Jul 13, 2025
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Vidu is taking the creative world by storm with two major moves that are about to shake up how we think about video production and intellectual property. The company has partnered with Honor to bring its cutting-edge image-to-video AI tech to the Honor 400 Series smartphones and secured a major deal with the iconic Journey to the West anime from 1999. These announcements are setting the stage for what Vidu calls the “smartphone-studio era,” where our phones become powerful creative tools that can do more than just capture memories -- they can create cinematic content on the go.
If you’ve ever wished your smartphone could produce Hollywood-level content, we’re getting closer. The Honor 400 Series is the feature Vidu’s breakthrough Image-to-Video AI technology, which lets users transform static images into professional-quality video directly on their phones. That means you can take a single photo, upload it, and watch it come to life as a cinematic masterpiece without needing expensive equipment or studio time.
This kind of tech has been a dream for many creators, and Vidu is making it a reality. What’s even cooler? The integration of Vidu’s real-time, mobile-optimized processing means this is all happening on the device, breaking through the limitations that previously kept smartphones from handling high-load video production.
Luo Yihang, CEO of ShengShu Technology, the parent company behind Vidu, explains, “For the first time, generative AI isn’t just powering creativity behind the scenes, but it’s becoming a vehicle for ownership, worldbuilding, and reimagining beloved stories. Only now, with Vidu, we're proving that generative video platforms can do more than generate content. Vidu is building for creative co-ownership through strategic partnerships or even future acquisitions, which can help shape the next generation of cultural IPs.”
But Vidu isn’t stopping there. They’re also pushing the boundaries of how we interact with some of the world’s most iconic stories. Enter Journey to the West, the legendary Chinese epic that’s been adapted into countless shows, games, and comics. This time, Vidu is reimagining the Monkey King for a new generation and letting fans get in on the action.
Thanks to Vidu’s partnership with the Journey to the West franchise, users will soon be able to upload a single photo of themselves and see it transformed into a character in the 1999 anime’s distinct art style. It’s like stepping into the world of Journey to the West – but with a modern twist.
The best part? Once you’ve uploaded your photo, you can select from a range of fun, pre-made story scenarios to make your own personalized video. Imagine seeing Sun Wukong (The Monkey King) conjuring up little monkeys to help with chores and then interacting with your digital version of the Monkey King, all in a short 16-second video. It’s AI-generated creativity at its finest, with voiceovers and music to really bring the story to life.
These exciting announcements are just the beginning for Vidu. The company recently launched its Q1 model, which boasts industry-first features like the First-to-Last Frame technology for seamless transitions between realistic and animated sequences, as well as AI-generated 48 kHz sound effects for high-fidelity audio.
But Vidu isn’t just focused on mobile. They’re also making moves in the professional space, partnering with Lenovo to integrate their tech into Lenovo’s hardware and securing a deal to produce an AI-animated series with Aura Prods. With all these bold moves, it’s clear that Vidu is setting itself up to become a major player in the future of content creation.
So, whether you’re a fan of classic stories like Journey to the West or you’re looking for new ways to create cinematic content from your phone, Vidu is leading the charge into a new era of creative freedom powered by AI. Keep an eye on this space. It’s only getting started.
