This heartwarming cat ad is suddenly absolutely everywhere
Yes, Christmas is well over a month away, but the British grocery store chain Sainsbury’s recently released a cinematic ad that would turn any Scrooge into a puddle of holiday feels.
The commercial, which is basically a short film, stars Mog the Cat, a beloved children’s book character created by Judith Kerr in 1970. Mog’s fictional misadventures were based in Judith’s real-life hometown of Barnes, London, and were documented in a series of over sixteen books, including Mog the Forgetful Cat, Mog’s Amazing Birthday Caper, and Mog and the Vee Ee Tee.
Judith Kerr wrote and illustrated a companion to the commercial, titled “Mog’s Christmas Calamity.” Most of the book’s profits will go to Save the Children, which promotes children’s literacy in the UK.
Though she spent over four decades in a 2-D world, Mog was transformed into a CGI kitty for Sainsbury’s advertisement. “I never really thought I would see Mog in 3D,” Judith said in a behind the scenes video. “The original Mog, I think, never thought that would happen to her.” Well, Mog’s hit the big time, and the reaction to the video has been astounding: it racked up over 3 million views on YouTube in 24 hours.
The advertisement shows that Mog is still a magnet for trouble. A nightmare about animorphing into Hedwig the owl and being chased by evil birds causes Mog to accidentally start a fire in her family home.
She doesn’t do a very good job at damage control …
Though Mog’s accidental destruction is pretty entertaining, the commercial takes a seriously heart-breaking turn when her human family realizes their Christmas has literally burned to the ground. I won’t give away the ad’s touching turn, but I’ll give you a hint about how it ends: Mog earns herself an egg treat. Apparently, cats eat eggs in the UK. Who knew?
Check out the full video below, but be warned: it will make you tear up. And maybe rethink letting your cat anywhere near your Christmas tree.
(Images via YouTube, YouTube, YouTube, YouTube, and YouTube.)