Asda Christmas advert 2018 features a cannon-firing Santa, yetis and a giant inflatable snowman

ASDA has launched its Christmas advert - and it features a cannon-firing Santa, an inflatable snowman and yetis.

There's no whimsical fantasy characters or a heart-wrenching storyline in the supermarket's yuletide commercial this year - instead, it shows a huge crowd running down a hill towards a little girl waiting for Christmas.

Rally cars, motorbikes, and stunt skiiers all feature in the 60-second adrenaline-fulled advert, which shows off the range of festive products you can buy at Asda this year.

It's a big change from its advert last year, which told the playful story of a little girl visiting an imaginary workshop where the supermarket's products are made.

This year's "Bring Christmas Home" advert - which will first air tonight at 7.15pm on ITV - has ditched the whimsy to pack its advert with as much energy as possible.

It starts off with Santa firing a Christmas pudding out of a cannon, for some reason.

Crowds wearing Christmas jumpers and party dresses then run down the hill carrying presents.

A little girl is shown waiting in a house at the bottom of the hill looking bored as she waits for Christmas to begin.

The advert then shows stunt bikers, yetis driving rally cars, trucks carrying kitchens where a family is preparing Christmas lunch, and even a giant inflatable snowman all rushing down the hill.

They eventually reach the bottom and the little girl runs out with a huge smile on her face.

The song in the background is the classic festive hit: Christmas (Baby Please Come Home).

Asda said it wanted to capture the chaos, energy and excitement of Christmas at home.

Asda’s chief customer officer Andy Murray said: “We really wanted to hone in on a universal feeling about Christmas that people could relate to.

"The one thing we all kept coming back to was the sense of excitement that comes from preparing to bring your nearest and dearest together, how crazy and chaotic it can feel, but ultimately how all the effort results in something wonderful when you bring Christmas home."

The advert will also air during the breaks of Gogglebox and Great British Bake Off: Extra Slice on Channel 4 tonight.

Argos also launches its Christmas advert this evening.

Its commercial features a creepy fool character - but you might not want to let your kids watch it as it shows that mums and dads buy the presents, not Father Christmas.

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