A first look at Critterz, the AI-created animated feature first announced last year, has been released, showcasing all the titular critters in digitally created fluffy hugs.
The film will be produced by OpenAI’s Chad Nelson from the writers of “Paddington in Peru” and released at the Cannes market by AGC Studios.
As well as stills, Vertigo Films, which produced the feature, along with founding partner Federation Studios, announced a new AI-native production company, Amelcia, in conjunction with the launch and release of Woven, the first technology product used in the production of “Critters.”
“All big changes in entertainment happen when creators have access to new tools, from sound to CGI,” said James Richardson, CEO of amersia. “AI is the next tipping point. We built Amethia from the ground up to empower artists to create on a scale and level of cinematic ambition never before possible. ‘Critterz’ is the first evidence of that change. The most extraordinary films and brand storytelling of the next decade will emerge from this technology.”
“Critters” director Nick Klevlov, whose previous work includes the title sequence (“Narcos”) and the first-ever AI-generated commercial (for Toys R Us) at Native Foreign, the studio he co-founded that produced the original “Critters” short, will lead Amecia’s AI-Native creative strategy.
“Woven is built around human-driven creativity,” says Klebelov. “AI should not replace judgment, but remove friction. By automating repetitive parts of production, artists can spend more time focusing on the creative decisions that actually matter.”
“Critterz,” Amecia’s first film, was created by Nelson, a producer and creative technologist at OpenAI. It was born within the OpenAI ecosystem and serves as an early proof point for amersia’s AI native production powered by Woven. The technology was originally developed as amersia’s in-house production system for ‘Critterz’ and is currently being piloted with select media company partners. A broader rollout is planned in the coming months.
amersia was founded by Vertigo Films co-founders Richardson and Allan Niblo, who together produced and distributed more than 100 films and premium television series before Vertigo became part of Federation Studios. Federation is a founding partner of amersia.
