That time of year has once again arrived when our ad breaks are filled with cutesy festive films. This new Homebase commercial brought to us by AMV BBDO and directing duo Who? at Great Guns is particularly appealing.

A family home at Christmas sits in darkness. Under the light of the moon little orange sprite-like spheres, squealing with delight, enter Santa-style through the chimney and begin their task. To the strains of the familiar fairy music from Disney’s Cinderella, they transform the contents of the house, much to the bemusement of the family dog.

Drab light fittings turn into fabulous crystal pendants, empty boxes are miraculously filled with gifts and the dining table becomes awash with glinting glassware, sumptuous place settings and glittering golden crackers. To top it all off, a hat-stand is transformed into a fully decorated Christmas tree in a swirl of light and stars. Our little magical beings then fly off into the night to avoid being caught by the stirring household.

The team at Glassworks spent six weeks working on the various versions involved in the project, Tareq achieving the Christmassy grade and Alastair, Jerome, Luke and Maarten building and animating the spheres. Duncan Malcolm attended the shoot, where he experimented with taking light passes to ensure a realistic effect.