Reel Ad of the Week

Apple puts accessibility center stage in musical film

By Colin Costello
December 9, 2025

For this year’s International Day of Persons with Disabilities on December 3, Apple has released a vibrant global short film that shines a spotlight on disabled college students – and the accessibility tools that help power their college experience from first bell to last call.

Directed by Kim Gehrig, the global short film follows a cast of deaf and disabled students as they navigate a typical college day, except that nothing about it is treated as “inspirational.” Instead, we get a show-stopping anthem that explodes across lecture halls, dorm rooms, campus quads, hallways, house parties, and everywhere Gen Z actually lives. Within the whirlwind of harmonies and choreography, Apple threads in the quiet, practical superpowers that make on-screen independence possible.

This year’s spotlight includes new features like Magnifier on Mac, Braille Access, and Accessibility Reader, along with staples such as VoiceOver, AssistiveTouch, and Live Captions. Apple doesn’t present these tools as niche accommodations. Gehrig’s direction makes them feel woven into the everyday rhythm of college life, not as exceptions, but as expectations. These students aren’t portrayed as “overcoming.” They’re simply living. Watch below:

For Gehrig, it’s a return to familiar territory. Her 2022 Apple film The Greatest became an instant classic, resetting the bar for accessibility storytelling. Here, she raises it again, swapping intimate portraits for a collective roar. The film’s emotional thesis, remarkable, is the rule; it doesn’t just land, it lodges itself in your chest.

The work builds on Apple’s decades-long track record in disability inclusion. Long before accessibility became a tech talking point, Apple launched its first disability office in 1985 — five years before the ADA. The company’s marketing canon reflects that commitment too, from Taika Waititi’s The Lost Voice to the Paralympic tribute The Relay, the Emmy-nominated Heartstrings, and the recent docuseries No Frame Missed.

This newest film fits squarely in that lineage, but also pushes it forward. By choosing the musical form, Apple and Gehrig allow disabled students to take up space loudly, joyfully, and on their own terms. It’s not just representation; it’s reclamation.

The campaign launches globally across broadcast, digital, and social as part of Apple’s recognition of International Day of Persons with Disabilities. And while plenty of brands will pay lip service this week, Apple once again proves the difference between saying the right thing and actually building it into the way people live.

A show-stopper with purpose. A musical with muscle. A brand walking the talk. That’s why it’s our Reel Ad of the Week.

CREDITS:

BRAND: Apple

AGENCY: Apple Marcom

PRODUCTION COMPANY: Somesuch US