Move over, traditional blockbusters. There is a new witch in town, and she’s lowkey shaking up the way movies get made. "Merry the Christmas Witch" is the latest project to drop into the cultural discourse, focusing on the first witch born on Christmas who has to save Santa from a coven of villains. It’s giving classic holiday chaos, but the production process? Totally next-gen.
The AI Glow-Up
Tom Walsh, CEO of TW3 Entertainment and the film's director and co-writer, originally eyed an $80 million budget to bring Bobbi Hess’s 2012 children’s book to life. In an industry where doors are usually slammed shut for new, risky ideas, Walsh realized that price tag was never going to fly with studios. Enter AI. By using a "hybrid" approach, Walsh managed to slash the costs down to a cool $1.5 million.
He didn't just press a button and walk away, though. He hired about 50 pros, including foley artists and editors, to keep the traditional production vibes alive. While he originally tapped human actors, he eventually swapped to AI-generated voices via ElevenLabs, alongside video tools like Seedance and Nanobanana, to fix syncing issues.
Why it matters
Whether audiences will stan an AI-heavy film remains the ultimate test. While the tech is helping indie filmmakers bypass gatekeepers, the industry is still catching feelings about AI usage. Walsh, however, is keeping that main character energy high, noting, "We would never have gotten a movie like 'Merry' made if we didn't take that chance." He’s already plotting his next AI-assisted project, regardless of how this one lands with distributors.
