I don't think AI will ever be able to compete with real actors, not in a meaningful way.

Animated films have competed for box office dollars since basically the dawn of cinema. Animated characters have fan followings.

Just wait; the stuff is coming. Ultra-realistic full-length feature films with compelling AI characters that are not consistent from beginning to end, but appear in multiple features.

The public will swallow it up.

Animation is drawn by humans, not AI. That's why it sells, it still has heart and emotion in it.