A.I. Artificial Intelligence facts for kids

Quick facts for kids A.I. Artificial Intelligence
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Steven Spielberg
Produced by	Kathleen Kennedy Steven Spielberg Bonnie Curtis
Screenplay by	Steven Spielberg
Screen story by	Ian Watson
Starring	Haley Joel Osment Jude Law Frances O'Connor Brendan Gleeson William Hurt
Music by	John Williams
Cinematography	Janusz Kamiński
Editing by	Michael Kahn
Studio	Warner Bros. Pictures DreamWorks Pictures Amblin Entertainment Stanley Kubrick Productions
Distributed by	Warner Bros. Pictures
Release date(s)	June 29, 2001 (2001-06-29)
Running time	146 minutes
Country	United Kingdom United States
Language	English
Budget	$90–100 million
Money made	$235.9 million

A.I. Artificial Intelligence (often called A.I. for short) is an exciting science fiction drama film from 2001. It was directed by the famous filmmaker Steven Spielberg. The movie's story, written by Spielberg and Ian Watson, is inspired by a short story called "Supertoys Last All Summer Long" by Brian Aldiss.

The film takes place in a future world. It stars Haley Joel Osment as David, a special robot boy, or android. David is unique because he is programmed to feel and give love. Other important actors in the film include Jude Law, Frances O'Connor, Brendan Gleeson, and William Hurt.

The idea for A.I. started many years before the film was made. Another great director, Stanley Kubrick, began working on it in the 1970s. He wanted to make the movie but felt that the special effects technology wasn't ready yet. In 1995, Kubrick asked Steven Spielberg to direct the film. After Kubrick passed away in 1999, Spielberg took on the project. He made sure to honor Kubrick's original ideas for the story.

A.I. Artificial Intelligence came out on June 29, 2001. Many critics liked the film, and it earned a lot of money worldwide. It was even nominated for two Academy Awards, for its amazing visual effects and its beautiful music by John Williams. Many people consider A.I. to be one of Steven Spielberg's best movies.

Meet the Cast of A.I.

Haley Joel Osment (left), Jude Law, Frances O'Connor, Brendan Gleeson, and William Hurt played David, Joe, Monica, Lord Johnson-Johnson, and Professor Hobby.

Making the Movie: Production Details

How the Idea for A.I. Started

The journey to make A.I. began with director Stanley Kubrick in the late 1970s. He wanted to turn the short story "Super-Toys Last All Summer Long" into a film. Kubrick worked with several writers, including the story's author, Brian Aldiss. However, Kubrick and Aldiss had different ideas for the story.

In 1985, Kubrick asked Steven Spielberg to direct the film, with Kubrick as producer. The project faced many challenges. Kubrick felt that the computer animation technology of the time wasn't good enough. He believed it couldn't create the character of David in a believable way.

Spielberg Takes the Lead

After Spielberg's movie Jurassic Park showed amazing computer-generated imagery (CGI), the idea for A.I. gained new life. In 1995, Kubrick officially handed the directing role to Spielberg. However, Spielberg was busy with other films. The project truly moved forward after Kubrick passed away in 1999.

By late 1999, Spielberg was writing the screenplay himself. He based it on a detailed story outline by Ian Watson. This was Spielberg's first solo screenplay since Close Encounters of the Third Kind in 1977. He made sure to stay true to Kubrick's original vision for the film.

Filming and Special Effects

Filming for A.I. began in August 2000. Most of the movie was shot on sound stages at Warner Bros. Studios. A few scenes were filmed outdoors in Oregon.

Spielberg kept the filming process very private, much like Kubrick used to do. He didn't give the full script to everyone and kept the press away from the set. For example, Jack Angel, who voiced Teddy, recorded his lines without knowing the full context. He was simply told to sound wise and stoic.

The amazing visual effects, like making Teddy move and removing David's visible breath, were created by PDI/DreamWorks.

Casting the Characters

Finding the right actors was important. Haley Joel Osment was Steven Spielberg's first and only choice for David. Haley worked hard to act like a robot, even practicing not blinking.

For the role of Monica Swinton, Julianne Moore and Gwyneth Paltrow were considered before Frances O'Connor was cast. Jude Law prepared for his role as Joe by studying famous dancers like Fred Astaire.

Music and Soundtrack

The Score by John Williams

The film's music was composed and conducted by the legendary John Williams. The soundtrack album was released in 2001. It features beautiful songs sung by Lara Fabian and Josh Groban.

John Williams created a score that honored Stanley Kubrick's style. He even included musical echoes of other works that Kubrick had used in his films, like 2001: A Space Odyssey.

Release and Reception

Promoting the Film

To promote A.I., Warner Bros. used a unique online game called The Beast. This game created a whole world around the movie, with many websites for fans to explore. There were plans for video games based on The Beast, but they were not developed.

To make sure people understood that A.I. was not just a children's film, no action figures were made. However, a talking Teddy bear toy was released after the movie came out in June 2001.

A.I. had its first showing at the Venice Film Festival in 2001.

Watching A.I. at Home

A.I. Artificial Intelligence became available on VHS and DVD in the United States on March 5, 2002. These special editions included a long documentary about how the film was made. They also featured interviews with the cast and crew, including Haley Joel Osment, Jude Law, Frances O'Connor, Steven Spielberg, and John Williams.

The film was later released on Blu-ray in 2010 and 2011. These Blu-ray versions offered the movie in high-definition quality, along with all the bonus features from the DVD.

Images for kids

• 

  Theatrical release poster

See also

• List of underwater science fiction works