Chevy Made the Biggest Tearjerker of the Holiday Season

Smuggler's Tom Hooper directed the father-son storyline

Chevy continues its track record of creating holiday ads that tackle grief, community, family and the support of others with “The Sanctuary.”

The 5:30 ad from Anomaly begins at a family gathering, where relatives inundate a young man with questions about his plans for college. His dad rescues him and they take a long drive in a 1987 Chevy pickup. That vehicle belonged to the the young man’s recently departed grandfather.

With Jim Croce’s “Time in a Bottle” swelling on the soundtrack, dad shares his regrets for not following in his own father’s footsteps as a builder, noting that he wasn’t great working with his hands. The grandson remarks that he wants to be just like his grandpa, and his dad holds back tears.

“You already are,” he says.

Cue the waterworks.

“This has become a tradition for Chevrolet, now in our fourth year. The holidays give us permission to remind folks across the country about values that are core to our brand: community, connection, resilience, and the power of caring for one another,” Chad Lyons, executive director of communications at Chevrolet, tells Muse. “Chevrolet products often play a central role in these moments and memories. The creative for this particular campaign follows its predecessors in those themes, but was born from the idea of intergenerational connection, purpose and celebrating doers, builders of families and communities.” 

Directed by Smuggler’s Tom Hooper, the commercial launched during Thanksgiving Day NFL coverage and will air throughout the holiday season. 

CREDITS
Brand: Chevrolet 
Campaign: Holiday Brand
Agency: Anomaly
Production Company: Smuggler
Director: Tom Hooper
Executive Producers: Patrick Milling-Smith / Brian Carmody / Carlin Wilson-Webb
Managing Director: Sue Yeon Ahn
Head of Production: Alex Hughes 
Producer: Carmen Bosley
Production Supervisor: Paul Richards
Commercial Coordinator: Mia Doyon
1st AD: Chris Northup
Director of Photography: Steve Annis
Production Designer: Michael Moran
Casting Directors: Kathleen Chopin CSA and John Ort CSA / Sarah Cayce at Compass Casting
Wardrobe Stylist: Renee Moisides

SAG Signatory: CMC; Seraphina Lin

Editorial: Exile Editorial; Managing Director / EP Sasha Hirshfield; EP of Sales Sarah Cassell; Kirk Baxter editor; Producer Sophia Mosner Koor. Assistant Editors: Shane Van, Aaron Castro, Jason Tawiah

VFX + Finishing: Pariah VFX; Artists Pat Murphy, Urs Furrer, Producer: Darren Jaffe

Mix + Sound Design: One Thousand Birds; Co-Founder Laura Dopp; Producer: Elisabeth Viel; Sound Designer + Engineer: Hayley Livingston