AI Film 'Gods Don't Give Gifts' Adds Grimes Cameo and Oscar Bid

Grimes will appear in "Gods Don't Give Gifts," the first fully AI-generated feature film to receive a self-distributed US theatrical release, when it opens December 4. YouTuber Gossip Goblin announced the cameo on the same day the production launched a massive Times Square ad campaign. YouTuber Mike Majlak also joins the cast.

The film, made by Zack London — the man behind the Gossip Goblin moniker — and produced by Edward Saatchi of Fable Studios, has drawn press comparisons to Markiplier's self-released "Iron Lung," which earned $50 million worldwide. A recent example from China, however, suggests that success may not translate to AI cinema.

The team is also staging an Oscar campaign for Best Animated Feature. For Your Consideration screenings have already begun, and a digital campaign starts at the end of November. The trailer has collected 16 million views.

What does the campaign change for AI filmmaking?

It signals that the producers want the film treated as serious cinema, not a novelty. Gossip Goblin has launched a contest inviting the public to use AI to create short films set in the "Gods Don't Give Gifts" universe, with $15,000 going to the winning creator.

"We've been heartened already by the reaction," Saatchi said in a statement. "One Oscar-Nominated animated film director compared 'Gods Don't Give Gifts' after seeing it to '2001,' and we've had great feedback from Pixar folks (part of Fable's team is ex-Pixar and we hugely respect their work)."

Who is actually behind the movie?

London, speaking with IndieWire ahead of the announcement, said he is "fully cognizant" of the controversy around releasing an AI-made film in theaters. He acknowledged the project is "a big, unproven hypothesis," but said it would be "disingenuous to write it all off" as just an AI movie.

Roughly 30 to 35 people are credited on the film. A behind-the-scenes documentary in production features interviews with the composer and voice actors and shows the Foley artist doing real post-production work. Even Grimes's involvement required an elaborate process: her image was generated to resemble her through photo mashing atop existing character design, and the model makers themselves had to be contacted to remove built-in censors on generating a public figure's likeness. Grimes supplied real voice acting.

The counterview is hard to ignore. Critics note the visuals on display would normally demand a team of thousands and millions of dollars. Where audiences fall on that spectrum may decide whether they buy a ticket.

Is this a 'Toy Story' moment?

Saatchi argues the film is more than a box-office experiment. He said nearly all CG animated films since "Toy Story" have looked similar and used the same techniques. Other AI productions may aim to imitate Pixar cheaply, but London wanted a psychedelic, otherworldly look that could only come from generative models.

"Pixar set the look for animated films in the '90s — they didn't use technology to more cheaply make a film that looked like 'Beauty and the Beast,' they created a radically new aesthetic with 'Toy Story,'" Saatchi said. "That's what 'Gods Don't Give Gifts' represents: a wild new aesthetic for animated films that will define much of animated, actor-voiced films in the coming decades. This is that 'Toy Story' moment for our generation — a radical departure for animated films — you only need to see Grimes' brilliant performance in the film to understand how much things are about to change for animated movies. And we hope the Academy will recognize that a film that is seminal (the first AI film), wildly technically novel and most importantly good deserves a nomination."

The December 4 release, the Oscar screenings and the $15,000 contest together mark the most concerted effort yet to move AI-generated cinema from novelty to awards-season contender.