Earlier this week, with little fanfare or announcement, Disney and French-based AI-animation company Animaj released the first episodes of Ozzy Fox, an animated musical series targeting young children. The first two episodes are available now on YouTube and are a big step forward in Disney’s plans to embrace AI slop.
On Wednesday, as reported by CartoonBrew, Disney and Animaj quietly released two episodes of Ozzy Fox on YouTube. The two episodes have already received over 750,000 views. The series features a family of anthropomorphic foxes, and each episode will seemingly revolve around a song designed to help kids go to the bathroom, do their chores, and so on. CartoonBrew reports no press release was sent out ahead of the show’s launch and that it was told the companies want the launch to “speak for itself.”
I watched the first two episodes of Ozzy Fox, and while nothing in it looked outright ugly, I think the overall look of the series is very bland. It’s that kind of AI-generated look where everything is a bit too smooth, shiny, and sharp. I also noticed a few oddities, like a railing that seems unfinished in the background of many shots and a piano that seems to be missing most of its bottom half. I also find it very telling that, as far as I can tell, there are no numbers or letters seen in the background. Hmm.
We don’t specifically know how Animaj used AI to produce Ozzy Fox, but the studio is very openly pro-AI and has fully integrated AI tools into its pipeline.
“Animaj is pioneering a new category of studios where data informs creation, AI accelerates production, and distribution is built in from day one,” says the company on its official LinkedIn page. The company brags that it reaches over 240 million kids monthly on YouTube using shorts and animated cartoons produced with its “proprietary AI-powered, digital-first production model.”
It isn’t surprising that Disney has now released a cartoon series for kids that was created using AI tools. Last year, the company signed a massive $1 billion deal with OpenAI and has announced plans to let users create short-form video content featuring Disney characters via the magical power of generative AI.