Alibaba Releases HappyHorse 1.1
On June 22, Alibaba officially released HappyHorse 1.1 (快乐小马 1.1), its video generation model. Less than two months after the 1.0 version launched on April 27, this update addresses real-world production feedback from short dramas, e-commerce ads, brand marketing, and CG production workflows.
HappyHorse 1.0 previously topped the Artificial Analysis video blind-test leaderboard in the no-audio category (Elo 1290). Version 1.1 builds on that foundation.
Five Core Upgrades
Dynamic expressiveness: The 1.1 model improves motion modeling and temporal consistency. Users had reported sluggish movement and weak rhythm in version 1.0. The new version significantly reduces stiff movement and slow-motion artifacts. In real-world testing, tasks like motorcycle driving scenes now show normal speed and realistic physics, whereas 1.0 would produce slow-motion effects and reverse-driving issues.
Visual quality: The new version achieves higher fidelity in details like skin sweat, environmental lighting, and material collision debris. The "oily texture" problem has been largely addressed. However, background characters in scenes with many people still show facial blurring.
Subject consistency: Version 1.1 supports up to 9 reference images simultaneously, enabling flexible combinations of product details, brand elements, characters, and scenes. It solves the industry-wide problem of character faces or costumes "collapsing" across consecutive frames.
Instruction following: Complex instruction restoration has improved. In comparison tests with Seedance 2.0 Mini, both models could follow prompt details sequentially, though each had their own artifacts in surreal scenes.
Audio capabilities: Some improvement, but instrument performance scenarios still need optimization.
Technical Specs and Pricing
Technical specifications remain the same as 1.0:
| Parameter | Spec |
|---|---|
| Single generation duration | 3-15 seconds |
| Resolution | 720p / 1080p |
| Aspect ratio | Free |
| Reference image inputs | Up to 9 |
Pricing for 1080p drops from 1.6 yuan/sec to 1.2 yuan/sec (0.72 yuan after discount), a 25% reduction. 720p stays at 0.9 yuan/sec (0.54 yuan after discount).
Limited-time promotions: 60% off generation, new member first purchase from 6.6 yuan, 66 free credits on login.
How to Try It
- Official site: happyhorse.cn
- API access: Alibaba Cloud Bailian Platform
Based on testing, HappyHorse 1.1's upgrade scope meets expectations for a minor version iteration, with solid optimizations addressing issues from the previous generation. Combined with the price reduction, Alibaba's competitiveness in the video generation space continues to strengthen.