On Tuesday, a coalition of French filmmaking professional organizations issued a letter expressing “deep concern about OpenAI’s plans to create, produce and distribute an animated film entirely generated by artificial intelligence.” The company is being singled out for its Critterz animated feature project, which is based on the 2023 short film of the same name produced using OpenAI’s DALL-E technology.
“At a time when the animation industry is facing an unprecedented crisis, OpenAI’s initiative is especially worrying given that the company has previously shown disregard for copyright protections, having copied or used works by Studio Ghibli and Hayao Miyazaki, among others, without seeking permission,” the letter states.
Signatories include L’ARP (Society of Authors, Directors & Producers), la SRF (Society of Film Directors), SCA (Society of Screenwriters), SACD (Society of Dramatic Authors and Composers [creators/writers]), La Guilde (Guild of French Screenwriters), U2R (Directors Union) and AGrAF (Creators Group of French Animation).
As reported by outlets such as The Ankler, the San Francisco-based AI company (best known for its AI chatbot program ChatGPT, the center of its own whirlpool of controversy and even lawsuits) is planning to release the Critterz feature film in 2026 and is aiming for a Cannes launch. The project’s reported <$30 million budget and nine-month production timeline is raising alarm bells among industry watchers, who worry if the film offers strong competition with the costlier, more time-intensive and human-reliant films of major studios like Disney, Pixar, DreamWorks and Illumination, it could mark a major shift and threaten human employment across the feature animation landscape.
Produced in partnership with Vertigo Films and AI storytelling-focused creative agency Native Foreign, Critterz does have flesh and blood creative input from Paddington in Peru writers James Lamont and Jon Foster, as well as voice actors and even artists. However, the majority of design and rendering will be done through OpenAI’s tech stack, including GPT-5 for script development, DALL-E for concept art and internal production tools.
The French societies’ letter reads:
Animation Creation Threatened by OpenAI
Organizations representing animation authors have expressed deep concern about OpenAI’s plans to create, produce, and distribute an animated film entirely generated by artificial intelligence.
Graphic designers, screenwriters, and animation directors were among the first to use technological innovations as a tool in their creative process. However, they are also the first to know that no technology can replace the sensitivity, vision, and commitment of human creators. The act of creation is a profoundly human endeavor, shaped by lived experiences, cultures, and genuine emotions — all elements beyond the reach of AI.
At a time when the animation industry is facing an unprecedented crisis, OpenAI’s initiative is especially worrying given that the company has previously shown disregard for copyright protections, having copied or used works by Studio Ghibli and Hayao Miyazaki, among others, without seeking permission.
French animated cinema, renowned worldwide for its artistic richness and high standards, relies on the talents of human creators and technicians, which must be preserved — as must the diversity of perspectives, the quality of the works, and the balance of our entire cultural ecosystem.
Furthermore, the Cannes Film Festival, cited by OpenAI as the intended platform for the film’s premiere, cannot be co-opted for commercial promotion or used to legitimize the replacement of human creators.
We, the undersigned, call on public authorities, film festivals, and citizens to stand with us in defending creative freedom — a freedom that must remain responsible, ethical, and above all, deeply human. Every creative work must be led by human authors in key artistic roles.
