On June 22, 2026, Alibaba officially released the video‑generation model HappyHorse 1.1. As an upgraded version of the HappyHorse series, the model achieves systematic optimizations across key dimensions—including dynamic expressiveness, subject consistency, instruction following, visual quality, and audio capabilities—resulting in a significant overall performance improvement. HappyHorse 1.1 is now available via API on the Alibaba Bailian platform, with plans to open more features in the future.
Alibaba says HappyHorse 1.1 builds on the 1.0 version’s strengths in joint audio‑video generation and iterates based on user feedback and real‑world use cases, aiming to provide content creators, marketing teams, and film producers with a more professional and user‑friendly AI video‑generation tool.
Key Upgrades in HappyHorse 1.1
1. Significant improvements in dynamic expressiveness and motion naturalness HappyHorse 1.1 achieves breakthroughs in motion smoothness and physical realism. The model better understands complex movements (such as walking, object interactions, and natural phenomena), greatly improving dynamic coherence in generated videos. Official tests show that in blind tests of dynamic scenes, version 1.1’s win rate improved by about 25%–30% over 1.0.
2. Improved subject consistency The model’s ability to preserve the appearance, clothing, and features of subjects (people, animals, objects) has been significantly enhanced. Even in long‑sequence videos, subjects are less likely to exhibit degradation or deformation. This improvement is particularly suitable for narrative videos and advertisements that require stable character imaging.
3. Enhanced instruction‑following HappyHorse 1.1 has stronger comprehension and execution capabilities for complex text prompts, supporting finer control of camera movement, specified styles, and scene descriptions. Users can precisely control camera motion, composition, and atmosphere through natural language.
4. Visual quality and detail rendering Image clarity, color reproduction, and lighting effects have been optimized—especially at 1080p resolution, where texture detail and cinematic feel are stronger. The model supports 720p and 1080p output and can flexibly adjust aspect ratios.
5. Upgraded audio capabilities As a model that natively supports joint audio‑video generation, HappyHorse 1.1 further improves lip‑sync, environmental sound effects, and background music matching, supports multi‑language lip synchronization, and reduces word error rate.
Technical specifications:
- Single generation duration: 3–15 seconds
- Resolution: 720p / 1080p
- Supports text‑to‑video, image‑to‑video, reference‑based generation and other modes
- Architecture: efficient Transformer structure with notable inference speed optimizations
Performance metrics
According to Alibaba’s official tests and third‑party platforms (such as Artificial Analysis), HappyHorse 1.1 performs well across multiple video‑generation benchmarks:
- In the Artificial Analysis video arena, its overall Elo score remains leading.
- Blind‑test win rates for dynamic expressiveness and subject consistency have improved significantly compared with version 1.0.
- Audio synchronization accuracy and visual quality scores have both shown clear improvements.
Actual user feedback indicates that HappyHorse 1.1 is practical for scenarios such as advertising short videos, short drama trailers, educational content, and social media materials, with generation quality approaching professional film standards.
How to use
1. Use via the Alibaba Bailian platform (recommended):
- Sign in to Bailian (https://bailian.console.aliyun.com/)
- Search for "HappyHorse 1.1"
- Enter a text prompt or upload reference images, select resolution, duration, and aspect ratio
- Click generate
2. API calls: Developers can integrate via Alibaba Cloud APIs into their applications, supporting batch generation and custom parameter adjustments.
3. Playground online trial: Some third‑party platforms (such as Atlas Cloud, getimg.ai, etc.) have integrated HappyHorse 1.1 for quick online trials.
Pricing
HappyHorse 1.1 uses a points‑based billing model:
- Basic users can try with a daily free quota.
- Paid point packages: exact prices vary by platform.
- Official Bailian platform: billed by generation duration and resolution; the per‑item cost for 1080p video is relatively friendly.
- Third‑party platforms (such as Fal, Atlas Cloud): a 15‑second 1080p video may cost approximately $0.57–$4.20, depending on platform and promotions.
- Enterprise users can apply for dedicated packages and higher quotas.
Overall, HappyHorse 1.1’s cost‑performance ratio is competitive among similar video‑generation models, particularly suitable for content creators who use it frequently.
Industry implications
The release of HappyHorse 1.1 further enhances the international competitiveness of China’s AI video‑generation models. Its advantages in joint audio‑video generation and practical utility are expected to drive AI transformation in short video, advertising, film trailers, and educational content, while setting a direction of “technological innovation + compliant application” for the industry.
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