Disney Rejects AI Claims as Late Robin Williams' Genie Returns in New Shorts

Devon Forward
·2 min read
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Robin Williams

Disney is denying claims the company used AI to generate new lines for Robin Williams' beloved Genie in a new short film.

The Aladdin character appears in a new short called Once Upon A Studio that brings many well-known Disney characters together as they try to take a group photo for the 100th anniversary of Walt Disney Animated Studios.

In one scene, Genie shows up with Frozen's Olaf, voiced by Josh Gad, and the two have a conversation that includes lines of dialogue that fans won't recognize. Producer Yvett Merino cleared up confusion about the origin of the lines while speaking with Polygon, saying, "It was actually direct lines from past recordings."

"When we do animated recordings on any feature, there are a number of takes. So we were able to find this line that fits so well in our short," she went on.

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Merino also explained that Disney got permission from Williams' estate to go forward with the short: "It was so important to us to share our earliest version of the short with Robin’s team. So many of us who work here at Disney Animation were inspired by Aladdin and Robin’s performance. It meant the world that they said yes to his inclusion in the short — and [it was] so special that Eric Goldberg, who animated Genie for the [original] feature film, did the animation here as well.”

The discussion around Williams' inclusion in the new Disney short comes on the heels of his daughter Zelda Williams' statement calling out "disturbing" AI re-creations of her father's voice that she's encountered online.

Disney emphasized that they are currently against using AI, with producer Brad Simonsen telling Polygon, "We are a flat no on [AI] right now. As a matter of fact, you’re not allowed to use AI in the building.”

AI continues to be a significant factor in current conversations about the future of Hollywood and entertainment, playing a big role in the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes.

Next: Robin Williams’ Son Zak Shares Touching Tribute on 9th Anniversary of His Death