Coca-Cola Truck Hits You Like a Ton of Bricks With Feels in Taika Waititi Ad

You can see it in full below. It’s accompanied by the message to “give something only you can give” this holiday season, with the full meaning of that explained once you’ve seen the ad. We won’t spoil it for you, but it might be a good idea to have a box of tissues at the ready. The onion-cutting ninjas might make an appearance at some point.

The Coca-Cola truck has been around for well over two decades and it’s a very iconic one. Usually, it brings the cheerful festive spirit, a very on-brand type of “The holidays are coming!” excitement not dampened even by the thought that it’s brought to you by the one surest means to get diabetes.

This year, it’s different. The Christmas 2020 ad, directed by big-time Hollywood director Taika Waititi (Jojo Rabbit, Hunt for the Wilderpeople, Thor: Ragnarok, What We Do in the Shadows and Star Wars), is still on theme but is lighter on the cheerfulness. After all, the timing requires it. The focus has also shifted from the truck to the human aspect of the story.

It tells the story of a very determined father (and what is perhaps the longest journey to the North Pole), and the Coca-Cola truck that is always in the right place at the right time, with an unexpected climax. It’s silly and overly sweet, of course, but it’s also poignant in reminding us of what really matters in these rather troubling times.

The ad will start running on TV in December. For a first and more personal experience of what it’s like to be hit by that truck like a ton of bricks with feels, you can check it out right here.