OpenAI is on a mission to show Hollywood that generative artificial intelligence can deliver results and is throwing its weight behind an animated feature film it hopes will stand toe-to-toe with much costlier productions, according to the Wall Street Journal.
OpenAI comes for Hollywood with Critterz, an AI-powered animated film
OpenAI hopes Critterz will convince wary film execs to embrace AI with its low budget and accelerated production schedule.
OpenAI hopes Critterz will convince wary film execs to embrace AI with its low budget and accelerated production schedule.
is a London-based reporter at The Verge covering all things AI and a Senior Tarbell Fellow. Previously, he wrote about health, science and tech for Forbes.
The film, called Critterz, is expected to hit theaters worldwide in 2026 after a planned debut at the Cannes Film Festival, the Journal reported. It will be made primarily with the company’s AI tools, including GPT-5, its flagship model that landed with a thud last month.
Critterz is reportedly being made on a budget of less than $30 million in just nine months, fractions of what is normally required for animated features. OpenAI, alongside LA- and London-based partners Native Foreign and Vertigo Films, will be hoping the flick can convince wary Hollywood executives to bet big on AI, a tall order as the industry wrestles with slow uptake, resistance from talent and audiences and concerns over intellectual property and creative agency.
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