Dior’s Holiday Film Is Hand-Drawn and Full of Old Hollywood. The Story Behind It

3 min read

Part of today’s What You Missed: Wednesday, Nov 4.

The short version

Dior’s holiday campaign this year is a hand-drawn animated short film. “Christian Dior’s Night in Color” was directed by Sylvain Chomet, the Oscar-nominated French filmmaker behind “The Triplets of Belleville” and “The Illusionist,” and it is narrated by longtime Dior ambassador Robert Pattinson. WWD reports it is being unveiled on Wednesday across Dior’s online platforms.

What happened

• The story. The film is inspired by Christian Dior’s friendship with film star Marlene Dietrich, WWD reports. It is set the night before Christmas: Dior gets a last-minute call to make a dress for Dietrich after the director of her new film decides to shoot in color instead of black-and-white.
• The dress. Surrounded by a swarm of bees, a nod to the couturier’s affectionate name for his seamstresses, Dior makes a glittering bustier gown inspired by the 1949 Junon dress.
• The real history. WWD notes that Dietrich never wore that exact model and only wore Dior in black-and-white films. The plot draws on the ultimatum she gave Warner Bros. while negotiating to star in Alfred Hitchcock’s “Stage Fright”: “No Dior, no Dietrich!”
• Jonathan Anderson on the film. “The film we’ve created together for Dior is all hand-drawn using techniques that go back to the 1940s,” Anderson said in a statement. “It’s full of Sylvain’s signature charm — which is perfect for this time of year.”
• Chomet on Dior. “With animation, I hope to bring a sense of poetry to the house of Dior,” Chomet said. “I believe it touches everyone, as it taps into something most people have held onto: their inner child.”
• Where to watch. Dior has a dedicated page for the film on its US site.

Why people care

Holiday campaigns are usually glossy videos of gifts and models. Dior chose a slow, handmade format instead, which makes it stand out in a feed full of the same thing. It also fits Anderson’s track record: WWD points out that at Loewe he ran a three-part collaboration with Hayao Miyazaki’s Studio Ghibli that produced dedicated capsule collections.

The Hollywood angle is deliberate. WWD reports that Dior’s relationship with Hollywood is the same theme that inspired Anderson’s cruise 2027 collection, which he presented in Los Angeles in May.

What it means for you

• LA is part of the story. Dior keeps telling its history through Hollywood, and Anderson showed his cruise collection here. For LA fashion fans, that means more reasons for the house to hold events, windows and screenings in the city.
• It’s a free watch. You don’t have to buy anything to enjoy a new short by the director of “The Triplets of Belleville.” It’s a good one to share with friends who care more about film than fashion.
• For creators and brands. A handmade, story-first holiday piece is a strong counter to fast, look-alike content. LA illustrators, animators and stop-motion artists have a real case to make to local brands this season.
• For vintage lovers. The Junon dress is one of Dior’s best-known 1949 designs. Expect renewed interest in Dior archive pieces and in the era’s glittering evening wear.

Our take

Opinion. This is the smartest kind of holiday campaign: it sells the house’s history and craft rather than a single bag. Using a story about a couturier racing to finish a gown also makes the seamstresses the heroes, which is exactly what couture houses want shoppers to remember. Anderson is building Dior around Hollywood, and LA should hold him to it with more events here, not just references on screen.

Sources

• WWD: Dior’s holiday campaign, an animated short film by Sylvain Chomet, Nov 3, 2026
• Dior: Christian Dior’s Night in Color
• Back to today’s roundup: What You Missed: Wednesday, Nov 4

Photo: WWD headline screenshot, framed by Nightlife Report

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