Run Koala Run

Interview with director James Calvert

1. What was one of the most challenging moments you faced while making this film? Did this ‘setback’ change the direction of the final story?

There wasn’t one large setback, but there were a lot of small ones! Throughout the film, we show the difference between animation created by a human versus animation created by AI (FYI, the human animation is much better!). However, using AI tools is difficult because they are always changing. Animation takes months and during that time, the AI tools shift and evolve. We constantly had to adjust our approach and sometimes the story, to account for this.

2. What was the biggest inspiration behind your short film?

I originally wrote this film because I was unsure how I felt about the impact generative AI would have on animation. I love animation and have made many animated short films over the last 25 years. But recently, AI has emerged and is either a threat to creativity, or a democratising tool that puts creativity in the hands of anyone with an idea. Artists seem to sit in one of either camp. Before I made my decision on which side I would swing, I decided it would be best to test AI out in the production of an animated film. Inspired by the classic Waner Bros cartoon ‘Duck Amuck’ the idea of tormenting a traditionally animated character by an offscreen AI ‘artist’ emerged. Using humour and absurdity, Run Koala Run shows the quirks of AI, all while our poor cartoon koala Rusty tries to just make a movie.

3. Let’s say you had to make this film all over again. Knowing what you know now, is there one thing you’d do differently? And if there’s nothing you’d change, what have you learnt since finishing the film that you didn’t know on day one?

The film would probably look completely different if we made it again now, even if we used the exact same techniques to make it. It’s a snapshot of how AI impacts creativity, so a film made in 2026 would be different to the one we made during 2024/25. I believe it's definitely too soon to make another film like this. I like how it shows the strange absurdities AI was creating at a specific moment in time.

4. At its core, can you tell us what Run Koala Run is about, and what do you hope audiences will discover when they come to see the film?

The film mirrors how its makers felt while making it. The main character ‘Rusty’ reacts in various ways to how the world around him is constantly changing due to the emergence of AI. Our own reactions weren’t quite as over the top as Rusty’s, but we certainly share his trepidation, awe and alarm at what’s going on at the intersection of AI and human creativity. At the very least, we hope that the film provokes a reaction from audiences and then a discussion on how AI is impacting creativity.