Filipino Animated Film "Plump Blossom" Cuts Production Costs 50% With AI-Assisted Workflow

"Plump Blossom," billed as the first Filipino full-length animated feature to openly use AI-assisted tools, is set to open in local theaters on September 23. Writer-director-producer Rossana Hwang described the production as a hybrid approach: storytelling, writing, and editing remained human-led, while AI tools handled portions of the animation workflow — cutting projected costs by roughly 50% compared to a fully traditional pipeline.

Despite criticism over the film's use of AI and its ancient Chinese setting, Hwang and lead voice actress Candice Tan defended the approach as complementary to human creativity rather than a replacement for it. Notably, the production opted for human voice actors over AI-generated voices. Hwang said she had originally been quoted around ₱50 million to produce the film in 2015; by reworking the project with fresh graduates and AI-assisted tools, she was able to make it viable.