IRVINE, Calif. -

An upcoming trip to the theater might include a pitch for the 2011 Kia Optima thanks to a new campaign the automaker launched late last week.

Kia Motors America announced that as step one of its "largest vehicle launch effort in company history," it is rolling out a made-for-cinema 60-second spot that began running at movie theaters nationwide this past weekend.

Nameplate officials explained the spot titled “Sweet Dreams” is based on the premise that “nobody ever dreamt of driving a midsize sedan — until now.” They indicated the ad follows a young boy as he experiences a series of magical, dream-like adventures through the streets of San Francisco, along a beach, and through a snow-covered countryside inhabited by unicorns, knights on horseback and other whimsical creatures.

The spot wraps up as the boy’s dream becomes reality, and he drives his all-new Optima through the city streets as an adult.

Kia said “Sweet Dreams” is set to appear at more than 17,000 theaters nationwide in an attempt to reach more than 70 million movie attendees. The spot — created by Kia’s advertising agency David&Goliath — is scheduled to run into early January.

“‘Sweet Dreams’ will resonate with buyers who are typically uninspired by traditional midsize sedans and desire more,” the automaker believes.

“The all-new Optima builds upon Kia’s philosophy of creating high quality, dynamic vehicles that evoke passion and offer high levels of performance technology and upscale amenities while also delivering outstanding fuel economy,” the OEM added.

In addition to the “Sweet Dreams” campaign, the company said the 2011 Optima will be featured in Kia’s second Super Bowl ad in February. Kia also noted the unit is expected to be available for consumer test drives through the “Experience the New Standard” program at select auto shows around the country.

“Consumers told us that traditional midsize sedan offerings were missing the excitement and fun found in other segments, but the Optima is the latest result of our design-led transformation,” insisted Michael Sprague, vice president, marketing and communications at Kia.

“It breaks from tradition by combining dynamic styling with powerful and fuel efficient performance and has the high levels of quality and safety consumers have come to expect from Kia,” Sprague went on to say. “It really is true that consumers don’t usually dream of driving a midsize sedan, but we believe that the Optima will change that, making the midsize sedan something worth desiring again.”