AI remake trailer for Princess Mononoke is deemed “soulless” and “tarred and feathered” online

A “Princess Mononoke” movie created using so-called generative AI was heavily criticized by fans on social media after its release earlier this week.

“One day we will wake up and there will be no more Princess Mononoke, Gravity Falls, Avatar, or animated films like Wolf Children or Arcane… just AI-generated soulless garbage,” wrote @goroweko on X, formerly Twitter. “I don’t want that that much.”

The AI-generated remake competes “shot for shot” with the original and was created by AI entrepreneur PJ Acetturo by combining AI-generated CGI shots that match the film. The result is a “crime” that “transforms a 15-year-old Japanese girl into a white woman with smoky eyes and bikini tan lines” and “is enough for me to think we should bring back tar and feathers,” literary Agent Roma Panganiban wrote on X.

Acetturo has made it clear that he is proud of his production, no matter what reaction it receives. “I've wanted to do a live-action version of Studio Ghibli's Princess Mononoke for over 20 years. I spent $745 in Kling credits to give you a glimpse into the future of filmmaking,” he wrote on X.

The AI ​​filmmaker added that he was “interviewed by the BBC today about my films” and “customers are reaching out like crazy.”

He was challenged on the BBC segment, with one of the British broadcaster's contributors commenting that it seemed like the AI-created content was missing something.

“I'm sure there will be criticism here. I heard that Miyazaki is against AI. That’s okay,” the filmmaker wrote online. “I made this adaptation primarily for myself because his work makes me want to create new worlds. We should look for ethical ways to explore AI tools to empower artists to be creative.”

He posted a side-by-side comparison of his trailer with the beautifully designed original:

His statements were called problematic by actor Swann Gray, who tweeted in response: “I heard Miyazaki is against AI. That's okay.” … Excuse me? Say that in the same breath as the word “ethical”? And calling a shot-for-shot remake “creating a new world”? Zero creativity, zero respect and zero idea of ​​what art is. You’re not an artist – you’re a fraud.”

When Miyazaki himself presented an example of the use of AI in animation, he stated: “I feel strongly that this is an insult to life itself.”

The post-AI remake trailer for Princess Mononoke was deemed “soulless” and worthy of “Tarring and Feathering” online | The video first appeared on TheWrap.