EXCLUSIVE: Stuart Ford’s AGC Studios is launching world sales ahead of the Cannes market on the AI-produced family animation Critterz.
Written by duo James Lamont and Jon Foster (Paddington in Peru) and screenwriter Tom Butterworth (Birthday Girl), the “human-led but AI-assisted” project is being positioned as one of the first mainstream commercial family movies to use AI throughout its production pipeline.
The script is written by Lamont, Foster and Butterworth and directed and produced by Nik Kleverov, co-founder of AI outfit Native Foreign. Chad Nelson, creative strategist at OpenAI, is serving as a producer with Allan Niblo and James Richardson of UK production and distribution outfit Vertigo Films (Britannia). Pascal Breton, Lionel Uzan, Jane Moore, Stuart Ford and Aghi Koh are executive producers.
Per the logline, the movie follows an anxious but brave little woodland creature who unites with a group of eccentric outcasts — each with their own peculiar quirks and hidden strengths — on a high-stakes quest to find her long-lost brother. Above is a first look at the characters. AGC will show first footage in Cannes. Voice cast, which we understand will be human, has yet to be set.
We understand the budget is in the $30 million range but would have been significantly higher had it been made in a traditional manner. The animated feature is a full-length adaptation of the 2023 viral short of the same name created by Nelson. The short was one of the first film to use OpenAI’s creative tools.
When production of Critterz was announced in September 2025, the Los Angeles Times asked whether it heralded “AI’s Toy Story moment.”
Kleverov claimed: “Critterz will be a timeless film — a world that feels truly its own. It will carry the wonder of the ‘80s fantasy movies I grew up on — the scrappy, adventurous spirit of The Goonies and the mythic, emotional scope of The NeverEnding Story … combined with the scale of early Star Wars. It’s grounded in something deeply human: a fractured world finding its way back together. At the center is a character whose greatest power isn’t force — it’s believing in herself, and her family.”
AGC’s CEO Ford added: “We are thrilled to join Vertigo and Native Foreign in bringing the much-anticipated Critterz to the industry. This ground-breaking feature demonstrates for the first time how AI can integrate into production without replacing artistry, becoming a tool for exploration rather than substitution. Filmmakers shape the story, characters, and emotions and AI provides the brushstrokes that we believe can bring a new franchise to life for families around the world.”
Vertigo’s Richardson stated: “We’re delighted to be partnering with AGC to show the world how great artists and storytellers can utilize this incredible technology to do the only thing that really matters – make a great movie. Critterz is a beautiful, heartwarming and thrilling tale and Nik, Chad, the writers and the creative team have created truly unique with scale and ambition to wow, warm the hearts and put smiles on the faces of family audiences worldwide.”