Disney’s Taika Waititi Christmas short turns doodles into holiday magic
Disney ramps up festive engagement with Taika Waititi’s “Best Christmas Ever” and a live billboard activation in New York
Disney is bringing its annual holiday spirit to life with a new animated short titled A Disney Holiday Short: Best Christmas Ever, directed by Oscar-winning filmmaker Taika Waititi. But this year, the company is going further than just streaming a feel-good story.
The short film, now available on Disney+ and online, anchors the entertainment giant’s “Make someone’s holiday magic” campaign. From heartwarming animation to a Times Square interactive billboard, Disney is mixing nostalgia, technology, and storytelling to reach audiences across platforms.
This article explores how Disney is using the short film as a springboard for deeper engagement, and what marketers can learn from the company’s fusion of creativity and audience participation.
Short on time?
Here is a table of content for quick access:
- What happened: a doodle-powered Christmas and a global campaign
- Strategic context: nostalgia meets interactivity
- What marketers should know
Patrecia Meliana
A doodle-powered Christmas and a global campaign
In Best Christmas Ever, a young girl wakes up on Christmas Day to discover that her crayon doodle has come to life after Santa misinterprets it as a wish. What follows is a whimsical year of adventures, from brushing teeth together to trick-or-treating on Halloween, culminating in a touching holiday finale where the girl helps the doodle find its voice.
John Goodman voices the doodle, offering a layer of familiarity for fans of Monsters, Inc. and The Emperor’s New Groove. The animation itself is guided by Eric Goldberg, the Disney veteran behind Aladdin’s Genie, and was executed in collaboration with Untold Studios, production house hungryman, and creative agency adam&eveDDB.
Beyond the screen, Disney’s campaign expands to Times Square on 12 November, where visitors can submit their own doodles via QR code and watch them animate live on a giant billboard.
This activation is being positioned as a first-of-its-kind public interactive display. Additional festive content includes classic holiday films and new releases like A Very Jonas Christmas Movie.
Strategic context: nostalgia meets interactivity
This campaign arrives at a moment when brands are increasingly leaning on high-emotion storytelling to cut through the holiday clutter. But Disney isn’t just banking on sentimentality. By combining Waititi’s signature humor, nostalgic animation, and an interactive New York activation, the company is using every tool in its belt to create a memorable and multi-touchpoint experience.
As Waititi put it, the story is “uniquely Disney” because it centers on childlike imagination and friendship, a formula that’s easy to replicate but hard to master. That creative foundation is then scaled through retail, theme parks, streaming, and real-world activations.
The result is not just a film, but a cross-channel campaign that meets consumers wherever they are, whether that’s watching Home Alone at home or drawing on a smartphone in Times Square.
Patrecia Meliana
What marketers should know
Marketers looking to elevate holiday campaigns can draw several key takeaways from Disney’s approach:
1. Pair emotional storytelling with real-world interaction
Disney’s strategy isn’t just to tell a heartwarming tale, it’s to extend that narrative into public spaces. The Times Square doodle activation is a reminder that emotional stories hit harder when audiences can see themselves reflected in them, literally in this case.
2. Animate nostalgia, but keep it fresh
By enlisting familiar talent like John Goodman and classic animation consultants like Eric Goldberg, Disney taps into decades of goodwill. But the doodle’s quirky design and Waititi’s modern tone keep the story relevant for younger viewers. Marketers can look to this as a model for bridging generational appeal.
3. Use holiday campaigns as full-funnel brand plays
From streaming content and in-store touchpoints to billboards and cruise ships, Disney treats its holiday campaign as a multi-channel opportunity. It’s not just brand awareness, it’s engagement, loyalty, and even conversion across its ecosystem.
4. Elevate small moments, not just big events
The short’s focus on brushing teeth and swimming, rather than grand spectacle, shows a shift in how stories are being told. Audiences are increasingly drawn to grounded, authentic narratives, something marketers can replicate in their own content strategies.
Disney’s Best Christmas Ever isn’t just another holiday short. It’s a reminder that timeless stories can still surprise, and that well-executed campaigns don’t stop at the screen.
For marketers, the takeaway is clear. Great storytelling doesn’t end with the content, it starts there. When paired with physical activations, cross-platform distribution, and a dose of magic, brands can turn even a simple doodle into a season-defining experience.
