AI-Animated movie to premiere at Cannes 2026
- Alex Iwanoff
- Sep 11
- 2 min read
Critterz is the name of the film.
“Is this AI’s ‘Toy Story’ moment?”, asked Los Angeles Times, which marked the arrival of 3D animation as a mainstream force.
The film is produced by Los Angeles–based Native Foreign (the same team behind the controversial Toys’R’us ad in 2024), in collaboration with London’s Vertigo Films and OpenAI.
And it’s already fueling debate online. So, here’s the tea.
FROM SHORT TO FEATURE
Critterz originated in 2023 as a short film by OpenAI creative specialist Chad Nelson and Native Foreign’s Nik Kleverov. It used OpenAI’s image generator DALL·E for its visuals, and was earlier this year “remastered” with Sora. The self-proclaimed “first-ever AI-generated short” screened at Annecy Animation film festival, Tribeca and Cannes Lions, and was nominated for a Producers Guild Innovation Award, according to Native Foreign.
The film follows a community of forest creatures whose village is disrupted by a stranger, setting them off on an adventure.
“By saying that we are embarking on this, I think it can hopefully open the door for more AI projects to also come out, and we can hopefully see a wave of new great storytelling”, Nik Kleverov, chief creative officer of Native Foreign
Today, after securing copyright through law firm Perkins Coie, Critterz is now being developed into a full-length "AI animated movie" with writers James Lamont and Jon Foster, the duo behind Paddington in Peru. According to Vertigo Films, the production will also employ artists to provide sketches that feed into OpenAI’s tools and cast human actors for the voices.
The feature is expected to be completed in just nine months on a budget of less than $30 million. For comparison, a “traditional” 3D animated film such as Toy Story 4 can cost up to $200 million and take three to four years to make. By contrast, the Oscar-winning indie movie Flow, was made for $3.5 million using the open-source 3D software Blender, but took the small team five and a half years of work to finalize it.
REACTIONS ABOUT THE AI ANIMATED MOVIE
The announcement comes as debate continues over the use of AI in film. Ongoing lawsuits, including Disney and Universal’s case against Midjourney, highlight unresolved questions about copyright and creative ownership. Many are asking the same question: to AI or not to AI, including us.
Meanwhile, audience reactions so far remain harsh and sceptical. As of September 11, 2025, the original Critterz short on YouTube has more than 75,000 views, with largely negative comments (but not a single thumbs down). On LinkedIn, too, the discussion is heated (at least according to our algorithm), reflecting a mix of hate and fear with a hint of curiosity (to see them fail).
Still, Kleverov aims to create a legitimate contender within mainstream cinema, “a really great film”, as reported by the Los Angeles Times.
“The last thing I want [the audience] to think about is AI. (...) I think we’re going to see a revolution of independent cinema because you’re going to be able to tell so many more stories”, Kleverov.
Only time will tell if Critterz becomes AI’s Toy Story moment or if it will be yet another name on the long list of another box office flop, AI or not.