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Robert Hart is a London-based reporter at The Verge covering all things AI and Senior Tarbell Fellow. Previously, he wrote about health, science and tech for Forbes.
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.
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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