Del Toro Vows No AI in Pan's Labyrinth 3D Re-Release
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- Guillermo del Toro told San Diego Comic-Con attendees that the Pan's Labyrinth 3D re-release, premiering October 9 in theaters, used "absolutely no goddamn AI" in its conversion.
- Del Toro acknowledged the traditional approach is "much more expensive" but said he doesn't care, framing the choice as protecting "the beauty and the redeeming power of art" and "a lineage of art."
- Del Toro warned that cutting a generation from learning their craft "cuts the rest of the history of that medium away from them," drawing cheers from the Comic-Con crowd.
- Del Toro told NPR last year he'd "rather die" than use generative AI, saying he hoped to remain "uninterested in using it at all until I croak" at age 61.
- Pan’s Labyrinth, released in 2006 as a Spanish-language gothic fantasy, earned $83 million worldwide and won three Academy Awards for Cinematography, Art Direction, and Makeup.
Why it matters: Del Toro is deliberately absorbing higher production costs to keep AI out of the 3D re-release, a rare public stance by an Oscar-winning director as the industry integrates generative AI. His argument reframes the AI debate from job displacement to the survival of artistic craft itself.
