In the U.K., McDonald's Switches on So Many Christmas Lights

From Leo Burnett and the director of Sony's classic 'Balls' commercial

Today, McDonald’s unveiled a shimmering :60 in the U.K. that dispels the darkness, big time. You could even say it glows.

Developed by Leo Burnett, the advert transforms a couple’s night drive into a festive symphony of sight and sound.

No clichéd carols here. Instead, dance-club THUMPS!—via Benny Benassi’s “Satisfaction”—should have viewers bopping in their seats.

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Dig those gift-package high-rises around the :25 mark. Hope the office drones remember to take their paid time off.

Naturally, Burnett used lots of VFX and post-production tricks. 3-D scans of each street ensured a realistic flow, with sparkling hues “spilling” onto the thoroughfares as the car speeds by.

Also key: No silly banter at the stop-light or intrusive V.O. The funky festive frames do all the talking.

According to ECDs Andrew Long and James Millers, “With a film like this, it was important that we landed the characters’ emotions without getting in the way of the scale of the production. We used silence at the start to land the mundanity of the back story, before dropping the track unexpectedly with the lights.”

“You can hear the build-up to the track start to play—the horns, which are taken from the track itself—representing the idea of going to McDonald’s forming in the driver’s mind,” they tell Muse.

MJZ’s Nicolai Fuglsig directed. Dude lensed Sony Bravia’s legendary “Balls” commercial 20 years ago.

Though this work rocks a different vibe, there are similarities. Both films mine the urban milieu and magic realism to delight the senses.

These playful epics brim with bright and bouncy good cheer.

The McD’s ad goes wide tomorrow during the return of I’m a Celebrity … Get Me Out of Here!, with more TV and online placements to follow.