"Ever since AI started making headlines, we've been hearing claims that it will completely change how Hollywood works. So far, it's mainly been used in small ways, like assisting in greenscreen editing or tweaking foreign language speech. But generative AI - which creates fresh images based on its training data - has started to inch its way into mainstream movies, from sci-fi sagas and horror to true crime documentaries."
"With only the visuals being AI-generated, what's the point of using the technology? It all comes down to time and money. Critterz is being produced for $30 million, and the team behind it is trying to finish in only nine months, which is lightning fast for animation. The goal is to screen the finished product at the Cannes Film Festival in May 2026."
"But if AI is just being used to cut corners, then it shows. the short film, has a fun premise - a nature documentarian is shocked by the sassiness of the animals he encounters - but completely falls apart in execution. The characters have the indisputable look of AI generation, complete with misformed pupils and strange, clunky movements. Maybe this could be amended in a feature film, but there's a reason good animation takes time."
Generative AI has moved from small film tasks into attempts at mainstream, feature-length animation. OpenAI is providing tools and computing power to expand Critterz from a short into a feature with a human-written script and human voices. The production plans to use AI only for visuals to speed work and reduce costs, targeting a $30 million budget and a nine-month schedule to premiere at Cannes in May 2026. Early short-film visuals display AI artifacts such as misformed pupils and clumsy motion. The visual flaws underline the current limitations of generative AI and the reasons why high-quality animation requires time.
Read at Inverse
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