ElevenLabs Provides Technical Cooperation for AI-Generated Narration in CinemaLeap's XR Work Exhibited at Cannes Film Festival Event
AI voice technology firm ElevenLabs Japan has announced its technical collaboration with CinemaLeap for the opening narration of an XR work presented in May 2026 at the 79th Cannes International Film Festival in France. In this project, the voice of world-renowned dancer Kento Mori was cloned using AI and redesigned to match the story's tone, achieving a highly immersive vocal performance. This initiative serves as an international showcase of how cutting-edge AI technology can expand creative expression.
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- 📰 Published: May 20, 2026 at 18:30
- 🔍 Collected: May 20, 2026 at 10:01
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ElevenLabs Japan G.K. (Head office: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; General Manager, Japan & Korea: Hajime Tamura) announced that it provided technical cooperation for AI voice generation of the opening narration in an XR immersive work presented by CinemaLeap Co., Ltd. in Cannes, France, in May 2026.
The work is an XR piece that CinemaLeap unveiled at the Marché du Film, the market affiliated with the 79th Cannes International Film Festival, where Japan was featured as the Country of Honour. At the 'Japan Immersive Showcase,' an official program within the festival's 'Immersive' section, CinemaLeap, with technical support from Sony Corporation, released a pilot version of its latest XR work set in the World Heritage site, Nijo Castle.
World-renowned dance artist Kento Mori participated as a creative partner and also appears in the piece. The work, themed 'where the beauty of tradition and the dynamism of the modern world resonate, a new legend is born,' depicts an active narrative experience of purifying otherworldly threats through dance.
ElevenLabs was responsible for generating the AI voice for the opening narration, which instantly draws the audience into the work's universe, based on Kento Mori's voice. Specifically, his voice was cloned, and while preserving its inherent energy and characteristics, the vocal tone was redesigned to match the narrative's tone, creating a narration that fits the world of the piece.
In XR and immersive works, audio is not merely for conveying information but is a crucial expressive element that guides the audience deep into the story's world. This collaboration realized a new form of vocal expression that harmonizes with the work's worldview by leveraging AI voice generation to maximize the personality and texture of the artist's own voice.
ElevenLabs' voice AI technology expands the possibilities of future audio production in creative fields, including narration, dubbing, multilingual expansion, and character voices. This project is a landmark case where Japan-originated creativity and cutting-edge AI technology converged at the global hub of film and XR in Cannes.
ElevenLabs will continue to provide AI voice technology that unleashes creators' imagination and expands their expression across diverse creative domains such as film, XR, animation, and games.
■ About CinemaLeap
Founded in 2019, CinemaLeap is a creative company that provides new story-driven XR experiences. It produces XR films nominated at major international film festivals, operates the large-scale XR entertainment facility 'IMMERSIVE JOURNEY,' and organizes Japan's first international film festival specializing in XR, the 'Beyond the Frame Festival.'
■ About ElevenLabs
Founded in 2022, ElevenLabs is a global leader in AI voice research and technology, building cutting-edge AI audio tools for businesses, developers, and creators. With a valuation exceeding $11 billion, its platform is used by over 75% of Fortune 500 companies and supports the creation of high-quality voiceovers and conversational AI voice agents in over 30 languages.
The work is an XR piece that CinemaLeap unveiled at the Marché du Film, the market affiliated with the 79th Cannes International Film Festival, where Japan was featured as the Country of Honour. At the 'Japan Immersive Showcase,' an official program within the festival's 'Immersive' section, CinemaLeap, with technical support from Sony Corporation, released a pilot version of its latest XR work set in the World Heritage site, Nijo Castle.
World-renowned dance artist Kento Mori participated as a creative partner and also appears in the piece. The work, themed 'where the beauty of tradition and the dynamism of the modern world resonate, a new legend is born,' depicts an active narrative experience of purifying otherworldly threats through dance.
ElevenLabs was responsible for generating the AI voice for the opening narration, which instantly draws the audience into the work's universe, based on Kento Mori's voice. Specifically, his voice was cloned, and while preserving its inherent energy and characteristics, the vocal tone was redesigned to match the narrative's tone, creating a narration that fits the world of the piece.
In XR and immersive works, audio is not merely for conveying information but is a crucial expressive element that guides the audience deep into the story's world. This collaboration realized a new form of vocal expression that harmonizes with the work's worldview by leveraging AI voice generation to maximize the personality and texture of the artist's own voice.
ElevenLabs' voice AI technology expands the possibilities of future audio production in creative fields, including narration, dubbing, multilingual expansion, and character voices. This project is a landmark case where Japan-originated creativity and cutting-edge AI technology converged at the global hub of film and XR in Cannes.
ElevenLabs will continue to provide AI voice technology that unleashes creators' imagination and expands their expression across diverse creative domains such as film, XR, animation, and games.
■ About CinemaLeap
Founded in 2019, CinemaLeap is a creative company that provides new story-driven XR experiences. It produces XR films nominated at major international film festivals, operates the large-scale XR entertainment facility 'IMMERSIVE JOURNEY,' and organizes Japan's first international film festival specializing in XR, the 'Beyond the Frame Festival.'
■ About ElevenLabs
Founded in 2022, ElevenLabs is a global leader in AI voice research and technology, building cutting-edge AI audio tools for businesses, developers, and creators. With a valuation exceeding $11 billion, its platform is used by over 75% of Fortune 500 companies and supports the creation of high-quality voiceovers and conversational AI voice agents in over 30 languages.