Holiday magic meets tech trends in First Flight, a new generative AI-produced take on the Christmastime animation tradition. The spot was crafted as a showcase for Artlist (artlist.io), an online platform for video creators hosting a suite of AI tools for video, image and voice, as well as creative assets made by artists around the world.

The film centers on a little fawn, who aspires to grow up as big, strong and graceful as the rest of his reindeer herd. With lots of practice and a touch of seasonal magic, he finally takes flight for his first Christmas.

Artlist wanted to create a film that both showcased how genAI tools make it possible for small teams to create projects once reserved for big studios, and the potential for emotional storytelling using the controversial technology.

“This two-minute video about a little deer who dared to dream was created to show that AI tools can tell stories that move people, just like any other creative tool,” said Sharon ‘Thales’ Refael, Artlist’s Director of Creative AI. “It demonstrates that consistency, emotion, and narrative are possible, and that creators now have the independence to say, ‘I have an idea,’ and begin working on it that very same day. What once required the resources of the world’s biggest animation studios, months of work and enormous budgets, is now within reach.”

According to the platform, First Flight was created entirely with AI tools by a team of just three people, on a budget of less than $3,000 dollars, in under a month. The AI production pipeline utilized Kling AI for physics and realistic motion; and Nano Banana Pro for character consistency and facial animation.

“Much of the conversation today is focused on the technology itself, AI or not AI, but we wanted to show that it’s simply another tool. A tool that allows creators to bring ideas to life faster and more affordably than ever before. Technology alone doesn’t connect a video to its audience. Storytelling does,” Refael added. “There is a lot of resistance to AI-generated content, but that resistance often misses the point. What truly matters is how you tell a story — how you create emotion, spark interest, and make people care. The technology simply opens new possibilities and faster processes, while everything still revolves around storytelling.”

The production of First Flight was led by Artlist’s Refael; VP Content Orit Bar-Niv; Head of AI Content Itamar Leopold; the AI Creative Lab members Angelica Libkind, Hadar Rosenthal and Adi Gabay; Senior AI Program Manager Moran Haruvi Brazg; sound designers Roni Abelha and Ziv Moran. The music is “This Life of Time” by Beò and Yuval Semo.

Animation Magazine

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