Toys “R” Us has released a one-minute brand film made using the new text-to-video tool Sora from OpenAI—the company behind ChatGPT.
The film is about the creation of Toys “R” Us and the inspiration for its mascot, Geoffrey the Giraffe. The toy retailer describes it as “the story of a dream come true,” although viewers may feel more like it’s a fever dream come true.
The animation approaches the hyper-realistic 3D style of films like The Polar Express, but almost everything else about it feels slightly off, like you’ve taken too much cold medicine, or maybe something stronger.
That said, this is a very early attempt at text-to-video technology that could one day transform the industry. Maybe soon. In years to come, this might seem like the marketing equivalent of the Wright Brothers’ Wright Flyer climbing a few feet off the ground near Kitty Hawk in 1903.
The “Origin of Toys ‘R’ Us” film was co-produced by four-time Emmy Award-winning producer and Toys ‘R’ Us Studios President Kim Miller Olko, with Native Foreign’s Nik Kleverov as director.
Sora can create minute-long videos featuring realistic scenes and multiple characters, all based on typed-in instructions. According to a release, Toys ‘R’ Us Studios and Native Foreign used Sora to “bring a concept to reality in just a few weeks, condensing hundreds of iterative shots down to a couple dozen.” The team used some corrective VFX, and added an original music score.
The release does not say what Toys R Us plans to do with the film (a call and an email for clarification were not immediately returned). A teaser has been posted to YouTube, while the full film is available at ToysRUs.com/studios.
But Toys ‘R’ Us appears to like the symbolic connection between the vision of founder Charles Lazarus and the innovation at the core of Sora and OpenAI.
“Charles Lazarus was a visionary ahead of his time and we wanted to honour his legacy with a spot using the most cutting-edge technology available,” said Miller, who is also Toys “R” Us’ global CMO.
“Our brand embraces innovation and the emotional appeal of Toys “R” Us to connect with consumers in unexpected ways. We aim to capture that nostalgic feeling and deliver it uniquely to Toys”R”Us kids of all ages. Partnering with Native Foreign to push the boundaries of OpenAI’s Sora is truly exciting. Dreams are full of magic and endless possibilities, and so is Toys “R” Us.”
This story first appeared on Performance Marketing World.
