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4d ago

OpenAI Backs AI-Made Feature ‘Critterz’ Targeting Cannes 2026 on a Nine-Month, Sub-$30 Million Schedule

Producers cast the film as a proof-of-concept for generative tools delivering studio-scale animation with a lean team.

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Image: YouTube/OpenAI
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Overview

  • Critterz will be produced largely with OpenAI’s models, including GPT-5 and image generators, in a hybrid workflow where artists provide sketches and human actors voice the characters.
  • The team plans a Cannes Film Festival premiere in May 2026 followed by a global theatrical release, according to producers.
  • The budget is under $30 million with a planned nine-month production timeline, far below typical costs and schedules for major animated features.
  • Vertigo Films and Native Foreign are producing, funding comes from Federation Studios, and roughly 30 contributors will share profits under a specialized compensation model.
  • The project originated as a short by OpenAI creative specialist Chad Nelson developed with DALL·E, with the feature’s script by Paddington in Peru writers James Lamont and Jon Foster, as legal and labor questions over AI in filmmaking continue.