An almost entirely AI-generated animated movie is in the works, and it's aiming to debut at Cannes next year

A mostly AI-generated film is in the works, and it has the aim of debuting at Cannes next year.

According to the Wall Street Journal, Critterz, which will be "made largely with AI," is anticipating a global 2026 theatrical release. The movie hails from OpenAI creative specialist Chad Nelson, and it will be made with OpenAI tools like image-generating models and GPT-5.

The movie is said to be about forest creatures who set off on an adventure following a stranger disrupting their village. It was originally a short film made in 2023 by Nelson and Native Foreign co-founder Nik Kleverov. You can watch the short online.

Human actors and artists will be involved with production as voice actors and to draw sketches that will be input into OpenAI's tools. Some of the writers involved with Paddington 3 are on board, though the article doesn't specify which.

Critterz's budget is $30 million, and it's aiming to be completed in around nine months. Vertigo Films and Native Foreign are producing. Federation Studios, Vertigo's parent company, is funding the project.

AI is a controversial topic in filmmaking. While Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos recently called it an "incredible opportunity," Disney and Universal have branded AI a "bottomless pit of plagiarism" in a lawsuit against AI company Midjourney. It was also a key concern in the 2023 SAG-AFTRA actors' strikes and WGA writers' strikes.

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