Eli Roth Clarifies His Comments on Ice Cream Man’s Use of GenAI

Eli Roth, known for his mixed bag of horror films like *Hostel* and *Cabin Fever*, is back with a self-funded gore fest titled *Ice Cream Man*. The plot revolves around an ice cream vendor whose treats turn kids into killers. Sounds wild, right? In a recent chat, Roth was asked if he utilized any generative AI for the film’s animated segments. He confidently stated that he hand-drew everything himself. However, this claim has since been challenged, leading him to clarify that he “misspoke.”

It’s reminiscent of when you assure your mom that your room is spotless, only to realize later that you might have exaggerated a bit. That seems to be the case for Roth regarding the vintage-style animated characters featured on kids’ phones in his latest project.

In *Ice Cream Man*, the children indulge in the ice creams, become possessed, and are incited to kill by a Cuphead-esque cartoon that pops up on their devices. During a press event, a reporter asked Roth how this animation was created on such a tight budget, specifically inquiring about the involvement of generative AI. Roth responded, “I have an animation background and I drew it. I worked with an animation team and I wanted it to look and feel like a jittery style of animation.” He elaborated, “I drew the loop cycles and the styles. Then I had some animators help make it a little more fluid, and I worked with an artist to give it an old-timey jittery feel.” So, no AI at all? “I sat there and drew out the frames I wanted, trying to match the style of the 1920s haunted Mickey Mouse cartoons.”

Impressive, right? But it seems there’s more to the story.

A preview version of the film sent to reviewers credited AI visual effects company Dark Half, raising questions about their role in the project. Following this, Roth provided a follow-up statement, admitting, “I misspoke. AI was used in a very small portion of a few scenes in the film. It was an opportunity where technology and creativity came together to help bring my vision for the film to life.”

Interestingly, Roth didn’t specifically mention the animated sequences in this clarification, and follow-up questions have gone unanswered. Given that the cartoons were the only context in which he discussed AI, it raises suspicions that this might be where he misrepresented the facts. While it’s likely true that Roth did some drawing and that animators contributed, it seems he may not have shared the complete picture. An unusual choice, indeed.

We’ve reached out to Dark Half to inquire about the specific aspects of the film they worked on.