Fact-check: Was the new McDonald’s ad AI-generated?

McDonald's AI ad became the center of a fast-moving backlash in the Netherlands after a 45-second Christmas commercial built with generative tools went live and was then pulled from public view. Announced on December 1, 2025, the spot flips the cheery classic into “the most terrible time,” showing rapid vignettes of holiday chaos before urging viewers to hide at the restaurant until January.

Within days, negative reactions focused on uncanny faces and rubbery motion. McDonald’s disabled YouTube comments and delisted the upload, while mirrors circulated on social platforms. The makers defended the long, human-heavy workflow behind the McDonald's ai ad, and the agency framed the idea as stress-honest December marketing.

What exactly is the McDonald's AI ad, and was it AI-generated?

The McDonald's AI ad is a 45-second Christmas film for McDonald’s Netherlands that reframes December as “the most terrible time of the year.” It was conceived by TBWA\NEBOKO and produced by The Sweetshop’s AI division, The Gardening. club, with directing duo MAMA.

The campaign was announced on December 1, 2025, the video appeared that week, and by December 9, it had been delisted from YouTube following heavy criticism. Credits listed by industry databases and trade press confirm the AI production pipeline and team. As per lbbonline.com report dated 01 December 2025, describing why the team chose generative methods for scale and style, Darre van Dijk said,

“we have created our first fully fledged AI commercial,”

The agency’s positioning aligns with a recurring December brand platform in the country, aiming for small moments of relief. Marketing manager Karin van Prooijen remarked,

“December is a busy month for everyone. We want to give people something to look forward to each day, not only on the traditional peak dates, and this campaign brings that idea to life in a new way.”

These details establish that the McDonald's AI ad was planned as a fully AI-driven creative execution rather than a last-minute experiment.

What’s in the spot and why did viewers revolt?

On screen, the McDonald's ai ad races through mishaps that many viewers will recognize from winter and holiday routines. There are chaotic family meals, frantic gift runs, storm-tossed carolers, skating stumbles, and tree troubles, all cut to a parody lyric about “the most terrible time.”The Verge reported on December 10, 2025, summarized a line that anchors the message, noting the ad,

“tells viewers to ‘hide out in McDonald’s until January’s here’.”

The human realism choice magnifies model artefacts, with one widely shared shot showing an ice skater’s limbs bending unnaturally. Reaction to the McDonald's AI ad was swift and largely negative. Reports highlight that comments on YouTube were turned off and the original upload was delisted, though reposts spread across social media and continued to draw mockery. One commenter wrote under the McDonald's AI ad post,

“The future is here, and it’s not looking good,”

capturing the mood around the visuals and tone. Coverage also contrasts it with a Coca-Cola holiday spot that stayed in safer cartoon territory instead of attempting photoreal people.

What did McDonald’s and the makers say?

McDonald’s Netherlands and its partners argued that the McDonald's AI ad met a local brief to reflect December stress honestly. Trade coverage cites research about consumers wanting more personal time in December and describes the AI approach as a way to stage many small crises quickly.

The production team stressed that the McDonald's AI ad required significant manual effort. As per The Verge report dated December 9, 2025, The Gardening.club said the ad took “seven intense weeks” to assemble, with more labor than a traditional shoot. As per the Future report dated December 9, 2025, Sweetshop CEO Melanie Bridge stated,

“To me, it’s evidence of something much bigger: that when craft and technology meet with intention, they can create work that feels genuinely cinematic. So no – AI didn’t make this film. We did.”

Those statements were intended to underline that humans directed the pipeline even as models produced frames. Where the McDonald's AI ad stands now is clear in coverage.The official YouTube upload is delisted, and discussion is sustained by third-party mirrors that keep the controversy visible and searchable. The broader takeaway for brands is that human realism in AI can heighten scrutiny of physics and faces, and with holiday messaging, tone matters as much as craft.

Stay tuned for more updates.