'It's like a robot taking your soul': Tim Burton upset by AI recreating his animation style

Tim Burton felt his humanity was "sucked" from him when AI was used to recreate his distinctive style of animation.

The 'Nightmare Before Christmas' filmmaker acknowledged some of the Disney characters that were reimagined for a Buzzfeed article in July were "very good", but admitted it made him very uncomfortable seeing the famous princesses with pale faces, big eyes and long dark dresses in gothic settings.

He told The Independent newspaper: “They had AI do my versions of Disney characters! I can’t describe the feeling it gives you. It reminded me of when other cultures say, ‘Don’t take my picture because it is taking away your soul.’

“What it does is it sucks something from you. It takes something from your soul or psyche; that is very disturbing, especially if it has to do with you. It’s like a robot taking your humanity, your soul.”

The use of AI has been a contributing factor to the reasons why writers and actors are currently on strike in Hollywood and Tim revealed he was close to finishing the long-awaited 'Beetlejuice' sequel - which stars Michael Keaton, Winona Ryder, Jenna Ortega, Catherine O'Hara and Willem Dafoe - before the industrial action was called.

He said: “I feel grateful we got what we got. Literally, it was a day and a half.

“We know what we have to do. It is 99 percent done.”

The 65-year-old director finds making big studio movies exhausting and he struggles to watch the work back afterwards, but always tries to focus on the positives of the experience.

He said: “That’s why it is hard for me to watch the movies afterwards, because I still feel the emotional whatever of it. I don’t get a release from that. But I do enjoy all the people I’ve worked with.

“On this last one, 'Beetlejuice 2', I really enjoyed it. I tried to strip everything and go back to the basics of working with good people and actors and puppets. It was kind of like going back to why I liked making movies.”