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OpenAI Backs AI‑Animated Feature ‘Critterz’ Targeting Cannes 2026

OpenAI says it will provide tools and compute—not funding—to test whether a nine‑month, sub‑$30 million workflow can rival traditional animation.

Image: YouTube/OpenAI
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Critterz short film still image

Overview

  • OpenAI confirmed it is supporting production by supplying its models and computing power, with Vertigo Films and Native Foreign producing and Federation Studios providing financing.
  • The team is targeting a roughly nine‑month schedule and a budget under $30 million, a fraction of typical animated feature costs and timelines.
  • Producers aim to premiere at the Cannes Film Festival in May 2026 with a global theatrical release later in 2026.
  • The pipeline pairs GPT‑5 and DALL‑E with human creatives, using artist sketches for AI‑generated imagery and professional voice actors for characters; use of Sora has been reported.
  • Originating from Chad Nelson’s 2023 DALL‑E short and written by Paddington in Peru writers James Lamont and Jon Foster, the project has sharpened legal and labor questions as major studios pursue IP lawsuits against AI firms.