A Girl and Talking Dog Tell a Tender Story in Apple's Chinese New Year Film

For Chinese New Year, Apple has returned with a new chapter of its annual Shot on iPhone series, unveiling 'Glad I Met You' - a mixed-media short directed by award-winning filmmaker Bai Xue and captured entirely on iPhone 17 Pro.

Blending live action with stop-motion animation, the film from TBWA\Media Arts Lab, Shanghai follows Lin Wei and a lost dog, Little White, whose chance encounter unfolds into a series of funny, tender moments. As the pair navigate the energy and chaos of CNY, they ultimately find a sense of home in each other - rekindling Lin Wei’s spark for life along the way. At its heart, the film is a quiet tribute to the transformative bond between humans and animals.

Visually, Glad I Met You leans into the cinematic flexibility of iPhone 17 Pro. Live-action sequences make use of the 48MP Telephoto camera’s 8x optical-quality zoom, alongside 48MP Ultra Wide, 4K 120fps slow motion, Cinematic mode, Action mode, and low-light performance - capturing everything from bustling holiday streets to intimate, emotional exchanges.

Director Bai Xue says, "The most important shot in this film comes when the dog, Little White, runs toward Lin Wei. Using slow motion magnifies the emotional impact by extending the moment."

Lead animal coordinator Hao Shuai adds, "When shooting, large devices tend to distract animals during takes, but iPhone is so small that it eliminates many of the hurdles we'd normally face."

"Shooting on iPhone opened up more possibilities and broadened our imaginations," says cinematographer Gao Wei Zhe. "We can use 8x optical-quality zoom to focus on a character while still capturing the wider environment. The lightweight design of iPhone also enables perspectives similar to those of animals.

Alongside the live-action narrative, stop-motion sequences bring an inner dialogue to life - giving voice to both Lin Wei and Little White. Produced with handcrafted puppets, sets and props by BUCK, the stop-motion highlights the still-image precision of iPhone 17 Pro’s 48MP rear camera, capturing the fine textures and details of each miniature world.

Each character was built around custom armatures designed to withstand thousands of micro-movements, while more than 20 interchangeable mouth expressions per character were 3D-printed, hand-painted and swapped frame by frame to match voice performances from well-known Chinese actors.

"Everything you see on screen in the stop-motion portion was built by hand, with care and love," says 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 millimetres at a time by real people."

Beyond the hero film, the campaign extends across broadcast, digital and social. Douyin pet creator Ke Ming, who also voices one of the animated characters, fronts a behind-the-scenes vlog using Dual Capture, filming both himself and the set while speaking with the production team. Additional how-to content and creator collaborations spotlight features including 8x zoom and the Centre Stage front camera.

The result is a warm, craft-led CNY campaign that showcases iPhone’s creative capabilities - while celebrating the outsized role animals play in bringing connection, comfort and joy into people’s lives.