Guillermo del Toro: No AI in Pan's Labyrinth Theatrical Rerelease

Guillermo del Toro has set a clear condition for Pan's Labyrinth's return to theaters for its 20th anniversary: no stage of the work involved artificial intelligence. The director spoke openly about it during a panel at San Diego Comic-Con, where he announced the film's October re-release in 3D and HDR.

The statement came on Friday, July 24, during a panel marking the film's 20th anniversary in Hall H at San Diego Comic-Con. Joining del Toro on stage were cinematographer Guillermo Navarro, who won an Oscar for the film's cinematography, and actors Ivana Baquero and Doug Jones, who played the lead roles. Asked about the technology used to prepare the film for its new release, the director answered bluntly.

Absolutely no damn AI - Guillermo del Toro, director

What Was Made Without AI

Three elements were prepared for the anniversary re-release: a restored 4K version, a new HDR pass developed by Barco, and a 3D conversion handled by SDFX Studios. Del Toro personally oversaw each version, making sure the entire process stayed in the hands of the people responsible for the film's original look.

Pan's Labyrinth itself never had an official 3D version before. The 2026 re-release marks the first chance to see Ofelia's fairy tale in that format on the big screen, alongside the standard 4K and 2D HDR versions.

An Argument About Craft

Del Toro tied his opposition to AI to a broader argument about passing filmmaking skills down to the next generation of creators. In his view, automating stages that traditionally require craftsmanship means losing knowledge that is hard to recover.

We protect the beauty and redemptive power of art. We protect a certain lineage of art. If we cut off an entire generation from learning their craft, we cut them off from the rest of this medium's history, what for? - Guillermo del Toro, director

The Road to the Anniversary Release

Earlier, in May 2026, del Toro brought the film back to Cannes, where the 79th edition of the festival screened a restored 4K print in the Cannes Classics section. It was at that same festival in 2006 that Pan's Labyrinth received a then-record 22-minute standing ovation. The film later won three Oscars, including for production design and cinematography, out of six nominations overall.

The director admitted at the time that making the original film in 2006 was among the hardest experiences of his career, largely due to trouble financing a dark fantasy tale set in post-war Francoist Spain. Even so, Pan's Labyrinth is now widely regarded as his most important work.

A Voice in a Wider Industry Debate

Del Toro's remarks feed into a growing dispute in Hollywood over the place of generative AI in film production. While some studios and streaming platforms, including Netflix, tout a growing number of titles made with AI tools, some filmmakers, such as Christopher Nolan, openly criticize this direction, calling the technology a threat to the industry.

Del Toro's stance therefore carries a symbolic weight beyond the re-release of a single film. The director, known for his fascination with practical effects and animatronics craftsmanship, has consistently stressed in media appearances that automating the creative process threatens the continuity of skills passed down through the film industry from one generation to the next.

For audiences in Poland, the re-release raises the possibility of seeing Pan's Labyrinth in theaters in 3D for the first time, though there is no confirmed information yet about distribution outside the United States. Ticket sales for the US screenings start September 9, with the film itself hitting theaters on October 9, 2026.