John Lewis has revealed its new Christmas advert and will use hand-drawn 2D animation in 3D sets for the first time.

The £7m ad follows the story of friendship between a bear and a hare as Christmas draws in.

Featuring the strapline ‘Give someone a Christmas they‘ll never forget‘, the handcrafted story evokes the excitement of a first Christmas and the importance of friendship and thoughtfulness.

“We wanted our advert to reflect the importance of finding the right gift for friends and loved ones, a theme which we have built on for a number of years. Through the use of hand-crafted animation, we‘re hoping to evoke nostalgia and build anticipation ahead of Christmas,” explained Craig Inglis, Marketing Director, John Lewis.

The two minute ad will launch tomorrow night on TV during the X Factor for a whole advert break.

It will be the first time ITV have allowed a retailer to take up such a large ad segment.

The Christmas ad will be supported by a combination of three shorter versions for six weeks.