A heartwarming Apple ad, starring Edmonton (probably)

Edmonton, it’s good to see you again. The city I lived in before moving to Toronto very likely plays a starring role in a heartwarming Apple holiday advertisement, which was released Monday.

In the ad, ‘Misunderstood,’ a teen spends a lot of time on his iPhone 5S during a family gathering. But he has a surprise for the family at the end.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ImlmVqH_5HM

The tell-tale signs of Edmonton are there, the fluffy snow, the suburbs and what looks a lot like the Edmonton river valley, a large swath of park space along the North Saskatchewan River.

Sleuthes on Twitter pointed out their theory, noting that #yeg (the hashtag for Edmonton) was almost certainly the setting for the ad.

Users said the opening scene looks like St. Albert, an Edmonton suburb. And that transit sign in the opening shot sure looks a lot like the ones from the Edmonton Transit System.

@Univers47 First shot looks like St. Albert.

— Brandon (@interstateone) December 17, 2013

Grandma and grandpa’s house in the ad looks like one on Ada Boulevard, in the northwest part of the city overlooking the river valley, points out one Twitter user.

Okay, folks. 0:01 shows an ETS bus stop sign. The Gran’s house is on Ada Blvd. https://t.co/tyZP4qnV13 #yeg pic.twitter.com/I7qkpFEQn6

— Univers 47 (@Univers47) December 17, 2013

For its part, Apple is remaining mum on the shoot location.

Whether or not the advertisement was shot in Edmonton, the video is exactly how I recall the city in winter: snowy, dark and frozen, but filled with good people.