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McDonald's “The Gift of McDonald's” 2025

McDonald's “The Gift of McDonald's” (2025) is a McDonald's commercial directed by Nicolai Fuglsig for Leo Burnett, produced by MJZ. It won one award: Creative Circle 2025 Bronze Animation - Digital 3D - CG in live action plates : SINGLE.

A couple drives through a suburban neighborhood on Christmas Eve, witnessing houses transform into dazzling, animated light displays, culminating in a McDonald's drive-thru visit.

Video: Leo Burnett UK on Vimeo

Shot by shot

  1. A woman drives a car at night, looking concerned, while a man in the passenger seat looks down, with Christmas gifts visible in the back.© McDonald's0:04
  2. A young woman with red hair drives a car at night, looking at the road, while a man sits in the passenger seat.© McDonald's0:07
  3. A woman with dark hair and a white turtleneck looks surprised, with blurred red and orange lights reflected on her face, in a car at night.© McDonald's0:13
  4. An aerial view of a suburban street at night, with houses decorated with elaborate Christmas lights, including a large "HoHoHo" sign.© McDonald's0:17
  5. An aerial shot shows a car driving down a street at night, with houses on both sides decorated with colorful Christmas lights that resemble wrapped gifts.© McDonald's0:20
  6. A red car drives down a suburban street at night, surrounded by houses decorated with elaborate Christmas lights and large inflatable Santa Clauses and snowmen.© McDonald's0:24
  7. A young girl with red hair looks out a window at night, with colorful bokeh lights in the background.© McDonald's0:29
  8. A suburban house is decorated with elaborate Christmas lights, including a large, glowing purple Grimace figure, at night.© McDonald's0:32
  9. Two neon McDonald's characters, a man and a duck, are displayed on a rooftop at night, glowing brightly against the dark sky.© McDonald's0:38
  10. A woman and a man are seen through the windshield of a car, driving at night with Christmas presents in the back seat.© McDonald's0:42
  11. A man with a beard looks up and to the right, with blurred lights reflecting on a window in the foreground at night.© McDonald's0:46
  12. A red car drives through a McDonald's drive-thru at night, decorated with festive lights and animated characters on digital screens.© McDonald's0:50

Stills © McDonald's. Made by Leo Burnett, MJZ and Nicolai Fuglsig.

Every shot, full-quality frames and clips, and search across every commercial. Free account.

The idea

Christmas lights transform into animated McDonald's characters and gifts, leading to a drive-thru.

Tagline: “FANCY A MCDONALD'S?”

christmas magicholiday lights displaymagical realismjourney to destinationsurprise and delightanimated characters

The cut

Length
60 s
Shots
43
Average shot
1.4 s
Format
mixed

What creatives use McDonald's “The Gift of McDonald's” for

  1. 01Reference frames for your treatment

    Pitching something with the feel of McDonald's “The Gift of McDonald's”? A screenshot from a video player won't hold up in a deck.

    Download any frame of this spot at full quality, with its credits, or search every spot for the same look.

    A woman drives a car at night, looking concerned, while a man in the passenger seat looks down, with Christmas gifts visible in the back.© McDonald'sA young woman with red hair drives a car at night, looking at the road, while a man sits in the passenger seat.© McDonald'sA woman with dark hair and a white turtleneck looks surprised, with blurred red and orange lights reflected on her face, in a car at night.© McDonald'sAn aerial view of a suburban street at night, with houses decorated with elaborate Christmas lights, including a large "HoHoHo" sign.© McDonald's
    Frames from McDonald's “The Gift of McDonald's”

  2. 02Shot list example: how it was cut

    You need the structure of a great spot, shot by shot, for your storyboard.

    Every shot of McDonald's “The Gift of McDonald's” in order, with its length, framing and what happens in it.

    A woman drives a car at night, looking concerned, while a man in the passenger seat looks down, with Christmas gifts visible in the back.© McDonald'sA young woman with red hair drives a car at night, looking at the road, while a man sits in the passenger seat.© McDonald'sA woman with dark hair and a white turtleneck looks surprised, with blurred red and orange lights reflected on her face, in a car at night.© McDonald'sAn aerial view of a suburban street at night, with houses decorated with elaborate Christmas lights, including a large "HoHoHo" sign.© McDonald'sAn aerial shot shows a car driving down a street at night, with houses on both sides decorated with colorful Christmas lights that resemble wrapped gifts.© McDonald'sA red car drives down a suburban street at night, surrounded by houses decorated with elaborate Christmas lights and large inflatable Santa Clauses and snowmen.© McDonald's
    Length: 60 s · Shots: 43 · Average shot: 1.4 s · Format: mixed

  3. 03Ad ideas: every spot built on a christmas magic

    Before you present an idea, you need to know who has done it, and how.

    McDonald's “The Gift of McDonald's” is built on a christmas magic. Search the library by idea to see every spot that uses it.

    Aldi “Kevin the Carrot”© AldiJohn Lewis “Monty's Christmas”© John LewisTelstra “Together is For Christmas”© TelstraVirgin Media O2 “Snowgran”© Virgin Media O2
    Aldi · John Lewis · Telstra · Virgin Media O2

More commercials by Nicolai Fuglsig

More from Leo Burnett

Award-winning food & qsr commercials

  • Uber Eats "A Century of Cravings" (2025) commercial still© Uber EatsUber Eats “A Century of Cravings” 2025Dir. Jim Jenkins · SpecialEffie Awards Grand Prix 2026
  • Uber Eats + Special US "Football is for Food" (2025) commercial still© Uber Eats + Special USUber Eats + Special US “Football is for Food” 2025Dir. Jim Jenkins · SpecialEffie Awards Grand Prix 2026
  • DoorDash "DoorDash All the Ads" (2024) commercial still© DoorDashDoorDash “DoorDash All the Ads” 2024Dir. Mike Diva · Wieden+KennedyCannes Lions Titanium 2024
  • Skittles "Apologize the Rainbow" (2023) commercial still© SkittlesSkittles “Apologize the Rainbow” 2023DDBLondon International Awards Grand Prix 2023
  • Burger King "As Good as the Original" (2023) commercial still© Burger KingBurger King “As Good as the Original” 2023Dubai Lynx Grand Prix 2023
  • Cadbury Celebrations "My SRK Ad" (2023) commercial still© Cadbury CelebrationsCadbury Celebrations “My SRK Ad” 2023Dir. Divij Kulkarni · OgilvyEffie Awards Grand Prix 2023

Questions

Who directed the McDonald's “The Gift of McDonald's” commercial?

Nicolai Fuglsig directed it, produced by MJZ, for the agency Leo Burnett.

Which agency made McDonald's “The Gift of McDonald's”?

Leo Burnett created it for McDonald's (2025).

What awards did McDonald's “The Gift of McDonald's” win?

1 awards, including Creative Circle 2025 Bronze Animation - Digital 3D - CG in live action plates : SINGLE.

What is the tagline of McDonald's “The Gift of McDonald's”?

“FANCY A MCDONALD'S?”

Sources for the credits and awards

creativecircle.co.uk