IMAGENai preps generative AI-powered animated feature Lavender & The Butterfly Nation

Lavender & The Butterfly Nation

US-based studio IMAGENai has produced an AI-generated animated short using tools that it claims will help independent creators compete with Hollywood studios.

IMAGENai is currently exploring festival and distribution opportunities in the UK and Ireland for Lavender & The Butterfly Nation, having released the trailer, made completely with generative AI, yesterday.

The film follows a shy young girl who, after a traumatic family evacuation, stumbles into a fantastical realm of butterfly people. There, she finds courage and connection as she helps unite the kingdom against a vengeful wasp.

Aimed at family and young-adult audiences, the story, written by Mandy Fason, mixes sci-fi and fantasy with themes of “inclusion and transformation,” according to producer Anoush Sadegh.

The production uses a generative AI pipeline to create the animation alongside human-directed ballet motion capture, with video created by the IMGnation.ai lab. Dr Sam Khoze is listed in the credits as the generative AI director.

The final feature-length film is set to feature original music and young voice acting talent, according to the producers.

The teaser was recently featured at the AIMF (Artificial Intelligence Media Festival), which spotlights creators integrating generative AI tools into the creative process.

IMAGENai is positioning the film as the world’s first generative AI hybrid animated feature, a claim that has already been made in the industry, while the use of AI tools in animation remains hugely controversial.

IMAGENai describes its film as cost-effective, with the potential to empower indie creators to compete with blockbusters.

“This is more than animation, it’s the beginning of a new filmmaking paradigm. We’re not replacing human artistry; we’re amplifying it. This film proves that independent creators, and even young artists, can now bring cinematic-scale stories to life using AI,” said Sadegh.