Updated

Updated · Cartoon Brew · Aug 5

Eli Roth Admits AI Use in Ice Cream Man After Describing 1920s-Style Animation as Hand-Drawn

Updated

Updated · Cartoon Brew · Aug 5

Eli Roth Admits AI Use in Ice Cream Man After Describing 1920s-Style Animation as Hand-Drawn

Q: Which Ice Cream Man scenes actually used AI, and why won’t Eli Roth say where the technology appeared?

No one outside the production appears to know exactly which *Ice Cream Man* scenes used generative AI. Eli Roth has only said AI appears in “a very small portion of a few scenes,” and he has not identified those scenes or explained precisely how the technology was used. The main point of confusion is an eerie animated sequence Roth originally described to Polygon as based on his own drawings, shaped with animators and an artist into a jittery 1920s-cartoon style. After questions intensified, especially because an early review cut credited AI visual-effects company Dark Half, Roth said he had “misspoke.” That strongly suggests at least some part of the disputed material may involve AI, but he still has not confirmed whether it was that animated passage, other shots, or both. As for why he will not say where the AI appears, there is no public explanation from Roth. The most defensible answer is that he has chosen not to disclose details, even after scrutiny grew online. Polygon said it sought clarification from Roth’s representative and from Dark Half, but neither provided further specifics at the time of publication. So the current factual answer is limited: AI use has been acknowledged, but the exact scenes remain undisclosed because Roth and the relevant companies have not provided a fuller accounting. Until the filmmakers or credits documentation are expanded, any more precise claim about where AI appears would be speculation.

3 articles · Updated · Cartoon Brew · Aug 5

Polygon updated its report Tuesday after Roth said he “misspoke” and confirmed generative AI was used in a small portion of a few animated scenes in Ice Cream Man.
Early screening viewers had flagged apparently AI-generated material, including Fleischer-style cartoons and an illustrated flashback about the villain’s origins, while Dark Half is credited for AI visual effects.
Roth had told Polygon on Monday that he personally drew the frames and worked with animators to create a 1920s haunted-cartoon look through a traditional human-led process.
Roth did not say which scenes used AI, how much of the finished film it appears in, or how it was blended with human artists’ work; Polygon said Roth and Dark Half had not provided further clarification.