Lighting Animator Speaks out After Debate Over Whether Disney Short 'Versa' Is AI

Content warning: The Disney short Versa covers the topic of child loss.

During its Disney Plus release, Disney shared clips and stills of its new animated short Versa to promote it via social media. It didn’t take long for comments to pour in and the animated short quickly became the center of a heated debate. Early comments saw a lot of people asking the same question: Is the Disney short Versa AI slop?

The AI accusation picked up steam so fast that it caught the attention of animators who actually worked on the project. While several people claiming to work on the project or knowing someone who worked on the project have now battled it out in the comments, one animator in particular took to TikTok to end the debate once and for all.

What did she have to say? Keep reading for the details.

A lighting animator named Amanda took to TikTok after seeing the reactions. She didn’t sugarcoat her response. “As one of the lighting animators who worked on that project, no it is not AI,” she said. “We all worked very hard.”

She also pointed out something a lot of artists are starting to deal with. On one hand, there’s fear that AI could replace their jobs. On the other, there’s this growing issue where real work gets dismissed as AI.

According to Amanda, this moment made that very real. Not only do artists have to worry about AI taking opportunities, but now they also have to worry about people giving AI credit for work humans actually created.

She did add that AI absolutely should be called out when it’s used in this space. But calling something AI when it isn’t? That can be just as harmful.

In the comments of Disney’s social media posts is where things really got messy. Some viewers immediately labeled the short “AI slop.” Others said it just looked AI-generated.

One person wrote, “Unfortunately AI has caused a lot of people to not like that art style anymore.” Another added, “Looks AI generated.”

Many, however, were quick to defend the short and the animators who worked on it.

“This is so frustrating,” one commenter wrote. “It’s very disheartening to have people accuse your work of being AI.”

Another added, “Everyone saying it’s AI is insulting to the artists that animated it.”

Some people even pointed out that this kind of reaction is becoming a pattern. “People who see 3D and instantly assume it’s AI,” one comment read.

There were also people stuck in the middle. “We don’t know if it is or isn’t AI,” one user wrote. Others argued that Disney’s own history of exploring AI has made people more suspicious.

Furthermore, many pointed out this style of art is exactly what AI uses for inspiration. So, it makes sense that people would be quick to suspect the real thing as AI.

Versa isn’t just another animated short. According to Walt Disney’s official website and the intro to the short, the project was written and directed by Malcon Pierce. The short tells the story of a deeply personal experience for him and his wife. While working on Disney’s Moana, Malcoln and his wife lost their infant son.

That experience became the foundation for Versa.

The short follows a couple going through grief after losing a child. It tells the story through a wordless, dance-like sequence between two cosmic beings. It’s emotional, abstract, and very intentional in its design.

There’s no dialogue. The movement is inspired by ice dancing. Even the visual details like the characters cracking and coming back together with gold lines are meant to reflect grief and healing.

In other words, this wasn’t something thrown together. It was carefully built, piece by piece, by a team of artists. Which is exactly why the AI accusations hit the way they did.