I loved reading this story about the making of this commercial. I remember it the spot but did not know how it came together. Ken Segall always provides those little pieces of info you wish you knew.
Making it legal
We learned that using HAL would require approval from two separate entities. MGM owned the rights to the concept and Stanley Kubrick owned the rights to the character he had created.
MGM turned out to be a piece o’ cake. You want to make a HAL commercial? Sure, be our guest. (Not quite that simple, but close.)
Stanley Kubrick was a potential deal-killer. His attorney informed us that Kubrick was very difficult to get a hold of. He only checked in when he wanted to, and he was currently in London, consumed by post-production work on Eyes Wide Shut.