Eli Roth Confirms AI Touched a Few Ice Cream Man Scenes Ahead of Aug. 7 Debut

Q: Which Ice Cream Man scenes actually used AI, and why won’t Eli Roth say where the technology appeared?

No one outside the production appears to know exactly which *Ice Cream Man* scenes used generative AI. Eli Roth has only said AI appears in “a very small portion of a few scenes,” and he has not identified those scenes or explained precisely how the technology was used. The main point of confusion is an eerie animated sequence Roth originally described to Polygon as based on his own drawings, shaped with animators and an artist into a jittery 1920s-cartoon style. After questions intensified, especially because an early review cut credited AI visual-effects company Dark Half, Roth said he had “misspoke.” That strongly suggests at least some part of the disputed material may involve AI, but he still has not confirmed whether it was that animated passage, other shots, or both. As for why he will not say where the AI appears, there is no public explanation from Roth. The most defensible answer is that he has chosen not to disclose details, even after scrutiny grew online. Polygon said it sought clarification from Roth’s representative and from Dark Half, but neither provided further specifics at the time of publication. So the current factual answer is limited: AI use has been acknowledged, but the exact scenes remain undisclosed because Roth and the relevant companies have not provided a fuller accounting. Until the filmmakers or credits documentation are expanded, any more precise claim about where AI appears would be speculation.

3 articles · Updated · Polygon · Aug 4

Eli Roth said generative AI was used in “a very small portion of a few scenes” in Ice Cream Man, reversing an earlier impression that a key animated sequence was entirely hand-drawn.
Polygon sought clarification after an early-reviewer cut credited AI VFX company Dark Half, fueling online speculation over how much of the horror film relied on generative AI.
Roth said he had “misspoke” in describing the Fleischer-inspired cartoon that hypnotizes children in the film, though he still said he drew loop cycles and frames with animators helping refine the sequence.
He did not identify which scenes used AI or how it was applied, and neither Roth’s representative nor Dark Half had provided further detail before the film’s Aug. 7 theatrical debut.