We're the Superhumans

The advert faced criticism for allegedly conveying unrealistic expectations of people with disabilities, stemming from Channel 4's marketing campaigns for the Paralympics having promoted the athletes as having "superhuman" traits.

[1][2] Channel 4's marketing and communications chief Dan Brooke explained that their goal was expand upon the concept of the previous advert by featuring "everyday" people with disabilities, in addition to para-athletes.

[2][7] Notable people appearing in the ad included wheelchair stunt performer Aaron Fotheringham, Polish driver Bartek Ostalowski (who began driving adapted race cars after losing his arms in a motorcycle accident),[7] Jessica Cox (an American who was the first armless person to earn a pilot's certificate),[7][8] as well as British Paralympic athletes Natalie Blake, Hannah Cockroft, Matthew Phillips, and Ellie Simmonds.

[7] Alvin Law of Canada, who is seen drumming with his feet in the opening scene, was born without arms due to side effects of his mother's use of the drug thalidomide.

[7] The introduction of the advert and its associated campaign had a higher percentage of user engagement on Twitter than the release of the BBC's 2016 Summer Olympics trailer.

[1] On 29 July 2016, Tim Worner, CEO of the Seven Network—the new rightsholder of the Paralympics in Australia as of 2016, stated at the Sports Marketing Summit that it would be making a localised version of the campaign to promote its inaugural coverage.

[11] Adweek described the ad as being "joyous" and "awesomely over-the-top", stating that "the message is considerably broader in scope and more sweeping than the 2012 spot, and the nonstop positive vibes—driven by imaginative set pieces and inspired editing—are incredibly infectious.

Acknowledging its diversity and gender equality, jury president Pete Kavat stated that the advert was "bold" and "proud", and "pushes humanity forward".