John Lewis advert shot in Budapest!

The John Lewis Christmas advert was released this Thursday. It is the most anticipated advert of the year, and rightfully so. Over the years, John Lewis has grown its following by producing short, heartfelt stories and giving every Christmas its own theme.

This year, it is all about a dragon named Edgar, reports Telegraph.

While usually creating magical stories for Christmas on its own, this year, John Lewis, a chain of high-end department stores, teamed up with Waitrose, another UK-based chain store, for their Christmas campaign.

Edgar, the excitable dragon, is featured in the advertisement of two minutes and thirty seconds. The background music is a cover by Dan Smith from the band Bastille’s “Can’t Fight This Feeling.”

More importantly, it was shot in Budapest with around 100 people cast as extras.

John Lewis and Waitrose did not disclose how much the production cost, but previous campaigns had a budget of approximately 1 million pounds while placement cost around 6 million.

The advert comes with its own merchandise, which you can buy in John Lewis or Waitrose shops in the UK.

Are you in the Christmas spirit yet? Watch the John Lewis advert below and see what its magic is all about.

Update: And here is the behind the scenes video of the shoot which took place in the summer, in a 30-degree heat. According to Waitrose’s website, huge amounts of biodegradable fake snow and clever CGI were used to create the winter scenery.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e93cDQPc8MA

Featured image: YouTube.com/TheTelegraph