OpenAI’s AI Tools Are Now Making an Animated Movie
▼ Summary
– OpenAI is producing a full-length animated film called Critterz, based on a 2023 short film by its creative specialist Chad Nelson.
– The film has a $30 million budget, significantly lower than typical animated films like Inside Out 2, which cost $200 million.
– Production is expected to take only nine months using OpenAI’s AI tools, compared to the usual three-year cycle for animated films.
– Human artists will contribute sketches and voiceovers, with about 30 people working on the film, not all elements being AI-generated.
– The film aims to debut at the Cannes Film Festival in 2026 to demonstrate AI’s cost-effectiveness and potential to accelerate Hollywood’s adoption of the technology.
The world of animation is witnessing a groundbreaking shift as OpenAI’s generative AI tools are being used to produce a full-length animated feature film. This ambitious project, titled Critterz, follows a group of forest creatures who must relocate after an unknown intruder disturbs their peaceful village. The concept originates from a short film of the same name, created in 2023 by Chad Nelson, a creative specialist at OpenAI, with support and funding from the company using its DALL-E image generation platform.
For the full-length adaptation, production is being handled by Vertigo Films, based in London, and California’s Native Foreign. The screenplay comes from writers who previously contributed to the 2024 family favorite Paddington in Peru. With a budget of $30 million, the film represents a fraction of the cost typically associated with major animated productions, for comparison, Inside Out 2 was reported to have a $200 million budget.
Leveraging OpenAI’s advanced AI systems, including GPT-5 and other image generation models, the team anticipates completing the film in just nine months, a dramatic reduction from the standard three-year animation timeline. It’s important to note, however, that human creativity remains central to the process. Artists will hand-draw initial sketches to guide the AI, and voice actors will bring the characters to life. A team of around 30 people will oversee the project from start to finish.
Nelson and the producers aim to premiere Critterz at the Cannes Film Festival in May 2026. A successful release could demonstrate that AI is not only efficient and economical but also capable of meeting the creative demands of feature filmmaking. This project may accelerate Hollywood’s broader integration of artificial intelligence into production pipelines.
Other industry leaders are already exploring similar technologies. Netflix recently used AI to visualize a building collapse in the Argentinian series The Eternaut, and acclaimed director James Cameron has expressed optimism that AI could drastically reduce post-production timelines, freeing filmmakers to concentrate on more imaginative aspects of storytelling.
(Source: PC Mag)