Panda Express' Lunar New Year Ad Is Uplifting in More Ways Than One

Can a little girl's holiday wish come true?

Welcome to the Year of the Fire Horse. Get ready to shed some tears—just a few—thanks to Panda Express and Opinionated. The pair collaborated with Passion Pictures on the fanciful 2-minute animated film below, with a doctor dad called away to the hospital, leaving his young daughter oh so sad.

Now, this is a Lunar Near Spot, so there’s zero tension from the get-go. We know everything’s going to work out fine. The mission is to keep eyeballs engaged, with an emotional payoff in the end.

While pretty low key, “Wishes” achieves that goal. It’s two-hanky stuff (but still potent), with some light moments and a magic lantern helping the story take flight.

No AI required, just hand-drawn 2D imagery. The approach diverges from the Chinese food chain’s live-action work late. Such efforts lean into comedy and emphasize family connection through goofy “aunties” who belt out tunes and behave like action heroes.

Here, however, “Animation gave us a new and expressive way to honor the details that make the holiday so meaningful—the preparation of food, the festivals, the togetherness—without being constrained by realism,” Marcelina Ward, account director at Opinionated (now part of Tombras) tells Muse. “It allowed us to elevate these moments, making them feel both specific and universal, grounded in culture yet accessible to everyone.”

Ward describes the work as “cinematic, intimate and deeply intentional, with care taken at each stage—from storyboarding and character design to movement, color and pacing.”

The objective, she says, was “to ensure the traditions were portrayed with authenticity and warmth. And the 2D brought a softness and simplicity that let emotion lead and allowed food and family to remain at the heart of the story.”

That’s all true, though we noticed too many product placements. (This is about Kleenex, not napkins.)

Even so, it’s an ebullient excursion. Director Slimane Aniss presents visuals reminiscent of ’90s-style art-house shorts for young people.

The message lands in the end. Ultimately, this one’s all about the whimsical ride.