OpenAI is partnering with filmmakers to produce “Critterz,” a full-length animated feature created largely with AI tools and computational resources. According to The Wall Street Journal, the film is expected to release globally next year, marking one of the first major attempts to bring an AI-assisted feature film to the big screen.
The movie follows the story of forest creatures who embark on an adventure after their village is disrupted by a stranger. It is the brainchild of Chad Nelson, a creative specialist at OpenAI, who initially created a short version of “Critterz” using OpenAI’s DALL-E 2 image-generation model.
Nelson has now teamed up with production companies in London and Los Angeles to bring the concept to life as a feature-length film, with plans to debut it at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival in May next year.
OpenAI’s involvement goes beyond creative inspiration—it is reportedly providing access to its AI tools and compute infrastructure to make the production process faster and more cost-effective. The goal is to complete the movie in roughly nine months, significantly shorter than the three-year timeline typically required for animated feature films.
“Critterz” is being produced by London-based Vertigo Films in collaboration with Native Foreign, a studio known for blending AI with traditional filmmaking techniques. The film is funded by Vertigo’s parent company, Federation Studios, which has reportedly introduced a unique compensation model—allowing the roughly 30 people involved in production to share in the project’s profits.
Adding further weight to the project, the script has been written by members of the team who also worked on the upcoming film “Paddington in Peru.” Production is already underway, with casting for character voices expected to be finalized in the coming weeks.
By combining AI innovation with traditional film production, OpenAI and its partners aim to push the boundaries of what’s possible in animation, potentially reshaping the economics and timelines of the movie industry.
