New Coke Holiday Commercial Directed By Taika Waititi Released

Taika Waititi has director Coca-Cola’s Holiday 2020 commercial, and it is quickly going viral. The new Coke holiday ad (which you can watch above) follows a man leaving home and his young daughter before the holidays, in order to head out for his latest post on an offshore rig. His daughter tasked him with an important quest: get her letter to Santa at the North Pole in time for Christmas. Remembering his promise, the dad embarks on an epic quest over land, sea, forest, ice, and other harsh terrains, in order to finally reach Santa’s doorstep. But things only get more heartwarming from there…

The final big twist in Taika Waititi‘s Coke ad for these 2020 holidays, is that the letter to Santa asked for Old Saint Nick to bring her dad back home for Christmas. The father gets that revelation when the letter is returned to him by a mysterious Coke truck driver that helped the dad get home – a driver who turns out to be Santa.

This Coke Christmas commercial is a pretty resounding metaphor for this strange year of 2020. Many people (especially parents) probably feel like getting through this year has been as trying as the father’s long quest through harsh lands; and this holiday season is probably more important than ever to remember the priceless value of home and family. The fact that Waititi brings that appreciation into focus in a year where families have been packed-in together to a smothering degree, is quite an accomplishment.

This ad is also a pretty good testament to how Taika Waititi has grown as a filmmaker by leaps and bounds, in recent years. After humble satirical beginnings like What We Do in the Shadows, Waititi has jumped to big blockbuster franchises like Marvel (Thor: Ragnarok, Thor: Love & Thunder), and Star Wars (The Mandalorian, and his own upcoming Star Wars films). Still, even with all he’s clearly learned about creating captivating visuals, and applying his sly wit and humor, Taika Waiti hasn’t lost the heart that has made his films (like Hunt for the Wilderpeople or JoJo Rabbit) and/or characters (like The Mandalorian’s IG-11) into such treasured experiences.

Here’s the synopsis for Coca-Cola’s Christmas Commercial 2020: “This Christmas, give something only you can give. Be it in person, over an awkward video call, or just a quick message, making time for the ones you love is what makes Christmas truly the most special time of year, no matter how you do it. Wherever you are, we hope you have a good one. Merry Christmas.”