OpenAI is making a bold move into the world of cinema by backing “Critterz,” an animated feature film crafted with artificial intelligence. According to a report by The Wall Street Journal, the movie is called ‘Critterz’ and is the brain child of Chad Nelson, a creative specialist at OpenAI. The project, blending the expertise of OpenAI with film industry partners Vertigo Films and Native Foreign, is set to challenge established Hollywood norms by relying on generative AI models for its visuals and production pipeline. With a reported budget of under $30 million significantly lower than the typical $100 million-plus cost of major animated films the film is racing to complete production in just nine months, with a planned premiere at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival.
“Critterz” brings together human actors and scriptwriters, using AI as a creative tool rather than a replacement. The story follows a group of forest creatures displaced by an outsider, a premise designed to showcase both narrative heart and technological innovation. Artists’ sketches are being converted into detailed animations with help from OpenAI’s image and video generation technologies, while dialogue and story arcs are refined by seasoned screenwriters, including those involved with the “Paddington” series.
Insiders at OpenAI and the film’s production companies see the project as more than a technical showcase. They aim to spark a broader industry conversation about the role of AI in entertainment from slashing costs and timelines to democratizing content creation for smaller studios. The team is keen to emphasize collaboration between AI systems and human creatives, pushing back on fears of job loss by positioning the technology as a new class of artistic assistant.
OpenAI’s involvement isn’t isolated to this film; the company is also partnering on short film initiatives with the Tribeca Festival to further explore AI’s impact on storytelling. “Critterz” will serve as a high-profile experiment, and its performance at Cannes will be closely watched by both AI skeptics and champions in Hollywood.
If “Critterz” achieves its goals delivering feature-length animation that’s both affordable and artistically ambitious it could mark a turning point, not just for AI in film, but for how the entire industry approaches storytelling in the digital age.
