Up and .

‘The main stuff is really around the house, I think they’re very subtle,’ he added.