New Zealand director behind “Thor: Ragnarok”, “What We Do in the Shadows”, and “Jojo Rabbit” tells a beautiful story of finding your voice in his new short film commercial for Apple.
The plot: a little girl is standing with a compass in the middle of the forest. She is on a quest to find something. A pink furry creature wearing glasses and a cute green vest approaches her and we discover that our hero is searching for the lost voice.
The two form a bond and the adventure begins. The Apple ad takes an epic, Lord of the Rings-reminiscent approach of switching between breathtaking landscapes. The girl and the creature go through hills, walk through deserts, sail the seas, and talk to mountains. The video presents us with a touching image of “living” Earth where mountains have eyes, owls raise their brows, and radish can respond to your questions.
But it’s the end that’s guaranteed to tear you up. The whole sequence was a bedtime dream, the story was narrated by the girl’s father. Disability advocate and physician Tristram Ingham takes the dad’s role and Apple’s Personal Voice feature allows him to speak.
The Taika Waititi Apple ad ends with the sleepy girl asking her father to “read it again.”
Why we love it: Apple is an expert in attracting top entertainment talent to their marketing endeavors. Academy Award-winning Taika Waititi’s style is perfect for telling stories like this one. Drawing inspirations from the 2009 Where the Wild Things Are by Spike Jonze, Apple’s “The Lost Voice” is a visual and emotional triumph that comes with memorable shots and a very heartwarming message.
“Disability communities are very mindful of proxy voices speaking on our behalf,” said Tristram Ingham about the technology behind the idea of the ad. “Historically, providers have spoken for disabled people, family have spoken for disabled people. If technology can allow a voice to be preserved and maintained, that’s autonomy, that’s self-determination.”
This Taika Waititi Apple ad hits all the right notes and does it with great humanity and grace.
Don’t forget to check out the latest Apple Christmas ad.
