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McDonald’s has launched an animated Christmas spot detailing the friendship between a girl and her pet reindeer.

Created by Leo Burnett, and with a story reminiscent of John Lewis’ 2014 spot "Monty the pengiun", "Archie the reindeer" follows young protagonist Ellie and her reindeer friend as they celebrate the festive season.

After the pair run out of "reindeer treats", the family set off to McDonald’s to buy more, where the scene moves to real life and we discover Archie was the family dog the whole time.

The work was created by Gareth Butters and directed by James Rouse (live action) and Againstallodds (animation) through Outsider and Passion Animation Studio respectively.

"We’re proud of the role we play in getting the nation reindeer ready each Christmas and this year is no exception," Ben Fox, marketing director at McDonald’s UK and Ireland, said.

"We’re celebrating the magic of Christmas through the eyes of Ellie, an imaginative little girl, in an advert which illustrates scenes recognised by parents across the country as the whole family comes together to get reindeer ready. We hope the public enjoy Ellie and Archie’s adventure as much as we do."

The spot will premiere on Sunday (17 November) during I’m a Celebrity… Get Me out of Here! on ITV. 

This follows last year’s "#ReindeerReady" spot, which saw the brand sell "reindeer treats" (carrot sticks) for Santa’s beloved mode of transport.

In an attempt to get families in the festive spirit, McDonald’s will be giving out carrot sticks this Christmas Eve again this year.

Chaka Sobhani, chief creative officer at Leo Burnett London, said: "This campaign celebrates the power of a child’s imagination, which comes even more to life at Christmas time.

"Kids have that incredible ability to embrace the magical side of Christmas and see wonder where we struggle to, especially when teenagers.

"We hope this Christmas tale of a little girl and her tutu-wearing dog warms the heart and gets the country reindeer ready."

This week saw the release of the first joint Christmas campaign from John Lewis & Partners and Waitrose & Partners, "Excitable Edgar".