‘Merry the Christmas Witch’ Director Claims AI Turned a Blockbuster-Sized Budget Into a Shoestring Production
Merry the Christmas Witch (Film)
‘Merry the Christmas Witch’ is a two-hour holiday fantasy based on Bobbi Hess’s 2012 children’s book, following Merry, the first witch born on Christmas Day, as she tries to defeat a coven of evil witches who have kidnapped Santa Claus to destroy Christmas. Director Tom Walsh told Variety he estimated it would cost $80 million to make but produced it for $1.5 million using AI tools like ElevenLabs, Seedance and Nanobanana, working with the AI studio Phatty Acid and a team of about 50 people over a 10-month production. The film doesn’t have a release date or distributor yet.
