Last week at the Cannes Lions International Festival for Creativity, Toys “R” Us showcased a mini promo film made predominantly using OpenAI’s text-to-video tool, Sora.
To create this promo, Toys “R” Us partnered with creative agency, Native Foreign, an early adopter of OpenAI’s Sora, through its entertainment studio. The toy retailer claims to be the first brand to premiere a film utilizing this tool, which is still not available to the public.
Inspired by the Origin of Toys “R” Us brand film, the campaign was directed by Nik Kleverov from Native Foreign and co-produced by Kim Miller Olko, Toys ‘R’ Us Studios President and four-time Emmy Award-winning producer, as executive producer.
Sora, OpenAI’s text-to-video tool, can create videos of up to one minute in duration with realistic scenes and many different characters based on written prompts. The campaign narrates the story of Toys “R” Us founder Charles Lazarus and his revolutionary vision for toy stores. The promo has the iconic mascot Geoffrey the Giraffe appearing to him in a dream that ultimately became a reality, enchanting generations of children.
Global Chief Marketing Officer and President of Toys”R”Us Studios and Kim Miller Olko, said, “Charles Lazarus was a visionary ahead of his time and we wanted to honor his legacy with a spot using the most cutting-edge technology available. 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.”
Nik Kleverov, Chief Creative Officer at Native Foreign, said, “The creative industry is experiencing a renaissance, much like Toys”R”Us.” He added, “Through Sora, we were able to tell this incredible story with remarkable speed and efficiency. Toys”R”Us is the perfect brand to embrace this AI-forward strategy, and we are thrilled to collaborate with their creative team to help lead the next wave of innovative storytelling.”
In a recent press release, Toys “R” Us announced that alongside utilizing OpenAI’s Sora for video creation, they also incorporated corrective visual effects and an original music score to enhance the final product.
The company said, “Charles Lazarus was a visionary ahead of his time and we wanted to honor his legacy with a spot using the most cutting-edge technology available.”
A spokesperson for the creative agency said that Toys “R” Us has yet to decide whether the promo will become a TV ad.
