AI Animated Film Festival Nominees to Screen in U.S. Theatres
- tech360.tv
- 10 hours ago
- 2 min read
Nominees from the Frame Forward Animated AI Film Festival will be shown in U.S. theatres throughout Feb. 2026. This marks a significant development for AI animation, with a public vote to select the winner.
Modern Uprising Studios, which describes itself as "where art, story, and machine intelligence collide," organised this first-of-its-kind festival. Creators globally submitted AI-enabled animated films.
Three nominated films, "Thanksgiving Day," "The Pillar," and "So Close Yet So Far," will be promoted. These shorts will be screened in U.S. theatres during the Feb. voting period.
The public can cast their vote for their preferred film via the FrameForward.ai festival site. The winning film will then receive a U.S. theatrical release in March.
Prizes for the winner include three months of unlimited access to Flow, Google AI's filmmaking tool, and access to Weavy. Weavy mixes and matches different AI engines into one workflow.
Additionally, Lighthouse Academy will award a grand prize scholarship to the winner. Grants will also be provided to the finalists.
The use of AI in animation has generated various viewpoints within the film industry. AI animations are now common across social media platforms.
DreamWorks Co-founder Jeffrey Katzenberg is a supporter of the technology. He stated that AI could reduce the time taken to produce a world-class animated film by up to 90%.
Taiki Sakurai, producer of "Pokémon Concierge" on Netflix, also supports AI. He said that "not using AI would be 'inhumane'" compared to hand-drawn animation.
The use of AI in fully animated fare is considered by some to be akin to when computers took over from hand-drawn creations in the 1990s, which highlights its potential for efficiency and makes its application seem more reasonable.
Conversely, CCO at Pixar Pete Docter referred to AI for animation as "least impressive blah average of things." "The Mitchells vs. the Machines" director Michael Rianda also shared concerns.
Rianda stated that "studios cannot replace a single artist with AI." These differing opinions highlight the ongoing discussion surrounding AI's role in creative fields.
Nominees from the Frame Forward Animated AI Film Festival will screen in U.S. theatres throughout Feb. 2026.
Three short films were nominated: "Thanksgiving Day," "The Pillar," and "So Close Yet So Far."
Public voting will take place in Feb. via FrameForward.ai, with the winner receiving a March theatrical release and other prizes.
Source: FORBES
