A new commercial from Toys’R’Us takes viewers on a nostalgic trip into the past of the once-beloved brand, and how its mascot Geoffrey the Giraffe “came to be.”
The minute-long spot starts with company founder Charles Lazarus falling asleep and dreaming of his toy giraffe and other dolls and playthings floating around, waving and welcoming him into “the greatest toy store that is.”
The one caveat: the ad wasn’t created in a studio or with any human actors. It was produced almost entirely using OpenAI’s groundbreaking text-to-video tool, Sora.
Toys’R’Us Studios and Native Foreign premiered the first-of-its-kind video during the 2024 Cannes Lions Festival, showcasing it to an audience of brand and advertising industry leaders at an exclusive LBB Beach event in France. Toys’R’Us Studios and Native Foreign premiered the first-of-its-kind video during the 2024 Cannes Lions Festival, showcasing it to an audience of brand and advertising industry leaders at an exclusive LBB Beach event in France. Toys’R’Us
“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,” said Kim Miller Olko, global chief marketing officer for Toys’R’Us. “Our brand embraces innovation and the emotional appeal of Toys’R’Us to connect with consumers in unexpected ways.”
Newsweek reached out to Toys’R’Us for additional comment but did not hear back immediately.
Miller Olko and her Toys’R’Us Studios team partnered with the video production house Native Foreign to generate realistic scenes and multiple characters for the ad, which recently premiered for advertising executives at the 2024 Cannes Lions Festival in France.
“Through Sora, we were able to tell this incredible story with remarkable speed and efficiency,” said Nik Kleverov, chief creative officer at Native Foreign.
In just a few weeks, Sora was able to allow Toys’R’Us Studios and Native Foreign to bring their concept into fruition. Sora used typed-in instructions to generate videos and scenes, condensing hundreds of iterative shots down to a couple dozen.
“We aim to capture that nostalgic feeling and deliver it uniquely to Toys’R’Us kids of all ages,” Miller Olko said. “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.”
The brand film was almost entirely created with AI. Some corrective VFX was involved as well as the addition of an original music score composed by Aaron Marsh, from the indie-rock band Copeland.
In a post on X, formerly Twitter, Kleverov, the director, acknowledged that the video was not entirely the work of AI, but that Sora “got us about 80-85% of the way there.”
It’s unclear if the video, or “brand film” in industry parlance, will air on television or streaming platforms. Its currently available on YouTube and Toysrus.com. But it’s part of an attempted comeback by the left-for-dead toy giant that’s now owned by the brand management company WHP Global.
After a series of missteps under its private-equity owners, Toys’R’Us filed for bankruptcy in 2017, resulting in the closure of all its U.S. stores. WHP has been slowly reintroducing the Toys’R’Us brand in department stores like Macy’s, and has opened a pair of flagship brick-and-mortar stores at large malls in Minnesota and New Jersey. More stores are reportedly on the way, including for airports and cruise ships.
Watch the New Toys’R’Us Ad Generated by AI
