A Duckling Who Idolizes Donald Duck Will Melt Your Heart in This Disneyland Paris Ad

The setup is both simple and charming: a duckling stumbles across a Donald Duck comic book and becomes infatuated with the Disney icon, even re-creating his poses. But comics found in the outdoors are obviously going to be vulnerable things, and with the coming of winter, he soon must face the perils of the real world.

The whole ad is a tremendous slice of storytelling and is an early contender for one of the year’s most heartwarming spots:

While it may be about an animated duck, many humans will relate with the ad’s emotional arc and conclusion, especially if you’ve ever see the closed-eye bliss of a child meeting a beloved Disney character in real life for the first time.

The spot, which launches Disneyland Paris’ new tagline, “Where Magic Gets Real,” features a soulful cover of “The Impossible Dream (The Quest)” from the musical Man of La Mancha.

True ad nerds will remember the song also drives one of the best spots of all time, Honda’s 2005 “Impossible Dream” from Wieden + Kennedy London.

CREDITS:

Brand: Disneyland Paris
Brand Management:
Grégoire Champetier
Cynthia Oostdijck
André Delvallée
Nathalie Raverat
Sébastien Dupont

Agency: BETC

Agency Management:
Anne-Laure Brunner
Marion Gondeau
Pauline Mezzadri
Executive Creative Director: Antoinette Beatson
Creative Director: Christophe Clapier
Art Director: Julien Lefèvre
Assistant Art Director: Clément Chayé
Copywriter: Alban Gallée
Strategic Planning: Antoine Pivard
Postproduction Supervisor: Alexandra Houillon
Production Company: General Pop
Sound Production: Gum Production
3-D Studio / Director: Unit Images