Guillermo del Toro received a round of applause at San Diego Comic-Con on Friday for four blunt words: “Absolutely no goddamn AI.” The Oscar-winning director was explaining how his team handled the new 3D conversion of “Pan’s Labyrinth,” which returns to theaters October 9 for the film’s 20th anniversary, according to Variety.
Del Toro told the Hall H crowd the conversion was done by hand rather than with AI-assisted tools, adding that the traditional approach cost more money but that he didn’t care, according to Rolling Stone. he framed the decision as larger than any single film, emphasizing that the goal was protecting the redeeming power of art rather than deciding who gets a job.
A Line He’s Drawn Before
Friday’s comments weren’t a new position for del Toro. Speaking to NPR last year, he said he’d rather die than use generative AI in his work, a stance Rolling Stone noted he’s continued to hold to. At Comic-Con, he broadened that argument, warning that if a generation of artists never learns traditional restoration and visual-effects craft, the rest of that medium’s history effectively gets cut off from them, according to Deadline.
Del Toro also used the panel to reminisce about the original production, recalling that much of his crew was openly skeptical of his vision while filming the fantasy sequences two decades ago, according to Film-News.co.uk. He described winning them over gradually, pointing to the shoot for the film’s now-iconic Pale Man scene as the turning point, Deadline reported.
What’s Actually Changing on Screen
The re-release itself is a joint effort between Cineverse and Fathom Entertainment, marking the first time “Pan’s Labyrinth” has been shown in 3D and HDR, according to Fathom Entertainment. A standard 2D HDR version will also be available, with every format personally overseen by del Toro. The HDR presentation uses Barco’s technology, and SDFX Studios handled the physical 3D conversion work, which the company’s SVP of development, Vincent Defebo, called a dream project for the whole team, according to Barchart.
The theatrical run was first confirmed back in April, ahead of CinemaCon, when Cineverse and Fathom jointly announced the anniversary release as part of a wider 2026 theatrical slate that also includes revival runs of other genre titles, according to PRNewswire. Tickets for the October release go on sale September 9.
“Pan’s Labyrinth” originally starred Ivana Baquero as Ofelia, a young girl who escapes into a fantastical underworld while fleeing the aftermath of the Spanish Civil War in 1944 Francoist Spain, alongside Doug Jones, Maribel Verdú, and Sergi López. According to Variety, the film earned $83 million worldwide and won three of its six Oscar nominations for Best Cinematography, Art Direction, and Makeup. Del Toro also debuted a separate 4K restoration of the film at Cannes earlier this year, where it reportedly received several minutes of applause, Variety noted.
