The Velveteen Rabbit Comes To Life In A New Special & The Trailer Will Warm Your Heart

Apple TV+ is bringing the beloved story of The Velveteen Rabbit to life. The upcoming 40-minute special premieres just in time for the holiday season and the trailer is exactly as sweet and beautiful as you might imagine.

The Velveteen Rabbit tells the story of 7-year-old William, a little boy who gets a lovely stuffed rabbit on Christmas morning. As William goes on adventures and discovers the importance of unconditional love with his new friend, the rabbit expresses his desire to become real. Something that cannot happen unless he is well and truly loved by his owner.

The story, written by Margery Williams, was first published in 1921 and was actually written for Williams’ own daughter Pamela. It has gone on to bring joy and warmth to countless children over the past century, and now it’s coming to the screen as a special on Apple TV+ on Nov. 22. A hybrid special, filmed partly as a live-action movie and partly using beautiful animation to give us a glimpse into William’s own imagination.

The trailer for The Velveteen Rabbit on Apple TV+ sees William (played by Phoenix LaRoche) waking up on Christmas morning, lonely and struggling to make friends. When he gets his rabbit (voiced by Alex Lawthor), he takes him to bed and asks “would you like to be my friend?” before softly nodding the rabbit’s head for him. The rabbit is heard asking a fellow toy called Wise Horse (Helena Bonham-Carter) “what is real?” She explains that he will be real when his boy truly loves him. And we see the two friends go on their animated adventures as the learn the true meaning of unconditional love, as the rabbit starts to become more and more real.

This version of The Velveteen Rabbit seems to be taking a less grim turn than the original story, which is good news for kids. In the original book, the rabbit is often forgotten and carted away over a fear that he might carry Scarlet Fever germs. It was a tale of forgotten toys and loss and magic, but also a terribly sad tale. While we don’t yet know how this version ends, we hope The Velveteen Rabbit does, indeed, get to finally become real.