(Credit: Toys "R" Us)
Toys "R" Us just released its first AI-generated ad using Sora, OpenAI's text-to-video tool.
Sora is not yet publicly available, but the toy company's creative agency, Native Foreign, has "alpha access" to it. "Our brand embraces innovation and the emotional appeal of Toys 'R' Us to connect with consumers in unexpected ways," says Kim Miller Olko, Toys "R" Us global chief marketing officer and president of Toys "R" Us Studios. "Partnering with Native Foreign to push the boundaries of OpenAI's Sora is truly exciting."
The one-minute film premiered at the 2024 Cannes Lion Film Festival, where generative AI was the main theme, as it was in 2023. The presence of AI-generated work at the storied festival faced backlash last year, though it was more accepted by the industry attendees this year, according to Digiday. (The Tribeca Film Festival also featured AI-generated films this year.)
The Toys "R" Us video uses vivid, lifelike animation to recreate the tale of its founder, Charles Lazarus. It explains how, as a young boy in the 1930s, he dreamed up a concept that would "change toy stores forever" and created the company's logo, Geoffrey the Giraffe.
A 30-second version is available on YouTube. The full 1:06 spot is only on the Toys "R" Us website (perhaps a smart move to bring new customers to the site).
"The brand film was almost entirely created with Sora, with some corrective VFX and an original music score composed by Aaron Marsh of famed indie rock band Copeland," says Toys "R" Us.
It's a surprisingly tech-forward move for the toy company, which filed for bankruptcy in 2018 and shuttered all US stores, ending its 70-year run. In 2021, a revival effort began, which included opening two flagship stores, one at the American Dream mall in New Jersey, and a second at the Mall of America in Minnesota. Toys "R" Us products are also available online.
"The creative industry is experiencing a renaissance, much like Toys 'R' Us," says Nik Kleverov, chief creative officer at Native Foreign. "Through Sora, we were able to tell this incredible story with remarkable speed and efficiency."
The approach, however, could take jobs from paid actors who would appear in the spots—in this case, a young boy who would play Charles Lazarus. AI execs, including OpenAI CTO Mira Murati, don't seem too concerned about that, though.
Toys "R" Us argues that these tools could eliminate production-related drudge work. Its video went from "concept to reality in just a few weeks, condensing hundreds of iterative shots down to a couple dozen," it says.