Eli Roth admits generative AI used in 'Ice Cream Man,' retracts hand-drawn claim

Eli Roth confirmed generative AI appears in "a very small portion of a few scenes" of his horror film 'Ice Cream Man,' retracting his earlier claim to Polygon that he hand-drew the animated sequence himself, inspired by a 1920s Mickey Mouse cartoon. Roth told Polygon: "I misspoke." The film premieres 7 August 2026. Social media posts had alleged wider AI use, naming AI VFX studio Dark Half. Representatives for Roth and Dark Half did not respond to Variety's request for comment.