tech
Sora shutdown leaves Critterz at the Cannes market without its model
The OpenAI-backed family animation that was meant to prove generative AI could ship a real movie has missed its festival window, in part because the video model it was built on no longer exists.
TL;DR
- Critterz, an animated feature intended to be the first mainstream commercial film produced using a generative AI pipeline, missed its planned Cannes debut.
- The film's production was significantly impacted by the shutdown of OpenAI's Sora tool, which was a core component of its creative process.
- Producers are exploring alternative premiere windows, with Cannes 2027 being a potential option, but the film's unique selling proposition as the 'first AI feature' faces competition.
- The economics of generative AI tools like Sora, which are expensive to run and may not retain users, contributed to its discontinuation.
- OpenAI has reportedly shifted its video research towards 'world-simulation' for robotics.