Christmas Nostalgia: Craft vs. AI

I started writing a post about nostalgia marketing.

This Christmas, brands are bringing back animation styles I grew up loving. Hand-drawn illustrations. Claymation. Felt animals. Stop-motion.

And I am LOVING it.

The whimsy! The nostalgia! The HOURS of creative work.

I was ready to write about Christmas magic.

But apparently, the internet had other plans.

While I was admiring Prada's adorable animals, e.l.f.'s claymation, Strathberry's felt Christmas world and Barbour bringing back Wallace & Gromit, my FYP filled with questions about Dior's Christmas campaign.

Wait. Was its beautiful animation actually made using generative AI?

One post led to another. Suddenly, I was reading articles and analysing animation frames.

So here I am, playing Nancy Drew AGAIN.

All I wanted was a little Christmas magic. Somehow, I ended up investigating Dior's fingers.

But let me start where I meant to.

Growing up as an agnostic Jew in Canada, I LOVED Christmas. The decorations. The coziness. I desperately wanted a tree.

Honestly, GREAT marketing.

And all the Christmas specials! Especially the cartoons. I was OBSESSED.

The Snowman, A Charlie Brown Christmas, Rudolph, The Forgotten Toys. Even questionable YTV gems like Christopher the Christmas Tree.

But my favourite was The Nutcracker Prince. The animation was BEAUTIFUL.

Seeing those styles return? I LOVE it. Especially PRADA.

Its Drawing Prada: Animated by Hand campaign, created with former Disney animator John Pomeroy, brought fashion and adorable hand-drawn animals together.

There's a term for part of this: effort signalling. The time, skill and human work become part of the appeal.

Having studied art history and fashion design, I LOVE that. The textures. The imperfections.

But then Dior said, "Hold my Christmas ornament."

Its film, directed by Sylvain Chomet of The Triplets of Belleville and narrated by Robert Pattinson (yes, I have a crush, moving on), was praised for its artistry.

Then came the questions. Extra fingers. Strange movements. Odd lettering.

Cartoon Brew even removed "hand-drawn" from its headline amid questions about the production.

Some details DO look AI-generated to me. But that isn't proof. If AI was involved, I'd want transparency.

I'm not anti-generative AI. Even this post began as my messy writing, with AI helping me edit it.

Last year, for a school project, I had to make a YouTube ad. Storyboarding overwhelmed me. I could see it in my head, but drawing the angles and lighting? I kept getting them wrong.

AI helped me prototype ideas. But a prototype isn't a finished campaign.

For that, I'd want CREATIVES : artists, animators, designers, cinematographers and actors bringing ideas I couldn't imagine alone.

AI can help me visualise an idea. People can make it better.

So are we appreciating human creativity more, or are brands getting better at selling the LOOK of it?