We’ve all been buoyed by a kid’s naive ambition to realize their big dreams. Why can’t all of us just dream like a kid again, despite being stuck with all of life’s everyday challenges? To show how far a kid’s big dream can go, Wieden+Kennedy Shanghai developed this film that lets a wild bunch of kids realize their big dreams at this Chinese New Year (CNY)–thus setting an example for youngsters to dream wild and act big, pushing back against the pressure to be “practical” just to stay afloat in life.
This hero piece centers around a very special table that is present at every traditional CNY dinner–the childrens’ table, a kid-sized dining area usually placed next to the adult table that gathers all the kids in the family and those who don’t drink. And this is the kids’ once-in-a-year opportunity to…TALK BIG! To make the kids’ big talks even more inspiring, Wieden+Kennedy Shanghai invited an unusual line-up: two-time Grand Slam champion Li Na, China’s basketball legend Yi Jianlian, “Chinese football goddess” Wang Shuang, Olympic Gold medalist in 110m hurdles Liu Xiang, aspiring tennis players Zheng Qinwen and Emma Raducanu–all in their kid forms.
To bring these aspiring young athletes to life, deep fake technology was used merging live-action video with computer-generated faces. Each shot is retouched frame by frame to achieve maximized likeness and realness, as we see these kid athletes stun Europe as the globe-trotting football hero, lead superhero dream team, become Asia’s Flying Man, and inspire future athletes in China and beyond.
Caroline Koning directed via Lunar Films.
