As Joni Mitchell can attest, not everybody desires jolly elves and merry reindeer of their vacation media. Some folks desire a good Christmas cry. For these in search of a river to skate away on, behold Chevrolet’s “Vacation Trip.”

The four-minute model of the advert obtained 4.8 million web page views on YouTube as of Thursday.

The quick movie, created with company Commonwealth/McCann, boasts Academy Award-winning expertise at its helm — route by Tom Hooper (“The King’s Speech”), cinematography by Claudio Miranda (“Lifetime of Pi”) and rating by Rachel Portman (“Emma”).

The four-minute spot is an actual tear-jerker: primarily based on true occasions, it captures the story of a person who passes every day taking a peek at his dusty 1966 Chevy Impala, recounting bittersweet reminiscences of his late spouse. Portman’s melancholic guitar sweeps into yearnful strings as the person tearfully remembers their fond occasions collectively, depicted in textured flashback scenes.

Right here’s the place issues actually get emotional. The person’s daughter orchestrates a covert mission to revive the traditional automotive. She recruits the city mechanic—all of them instantly perceive the automotive’s significance—and in a single day, the automotive is like new.

Within the touching finale, the daddy finds the Impala and holds again tears as he revs the engine and pulls it round to the entrance of his dwelling, the place the daughter is ready. “Thanks,” he says to her, “it’s the very best Christmas present I may ever have.” The poignant alternate concludes as they drive the shining automotive away, down a dust street.

The story of affection, loss and giving will run in shorter variants on social platforms and broadcast tv for the remainder of the season.