“Santa in Feline Form”: Bringing Puss in Boots to Life for Boots’ Christmas Fairytale
Boots is turning to fairytales for festive magic this year.
The retailer’s 2025 Christmas campaign, ‘Gift Happily Ever After’, reimagines a classic storybook world through the eyes of Puss, a quick-thinking feline hero on a mission to find the perfect last-minute gifts ahead of the Snow Queen’s Ball. His adventure takes him from an enchanted, snow-covered kingdom to a bustling British high street – and straight through the doors of Boots. It’s a character-brand pairing that instantly makes sense.
Directed by DOM&NIC through Outsider, the film blends CGI and live action to create a lush, cinematic world set to Duran Duran’s ‘Girls on Film’. Created by The Pharm, led by VML, with WPP Media, Hogarth and Ogilvy PR, the campaign forms part of a fully integrated push across TV, social, OOH and digital.
LBB’s Alex Reeves spoke to Laura Gooday, director of marketing at Boots, Juliana Paracencio, executive creative director at VML/The Pharm and Andy Steele, head of CG at RASCAL, to find out what was most important to bringing this magical story to life.
LBB> What was the brief for Boots Christmas this year?
Laura> The brief for our Christmas advert this year was to create a campaign centred around the real-life insight of meaningful gifting – helping customers find the perfect gift for everyone on their list. We wanted our campaign to celebrate the thought and care that goes into choosing gifts that truly matter. The idea needed to be highly creative and flexible, capable of working seamlessly across all our channels, paid, owned, and earned, while showcasing the breadth of our product range and in-store expertise, with a particular focus on beauty.
It was also important that the campaign felt distinctive and unmistakably Boots. But above all, we wanted to create a memorable and shareable campaign that captures the magic of the season and evokes a sense of togetherness.
LBB> How did you consider previous years' festive campaigns and how this might differ?
Laura> We always take the time to reflect on our previous festive campaigns – understanding what resonated with our audiences and where we can continue to evolve.
Last year’s campaign delivered strong results, particularly among our core under-35 customers, and we were really pleased with the reach and engagement it achieved.
This year, we wanted to build on that success with a fresh creative approach that puts meaningful gifting at the centre of the story. ‘Gift Happily Ever After’ brings this to life in a distinctive and playful way through our lead character, Puss, who captures the curiosity and joy of finding the perfect gift at Boots.
The campaign we have created this year feels distinctly Boots – warm, imaginative and full of festive spirit, and we hope it inspires people to discover thoughtful gifts for everyone on their list and remind them that the perfect gift is available at Boots.
LBB> It's very fairytale, but the tone is also very contemporary and fun. What was the key to getting that balance right?
Laura> The key to balancing the classic fairytale with a contemporary, fun tone was in the way we brought the characters to life. We deliberately used well-known fairytale characters so viewers could instantly recognise why each gift is thoughtful – whether it’s a No7 gift set for Snowy, a Shark hair styling tool for Rapunz’s long hair, a glass stiletto-shaped Carolina Herrera fragrance for Cinders, or a mirror for the Prince Charming.
Puss, our lead character, was created to represent our customers on their Christmas shopping journey – curious, playful, and delighted by the variety of gifts at Boots. He’s personable and witty, with charm and a modern twist on the magical fairytale world. By combining these classic and contemporary elements, we created a campaign that feels both recognisable and fresh, engaging customers across all channels.”
LBB> What details are you most proud of?
Laura> What I’m most proud of is how ‘Gift Happily Ever After’ comes to life as a full 360 campaign. Puss and his fairytale friends will appear across TV, VOD, cinema, OOH, print, social, digital display, and gaming. This year we’re using CityMapper to reach customers wherever they are with highly targeted, relevant messaging. On top of that, we have an unmissable and innovative OOH campaign at Westfield Eat Street, with Boots being one of the first brands to launch in this exciting new format. I can’t wait to get down to Westfield and see it in real life.
I also love the classic fairytale setting of our campaign, it’s the perfect way to bring the story to life, with Puss, our playful and witty lead character on a mission to find the perfect gifts for his fairytale friends. The setting adds a whimsical, imaginative tone to the campaign, while also mirroring the Boots experience and brand, highlighting the excitement, choice, expertise and discovery that customers enjoy when shopping with us.
LBB> How did the VML/The Pharm team arrive at the core creative idea?
Juliana> The team arrived at the core creative idea almost instinctively. One of those rare ideas that feels so obvious you can’t believe it hasn’t been done before.
The connection between Puss and Boots was simply unforgettable. When we shared it with the Boots team, their reaction mirrored ours – immediate excitement and recognition that this was something special.
From there, the idea naturally evolved into a fairytale world. The perfect setting to capture the wonder and warmth of Christmas, whilst also presenting the huge range of beauty products and brand expertise available at Boots. Within this enchanting environment, Puss became the ideal central character, a beloved figure surrounded by familiar fairytale friends, each of whom he could delight with the perfect
gift. This gave us a rich, playful ecosystem to explore, one that felt distinctly Boots while celebrating the joy of giving at the heart of the festive season.
LBB> Tell us about Puss. How did you build out his character?
Juliana> Puss almost feels like Santa Claus in feline form. A playful, generous character who brings a sense of magic and joy wherever he goes. He’s from a storybook, but doesn’t quite realise it, which gives him an irresistible mix of innocence and curiosity. From the start, we imagined Puss travelling between two different worlds – the real and the fairytale – yet always feeling like he belonged in both. That duality became the heart of his character: familiar but fantastical, grounded yet full of wonder.
When creating our version of Puss, we wanted to give him a voice that felt truly unique, something that would captivate audiences from the very first line.
Instead of the perhaps expected suave or exotic tones often associated with Puss, we looked closer to home for something with warmth, charm, and individuality. That’s when we landed on the West Country accent. It’s full of character and musicality, yet rich with personality and heart.
LBB> In terms of craft and bringing it to life, what was most important?
Juliana> When it came to craft and bringing the idea to life, the most important thing was surrounding ourselves with the right partners. Working with DOM&NIC, Outsider, and RASCAL was absolutely integral; their expertise in creating characters that feel real, relatable, and full of personality elevated the whole idea. They brought Puss to life in a way that was both cinematic and emotionally engaging, ensuring he felt like a natural part of the Boots world.
Copywriting also played a huge role. We had so much fun layering in playful, knowing touches – from little nods to catnip and nine lives to pages and pages of ideas imagining Puss navigating the real world. The biggest challenge wasn’t coming up with material, but cutting it down, which, of course, is the best kind of creative problem to have.
Finally, the attention to detail in the production design added another layer of magic. There are so many small, thoughtful elements hidden throughout the world we built, the kind of touches you might only spot on a second or third viewing. Together, these details made the spot feel rich, joyful, and worthy of a fairytale Christmas.
LBB> What were the biggest challenges in production and how did you and your creative collaborators overcome them?
Juliana> One of the biggest challenges in production was the fact that Puss is an entirely animated character. On set, he existed only as a tennis ball – a simple stand-in to mark where he would eventually appear. While that might sound amusing, it presented a real creative challenge. Every scene required us to carefully choreograph the interactions between our live-action cast and an invisible, imaginary cat.
It demanded a huge amount of trust and collaboration between everyone involved, from the actors, who had to react to something that wasn’t there, to our creative partners, who had the difficult task of turning that tennis ball into a fully realised, believable Puss.
Seeing it all come together in post-production was incredible. What began as a leap of imagination on set transformed into something far beyond our expectations… a seamless blend of performance, animation, and emotion that made Puss feel completely alive in the Boots world.
LBB> Tell us about the visual look of Puss. What were the most important things to get right and what guided your decisions?
Andy> We wanted Puss to feel instantly charming and recognisable, but also grounded in reality, like he could walk right into your living room. He needed to be friendly, lovable, and just a little bit cheeky, while still having that air of adventure and confidence. Getting that balance meant focusing on believability over perfection. His fur couldn’t be too neat or fluffy, so we gave him a touch of scruffiness, a few imperfections and irregular clumps that suggested a real cat.
The eyes were a huge part of his appeal; we enlarged them slightly to make him more expressive and youthful without tipping into cartoon territory. His clothing also tells a story. The jacket and boots are clearly borrowed – they’ve been through a few adventures already – so they’re worn, creased, and a little too big in places.
Those small signs of life and imperfection were essential; they made him feel real. Ultimately, every design choice was guided by the idea that realism is built from flaws; the tiny rips, the uneven textures, the way fur catches the light just imperfectly.
LBB> What other details took a lot of work to absolutely nail?
Andy> The fur was one of the biggest challenges. It’s incredibly sensitive. A small tweak to length, clumping, or gloss could completely change how ‘real’ he felt. We went through many iterations to strike that middle ground between too tidy and too shaggy.
The eyes were another area where the margin for error was tiny. As humans, we’re hard-wired to notice when eyes feel off. Getting the depth, moisture, and tiny micro-movements right was key to making Puss feel alive.
Close-up shots were especially unforgiving. At that level of detail, there’s nowhere to hide; every pore of skin, every fibre of fabric, every eyelash or reflection had to hold up to scrutiny. That required a lot of nuanced work in lighting, grooming, and shading to make sure he looked tactile and believable in every frame. We also spent time on micro-expressions – little blinks, twitches, and smirks that bring out his personality. Those subtle touches did as much storytelling as the big hero poses.
