TORONTO — The holidays are meant to be spent with the ones you love, as Air Canada’s latest holiday video shows.

Called ‘Once upon a Tree,’ the 1:30-minute animated spot features the heartwarming story of two nutcracker bear ornaments who, after a year of being tucked away together, find themselves on separate sides of a Christmas tree. Distraught at the thought of spending the holidays apart, a series of heroic efforts to reconnect ensues, including zip-lining across a string of lights and collapsing onto a gingerbread house. The two bears eventually reunite with a little help from Air Canada.

“We continue our tradition of combining whimsical animation with modern renditions of beloved Canadian songs to tell a story about being together over the holidays,” says Andy Shibata, Vice President, Brand at Air Canada. “So many of our customers travel great distances and our Air Canada colleagues all feel a shared sense pride for our role in these journeys. That is the essence we wanted to capture in this holiday spot.”

Blending the latest CGI technology with hand-painted brushstrokes, the video is available in both French and English, both of which are complemented by the voice of Montreal singer-songwriter Charlotte Cardin, who returns to Air Canada’s holiday campaign for the second year. In addition to recreating the 90s hit ‘Une Chance Qu’on S’a’ by Montreal crooner Jean-Pierre Ferland in the French ad spot, Cardin puts her new spin on Bryan Adams’ iconic 1991 classic, ‘Everything I Do (I Do It For You’ in the English spot. 

The spot is available in 90-, 60-, 30- and 15-second cutdowns, and will live on both paid and organic social media, Air Canada’s in-flight entertainment system, as well as on television and in cinemas across Canada. 

Air Canada recently expanded its in-flight entertainment to include a selection of holiday films. It’s also offering a holiday dinner on flights between Dec. 24 and 25 to give customers a taste of home as they travel this holiday season.