AI-Generated Animated Film CRITTERZ Aims for Cannes Debut in 2026
A new animated feature created almost entirely with AI is gearing up for a potential debut at the Cannes Film Festival next year, and it's called Critterz.
The movie is being developed by Chad Nelson, a creative specialist at OpenAI, and it will be powered by tools like OpenAI's image generators and GPT-5. According to the Wall Street Journal, Critterz is slated for a global theatrical release in 2026 and will be "made largely with AI."
The story follows a group of forest creatures who embark on an adventure after a mysterious outsider disrupts their peaceful village. It started as a short film in 2023, co-created by Nelson and Nik Kleverov, co-founder of Native Foreign. That short is already available online if you're curious to see the original vision.
While AI will be doing the heavy lifting, there will still be a solid human touch. Traditional artists will provide hand-drawn sketches that will be fed into AI tools, and human voice actors will bring the characters to life.
The project is also getting some writing support from talent who worked on Paddington 3, although it hasn't been revealed exactly who from that team is involved.
The production is being backed by Vertigo Films and Native Foreign, with Federation Studios (Vertigo's parent company) footing the $30 million budget. The goal is to have it completed within nine months.
As exciting as this may be for fans of emerging tech in entertainment, AI's growing role in filmmaking continues to be a lightning rod for controversy.
Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos recently praised AI as an "incredible opportunity," but major studios like Disney and Universal have taken a much harsher stance. In a lawsuit against AI company Midjourney, they referred to it as a "bottomless pit of plagiarism."
AI was also a core issue in the 2023 SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes, highlighting just how divided the industry is on this evolving tech.
Whether Critterz ends up being a groundbreaking achievement or another flashpoint in the AI debate, it's definitely a project worth keeping an eye on.