Pan’s Labyrinth AI fears shut down by Guillermo del Toro at Comic-Con
Guillermo del Toro said the 20th anniversary 3D rerelease uses no AI as Cineverse and Fathom prepare an Oct. 9 theatrical rollout.
By Georgia Hale · Staff Writer
3 min read
Guillermo del Toro made the Pan’s Labyrinth AI answer loud and blunt at San Diego Comic-Con: the new 3D rerelease of his 2006 dark fantasy was restored without artificial intelligence.
Speaking Friday during a Hall H panel marking the film’s 20th anniversary, del Toro said he insisted on using traditional restoration methods for the theatrical return, according to Deadline. The three-time Oscar winner told the crowd he demanded “absolutely no goddamn AI,” drawing applause.
Del Toro said the AI-free route cost more, but he was not concerned about the added expense. He said the point was to protect what he called the beauty and redeeming power of art.
Did Guillermo del Toro use AI for Pan’s Labyrinth 3D?
No. Del Toro said at Comic-Con that no AI was used for the 3D rerelease of Pan’s Labyrinth, which is scheduled to open in theaters on Oct. 9.
The new presentation will bring the film back in 4K, with 3D and HDR by Barco versions available. Cineverse and Fathom are handling the theatrical event, Deadline reported.
Del Toro’s latest remarks fit a position he has stated before. Deadline noted that he has repeatedly criticized generative AI, including saying last year that he would rather die than use it in his movies. He has also used harsher language against AI on more than one occasion.
What is the Pan’s Labyrinth rerelease?
Pan’s Labyrinth is returning to cinemas for its 20th anniversary in upgraded formats. The rerelease is a theatrical 4K presentation with options that include 3D and HDR by Barco, according to the rollout details cited by Deadline.
The movie, released in 2006, stars Ivana Baquero and Doug Jones and is set against the Spanish Civil War period of 1936 to 1939. Del Toro described at the panel how the film’s mix of wartime history and fairy-tale horror was not an easy sell to everyone making it.
He said the production faced adversity and that some crew members were skeptical when a faun appeared in the middle of a Civil War story. Del Toro recalled that the crew’s attitude shifted during the filming of the Pale Man sequence.
At the panel, del Toro acted out the Pale Man’s famous gesture of lifting eyes in his hands to see. He said that moment helped convince the crew that his strange vision was working.
The Comic-Con appearance turned the anniversary celebration into a fresh statement of artistic principle for del Toro. For fans heading back into the labyrinth this fall, the director’s message was clear: the creatures, shadows and nightmares are getting a polish, not an AI makeover.
This story draws on original reporting from Deadline.