Learning brief
Generated by AI from multiple sources. Always verify critical information.
TL;DR
A CGI artist created an ultra-realistic video of tortoises sprinting in circles at Disneyland that fooled millions on Twitter. The animation was so seamless that even people who work with CGI couldn't spot the fakery — and that's the point.
What changed
CGI animation became realistic enough to make 12 million people believe tortoises were sprinting at Disneyland.
Why it matters
When computer-generated videos look this real, telling truth from fiction gets harder for everyone online.
What to watch
How platforms like Twitter will label or flag convincing CGI as synthetic media increases.
What Happened
Artist Vernon James Manlapaz posted a video on Instagram showing tortoises running in circles at Disneyland's Avengers Campus. The clip was created using CGI (computer-generated imagery — think Pixar movies, but inserted into real footage). A Twitter account reposted it Wednesday with the caption "aww they're having fun!" and it exploded to over 12 million views by Saturday (Source 2).
The video's animation was so convincing that many viewers thought it was real — despite tortoises being famously slow animals. People who create fake images professionally admitted they couldn't spot obvious flaws. "I watched it multiple times trying to find a glitch or something but NOTHING!! It looks so real!" one viewer commented (Source 2).
Manlapaz creates these "impossible animal" videos as personal projects to practice his animation skills, starting in late 2015. His Instagram (@vernbestintheworld) features other surreal clips: giant elephants floating over Disneyland's Star Wars area, fish swimming through the park, a rhino walking Central Park (Source 2). For the turtle video, he combined footage he shot at Disneyland in June with CGI animals inspired by a nature documentary he'd watched weeks earlier.
"I wasn't expecting it to go viral, and I don't even know who posted it," Manlapaz told Newsweek (Source 2). The video sparked remixes set to the Super Mario Bros. theme and Nicki Minaj songs, with users comparing the tortoises to Koopa Troopa characters.
So What?
The gap between "obviously fake" and "wait, is this real?" just collapsed. When professional image-makers can't immediately identify CGI, the average person scrolling Twitter has zero chance. This video is playful and harmless — sprinting turtles won't start a war — but it's a proof of concept. The same techniques that made cartoon tortoises look real can make politicians appear to say things they didn't, or create "evidence" of events that never happened.
This matters more than it looks because the tools are democratizing fast. Manlapaz isn't working for Industrial Light & Magic with a $10 million budget. He's one artist doing this as a side project since 2015, steadily improving. Software like Blender (free) and tutorials on YouTube mean the barrier to creating convincing fake videos keeps dropping. As AI-powered tools like Runway and Adobe's generative fill get better, "because I saw the video" will stop being reliable proof of anything.
The uncomfortable truth is platforms aren't ready. Twitter (now X) has no label on this viral video identifying it as CGI. Instagram relies on creators to self-label their work. When 12 million people see something and most don't check the source, corrections don't travel as fast as the original lie — even when it's just silly turtles.
Sources