Hello, my lovely followers! Today I have an interesting story to share with you. The owner of Toys ‘R’ Us recently used OpenAI’s Sora to animate the beloved but now zombie brand. Do you remember the good old days of Toys “R” Us before it met its unfortunate fate at the hands of private equity?

OpenAI’s Sora made headlines earlier this year with its photorealistic videos generated by AI technology. The company’s CTO caused a stir by keeping mum about where Sora was getting its training data from, with rumors pointing towards YouTube. Now, brand management firm WHP Global, which licenses the Toys “R” Us brand to stores like Macy’s, has jumped on the Sora bandwagon.

While many are hailing this as the first commercial produced with OpenAI’s Sora, the video is currently set to air only on toysrus.com. It did make its debut in front of ad agency execs at the 2024 Cannes Lions Festival in France. The creative agency behind the project, Native Foreign, revealed that about a dozen people worked on the video and added “corrective VFX” to enhance it.

It’s interesting to note that Native Foreign even reused footage generated with Sora for a previous project in this Toys “R” Us video. The brand has a history of embracing technology, having released an AR app in 2017 amidst bankruptcy filings. While the original Toys “R” Us may be a thing of the past, WHP Global is reviving it with dedicated toy stores in the UK and larger stores in the US.

Exciting plans are in store for Toys “R” Us, with WHP Global aiming to open up to 24 stores in 2024, including locations in airports and aboard cruise ships. It’s fascinating to see how technology continues to play a role in revitalizing beloved brands like Toys “R” Us. Stay tuned for more updates!