Beginning on February 17, 2026, the Chinese New Year (also known as Lunar New Year) is the most important celebration in Chinese culture. Spanning 15 days, the festival marks the beginning of a new year and is shaped by long-lasting traditions and rituals. At its heart, however, the festival is about family reunions. Traveling from near and far, members of the families gather over the New Year’s Eve dinner table, sharing stories, renewing bonds, and creating new memories that will last forever.
Recognizing the emotional importance of the season, Apple embarked on a mission to celebrate the spirit of these precious gatherings, capturing the Chinese New Year through the lens of its iPhone 17 Pro. Set against the backdrop of Lunar New Year, Apple’s 12-minute-long story explores the season’s deeper themes of connection, care, and love — told with a surprising twist.
Developed by the TBWA\Media Arts Lab team in Shanghai, directed by award-winning filmmaker Bai Xue, and blending live-action production by Shooting Gallery with animation brought to life by BUCK, Apple’s holiday film is about companionship and unexpectedly finding a family.
Titled “Glad I Met You,” the film centers on Lin Wei, a young girl who lives a monotonous, repetitive life. Worn down by exhaustion and unable to say “no” to others, she agrees to look after her colleague’s hamster during the holiday break. While on her way to fulfill her task, the protagonist crosses paths with Little White, a lost dog who — alongside his other mischievous furry friends — convinces her to take him out of the streets. Lin Wei agrees to help the dog find his family, only to discover that what they both were searching for had been beside them all along.
The film warmly highlights the beautiful connection between humans and animals, all while placing the phone’s primary camera at the center of the narrative. More than just a piece of on-set equipment, the camera’s cutting-edge technology allowed the team to capture the emotional vibe of the story with precision. Its small size and compact form proved to be extremely efficient while working with animals. “When shooting, large devices tend to distract the animals during takes. But iPhone is so small, it eliminated so many hurdles that we’d normally have while shooting,” explained Hao Shuai, lead animal coordinator, in the behind-the-scenes video.
Besides real-life characters and live-action performances, the film also incorporates meticulously handcrafted puppets, which were built to withstand countless micro-movements for stop-motion animation. “Everything you see on screen in the stop-motion portion was built by hand, with care and love,” commented Ege Soyuer, Creative Director at BUCK. “There’s something magical about knowing that what you see on screen actually exists in the real world, under lights, on a miniature set, moved millimeters at a time by real people.”
“Glad I Met You” marks the 9th consecutive year that Apple celebrates the Lunar New Year festival via its “Shot on iPhone” series. This year, Apple will communicate the film’s message of connection and companionship across broadcast, digital, and social platforms, extending the emotional message beyond the screens and into everyday moments.
CREDITS
Brand: Apple
Creative Agency: TBWA\Media Arts Lab, Shanghai
Production Company (Live-Action): Shooting Gallery Asia
Production Company (Stop-Motion): BUCK
Character Design (Stop-Motion): Mackinnon & Saunders
Sound: CodaMusic
Finishing: Heckler
Main Film:
Director: Bai Xue
Main Film DOP: Gao Weizhe
Main Film Director of Animal: Hao Shuai
Main Film Editor: Qiao Lin / Yuqing
Main Film Music Gao Xiaoyang / Varqa
BTS:
Director: Jason Kahgiap
Producer: Areta Mak
Camera Operator: Huang Hai Bo / Liang Jun / Sura Tian
Camera Assistant: Fan Fei
BTS Editor: Kang Kang
