Kalevala – the world’s first full-length animated series made entirely with AI (2025)
The Kalevala, Finland’s national epic, has finally got the animated version it deserves – and best of all, it’s the world’s first full-length animated series produced from start to finish with artificial intelligence.
The first episode, “The Birth of the World” (Poem 1), is now out on YouTube. Watch it here:
What could the AI do?
- All the hand-drawn-style images were created with the Gemini and Midjourney models
- The animation was made with the Grok video generator (6-second clips stitched together seamlessly)
- The voice acting and narration were made with ElevenLabs, using a deep Väinämöinen voice reminiscent of traditional rune singing
- The music and kantele parts were composed and played by AI
Visually the result pays tribute to the spirit of Akseli Gallen-Kallela and Cartoon Saloon (Wolfwalkers, Song of the Sea) – but it’s an AI production through and through.
This is a historic moment: for the first time an entire Kalevala animation has been made without a traditional animation studio, handcraft or a production lasting decades.
New episodes come once a month – subscribe to the channel so you don’t miss them!
What do you think – can AI replace the feel of hand-drawn animation? Comment below!
Keywords: Kalevala animation, AI animation, Kalevala 2025, Finnish mythology, Väinämöinen, Ilmatar, birth of the world, AI animation, Midjourney, Grok, Gemini
#Kalevala #AI #Animation #FinnishMythology #Väinämöinen
(Originally published in Finnish on 28 Nov 2025 – share this post if the Kalevala matters to you!)
