John Lewis Christmas advert: Fans react with mixed views to Elton John film

The retailer's annual advert is one of the highlights of the festive season

Elton John features in John Lewis Christmas advert for 2018

After months of speculation, the John Lewis Christmas advert has finally been released and, as many online suspected, it’s a tribute to one of Britain’s most iconic musical talents, Sir Elton John.

The two-minute film takes viewers on a retrospective journey, depicting key moments in the entertainer's career, while his famous track “Your Song” plays.

Spanning from the 1950s when a young Elton John is gifted a piano by his family for Christmas, we see the singer performing in a local pub, playing a stadium show and singing on his tour plane.

Sir Elton said: "The John Lewis Christmas campaign has so many warm memories for me and my family. It's been a lovely opportunity for me to reflect on my life in music and the incredible journey I have been on, and how first playing my Grandmother's piano marks the moment when music came into my life. The ad is absolutely fantastic and I've truly loved every minute of being a part of it.”

[15 November 2018 09:56 · olivia.petter]

Some fans have said they prefer the Sainsbury's Christmas campaign

Now that John Lewis & Partners has unveiled its annual Christmas ad, which stars Sir Elton John, a heated debate has begun as fans argue over which British retailer has done the best festive campaign.

While the John Lewis offering is often cited as a favourite, this year it seems that many people actually prefer the ad by Sainsbury's, which sees an eight-year-old girl named Tia give a stellar performance of the New Radicals’ beloved hit, “You Get What You Give”.

Some viewers said the supermarket's campaign, which sees a cast of talented young children perform in a nativity play, offered something more sentimental than John Lewis' ad, which tells the story of how Sir Elton John came to be the iconic musician he is today through a series of flashbacks.

One moment from the Sainsbury's ad that fans seem to particularly enjoy is when a young boy, named Harrison, runs and jumps into a "plug socket" while dressed as a plug, something he did with the help of a mini trampoline.

Some people have even added #PlugLife to their praiseworthy tweets.

[15 November 2018 10:52 · olivia.petter]

People are claiming that the John Lewis & Partners Christmas campaign can't compete with Iceland's banned ad

British comedian Romesh Ranganathan is among those to have compared John Lewis' Christmas ad with the banned film released by Iceland, which was deemed "too political" by advertising watchdogs because it was made by Greenpeace, a political organisation.

The budget supermarket's short ad illustrated the environmental dangers of palm oil in an animation voiced by actor Emma Thompson. Iceland revealed they were unable to share the ad on TV and published it on social media instead, where it has since garnered an enormous amount of media attention, with actor and TV host James Corden sharing it on his own Twitter page.

People are now saying that John Lewis' festive ad, which was released today, won't attract anywhere near as much publicity despite it starring Sir Elton John, one of the country's most iconic musical talents.

Many people have said they actually prefer Iceland's politically-motivated ad.

[15 November 2018 12:16 · olivia.petter]

Is Brexit stealing John Lewis' thunder?

Of all the days for John Lewis to unveil their hotly anticipated annual Christmas advert, it seems unfortunate that the date coincides with what is turning out to be one of the most dramatic days in British politics this year thanks to multiple ministerial resignations.

John Lewis might be trending on Twitter because of its Elton John-themed campaign, but so is #BrexitShambles in light of the news that cabinet ministers Dominic Raab and Esther McVey have quit their roles in protest over Theresa May's proposed Brexit plan.

The timing has clearly tickled people on social media, where users are poking fun at the magnitude of the two "competing" news stories, joking that John Lewis, like Raab and McVey, has "quit".

[15 November 2018 14:03 · olivia.petter]

John Lewis unveils Elton John-themed window displays at its Oxford Street store

John Lewis has revealed a series of special window displays tied to its annual Christmas campaign, which stars Sir Elton John.

Each is based on a scene from the short film, which was released today and tells the story of how Elton John became the iconic musician he is today.

The colourful windows present film stills alongside myriad props referencing key details in the ad, from disco balls to champagne flutes. 

A giant keyboard curves through them all in reference to the piano we see John play throughout the film.

In a first for the UK high street, there will also be a series of minute-long musical light shows projected from the shop windows, running every 30 minutes from 4pm today.

Playing Elton John’s Christmas classic, “Step Into Christmas”, the shop’s window displays will fill one of Britain’s busiest shopping streets with music to entertain passing shoppers and celebrate the ad's launch.