In Ray Bradbury's short story "The Veldt," George and Lydia Hadley purchase an expensive, technologically advanced smart home, which is completely automated and comes equipped with an impressive three-dimensional nursery. The Happylife Home seamlessly performs daily functions like cooking, cleaning, and entertaining the family. Despite making their lives significantly easier, the Hadleys become reliant on technology, and George and Lydia notice that their home has replaced them as parents. Wendy and Peter are portrayed as spoiled, disobedient children who have begun to resent their parents and spend the majority of their leisure time inside the technologically advanced nursery.

Lately, Wendy and Peter have begun to think about the threatening, ominous African veldt, where lions roam and vultures circle. George and Lydia are concerned about their children's mental state and agree to lock the nursery. George and Lydia recognize that technology has undermined their family dynamic and believe that it is time to shut off the house. However, Wendy and Peter have other plans and beg their parents for additional time in the nursery before they leave for Iowa. The children trick their parents into entering the automated nursery and lock them inside. Suddenly, the nursery comes to life as hungry lions steadily approach George and Lydia. The lions end up killing and eating George and Lydia Hadley at the end of the story, and David McClean witnesses the lions feasting on them as Wendy and Peter enjoy a picnic lunch nearby.