Can AI make animated movies? OpenAI is making a feature film to debut at Cannes

Hollywood might be about to get its first major AI test case. OpenAI is backing Critterz, a feature-length animated film created largely with its own tools, which is set to premiere at the Cannes Film Festival in May 2026.

The film, about a band of forest creatures whose lives are upended by a mysterious outsider, is the brainchild of OpenAI creative specialist Chad Nelson. He first experimented with the idea three years ago, using DALL-E to generate characters for a short proof-of-concept. That experiment has now snowballed into a full-scale production involving London’s Vertigo Films and Los Angeles-based Native Foreign, with funding from Federation Studios.

Unlike a traditional animated movie that takes three years and costs upwards of $100 million, Critterz is aiming to be made in just nine months for under $30 million. Human artists will sketch designs that AI tools will help flesh out, while professional voice actors will bring the characters to life. The script comes from writers who also worked on Paddington in Peru, and casting is currently underway.

For Nelson and OpenAI, the bet is clear: if Critterz succeeds, it could prove that AI isn’t just a tool for storyboarding or effects, it can drive the making of an entire film. “OpenAI can say what its tools do all day long, but it’s much more impactful if someone does it,” Nelson told the Wall Street Journal.

The project also lands at a time when Hollywood is deeply divided over AI. Studios like Netflix are drafting rules for how it can be used, Disney and Universal are suing Midjourney over copyright claims, and last year’s SAG-AFTRA strike secured new safeguards around digital likenesses. Critterz, then, isn’t just an experiment in speed and budget; it’s a statement about the future of creativity itself.