After its recent release, a contentious “Princess Mononoke” film generated by AI received significant backlash from fans on various social media platforms. The AI-generated remake, created by entrepreneur PJ Acetturo, was pitted against the original, featuring CGI shots produced by AI that closely mimic the original film. However, fans expressed dismay, with one user lamenting, “One day we’ll wake up, and there won’t be any more Princess Mononoke, Gravity Falls, Avatar, or animated films like Wolf Children or Arcane…just AI-generated soulless garbage.”
Criticism was also aimed at the AI-generated version’s alteration of characters, as it transformed “a 15-year-old Japanese girl into a white woman with a smoky eye and bikini tan lines.” This prompted a scathing response from literary agent Roma Panganiban, who expressed that such alterations were egregious enough to prompt thoughts of “bringing back tarring and feathering.”
Despite the negative reception, PJ Acetturo proudly defended his creation, stating, “I’ve wanted to make a live action version of Studio Ghibli’s Princess Mononoke for 20+ years now. I spent $745 in Kling credits to show you a glimpse of the future of filmmaking.” He also shared his excitement about the attention his AI-generated films were receiving, mentioning that he was being interviewed by the BBC and that clients were reaching out to him.
However, during the BBC interview, Acetturo faced challenges, as a contributor noted that AI-created content seemed to lack a certain depth or essence when compared to human-generated content.
The filmmaker recently made a statement online about creating an adaptation inspired by Miyazaki’s work, expressing a desire to explore ethical ways to use AI tools to empower artists. However, his comments were criticized by actor Swann Grey, who called the adaptation a “shot-for-shot remake” and accused the filmmaker of lacking creativity and respect for art. Additionally, Miyazaki himself has expressed strong opposition to the use of AI in animation, stating that he believes it is “an insult to life itself.”
