Eli Roth is clarifying how artificial intelligence was used in his new horror filmIce Cream Man days before its theatrical release.
The Hostel filmmaker initially told Polygon that a stylized animated sequence in the movie began with his own drawings and was then refined by animators. The sequence, inspired by early Mickey Mouse and Fleischer Studios-style animation, appears in the film as a cartoon that entrances children and turns them into killers.
After viewers noticed that the credits included Dark Half, an AI visual effects studio, questions spread online about whether generative AI had been involved.
Eli Roth Clarifies the Animation
“I have an animation background and I drew it,” Roth originally told Polygon. “I worked with an animation team and I wanted it to look and feel like – there’s an old Mickey Mouse cartoon where he goes to a haunted house and there’s brooms and dancing skeletons and this kind of flowing dancing stuff and the jittery style of the animation.”
He added that he “drew the loop cycles and the styles” and worked with animators to make the sequence “a little more fluid.”
In a later statement to the outlet, Roth acknowledged that description was incomplete.
“I misspoke. AI was used in a very small portion of a few scenes in the film,” he explained. “It was an opportunity where technology and creativity came together to help bring my vision for the film to life.”
An Unanswered Question
Roth has not publicly specified which shots used AI or how much of the retro cartoon sequence was created with generative tools. That lack of detail has helped keep the discussion alive as Ice Cream Man prepares to open in U.S. theaters August 7.
The controversy reflects a larger tension around AI in film: audiences may react less to the presence of the technology itself than to whether they feel its use wasn’t clearly disclosed.
A Familiar Hollywood Flashpoint
Ice Cream Man is not the first genre film to face scrutiny over AI. The directors of Late Night with the Devil previously addressed criticism after AI-generated images appeared in the theatrical version of the 2023 horror movie. Stop That Train director Adam Shankman also pushed back after social media users questioned the involvement of Ryan Kavanaugh‘s Acme AI and FX firm.
The debate has divided filmmakers. Some are experimenting with AI as another production tool, while others have rejected it outright. Guillermo del Toro, whose Frankenstein is also entering the genre conversation, has repeatedly said he refuses to use AI.
