Cosying up with the whole family to watch movies is as much a part of the festive season as mince pies and turkey dinners. Inspired by the spirit of Christmas, and to celebrate the launch of Christmas 24 this weekend – the original TV channel dedicated to Christmas movies – NBCUniversal International Networks has created Merry Woofmas. This Christmas movie especially for dogs, is sure to be a treat for the whole family when it premieres on Saturday 28th October at 4:50pm.
In Merry Woofmas – narrated by The X Factor’s Louis Walsh – Pyrenean Sheepdog Holly is hoping for one present and one present only: she wants a big, juicy bone under the Christmas tree. But, despite lots of furry friends showing up to wish Holly a Merry Christmas, there are no guarantees she’ll get what she wished for. Holly’s buddies include special cameos from Instagram stars Ramsey the Staffy (@bluestaffy – 191K Instagram followers), Marcel Le Corgi (@lecorgi – 60.9K Instagram followers) and Mika the Huskey (@huskeymika – 65.6K Instagram followers).
Merry Woofmas narrator Louis Walsh commented: “I’ve absolutely loved narrating this special Christmas movie for dogs. It’s been really interesting to learn how pets are stimulated by different sounds and I hope they enjoy my voice-over in this film. I’ll definitely be encouraging Sharon and Simon’s dogs to give this a watch with me this Christmas! Merry Woofmas, everybody!”
Christmas 24 worked with animal behaviourist Dr Candy d’Sa and veterinarian Robert White-Adams throughout the scripting and production of this doggie movie to ensure it incorporates the kind of on-screen stimuli that gets a positive response from dogs including: creating the movie in a dog’s colour spectrum of blues and yellows; slow-moving imagery and short scenes that cater to a dog’s limited attention span. More information on this expert research can be found in the specially commissioned report for Christmas 24 by Dr Candy d’Sa.
Pet behaviourist Dr Candy d’Sa said: “It’s important to realise that dogs see the world in a very different way to us humans, and respond differently to certain audio and visuals. I think it’s great that there’s now a Christmas film specifically developed for dogs, so the whole family can sit back, relax and enjoy a Christmas film together this festive season.”
Audio and visual content that capture dogs’ attention were incorporated in order to pique their curiosity and improve the moods of canines. Louis Walsh’s voice changes tone, pitch, canter and cadence during the film – using specific words used that dogs are familiar with and trigger positive reactions. Intended as a family viewing experience, Merry Woofmas can also be enjoyed by humans, too.
Christmas 24 launches this weekend and Merry Woofmas will be premiering on the channel and Facebook page (facebook.com/Christmas24Movies) on the 28th October at 4:50pm. Christmas 24 is available on Sky, Virgin and BT.
