Sainsbury's Christmas advert 2016: James Corden sings in The Greatest Gift

Will Sainsbury's do better than John Lewis this year?

Train delays, endless queues and awkward office parties are just a few of the struggles of the festive season depicted in Sainsbury’s musical comedy Christmas campaign.

Sainsbury’s Mog the cat won the battle of the Christmas TV adverts last year, as it was seen nearly 26 million times ahead of John Lewis’ Man on the Moon which got nearly 23 million views.

The retailer will be hoping to repeat its success this year with its three minute musical advert, titled The Greatest Gift, which launched only a few days after John Lewis' latest Buster the Boxer.

Voiced by British comedian James Corden and directed by award winning Sam Fell, behind animated movie ParaNorman, the advert highlights the importance of sharing the gift of time with friends and family during the holiday season.

The Greatest Gift uses stop-frame animation techniques and laser-printed puppets made by the Manchester-based company Mackinnon and Saunders, who were behind Fantastic Mr Fox.

The campaign tells the story of Dave, a hard-working and devoted father, who comes up with an ingenious plan to make sure he can be with his family for Christmas.

Dave’s story is told via the humorous song The Greatest Gift For Christmas Is Me, sung by James Corden and composed by Bret McKenzie, a comedian, musician and producer who won the 2012 Oscar for best original song in The Muppets.

(Sainsbury's)

"The advert reflects a typical British family juggling everything they have to at Christmas time, we just hope it puts a smile on people's faces”, said Sarah Kilmartin, head of Sainsbury's campaign .

Sainsbury's has partnered with the Great Ormond Street Hospital Children's Charity, with all profits from the sale of the specially created Gingerbread ‘Dave’ (£1) and The Greatest Gift film animation kit (£5) going to the charity.

Tim Johnson, the chief executive of Great Ormond Street Hospital Children's Charity, said: “At Christmas, time spent with the people you love is precious. For the families of patients at Great Ormond Street Hospital who are unable to go home at Christmas, this is particularly true. More than half of the patients at Great Ormond Street Hospital live outside of London, and many are hours away from home.”

“The money raised will enable us to help more families be together when they really need to be, by providing dedicated accommodation close to the hospital. This is a vital resource, enabling parents and carers to be at their child’s bedside within minutes, at whatever time of the day and night.”

The Greatest Gift advert will air for the first time on Monday evening during “I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here’