The Animation Blog

Short Film Spotlight: Les Lucioles (The Fireflies)

August 9, 2026 / The Animation Blog / 0 Comments

Synopsis: In the 1920s, female factory workers paint phosphorescent watch dials. Mollie, the newcomer, makes a mistake that forces her colleagues to stay and work with her through the night. Deprived of the ball they were supposed to attend, they end up improvising their own ball in the factory…

Directed by:
Loïs Angilella
Léa Faynel
Ambre Fournier
Clémentine Gabard
Hannah Gozlan
Claire Represa
Emilie Richard
Mathieu Staropoli
Maïa Xueref

Original Score by Raphaël Lemonnier.

Sound by Guilhem Favard, Yoann Poncet and José Vicente.

Voice cast:
Brittany Cox as Margaret
Leyla Hamilton as Mollie
Angela Leblanc as Irene
Emile Menard as Dickinson
Kole Quentier as Grace

‘Big City Greens’ Season 5 Trailer and Release Date: Stephen King, Luke Combs and Kevin Smith Guest Star

August 8, 2026 / The Animation Blog / 0 Comments

Release date: August 21, 2026 on Disney Channel. Next day on Disney+.

The season kicks off with five episodes. Additional episodes will premiere throughout 2026 and 2027.

Synopsis: Big City Greens follows the offbeat adventures of 10-year-old Cricket Green, a mischievous and optimistic country boy who moves to the big city with his wildly out-of-place family — older sister Tilly, father Bill and Gramma Alice.

Cricket’s natural curiosity and enthusiasm lead him and his family on epic journeys and into the hearts of his new neighbors.

Created by Chris and Shane Houghton.

‘CoComelon: The Movie’ Teaser Trailer, Release Date and Voice Cast Revealed: YouTube Children’s Series Heads to Theaters in 2027

August 7, 2026 / The Animation Blog / 0 Comments

U.S. release date: February 19, 2027

Synopsis: On his first day of school, JJ discovers that his beloved stuffed bear, Boba, has gone missing.

JJ and his friends Cody, CeCe, and Nina embark on a quest that transports them to a magical land ruled by Princess Harmony, who has created a world with one rule: no singing.

Directed by Kat Good.

Written by Adam Pava.

Songs executive produced by Justin Tranter.

New ‘SuperKitties’ Special Now Streaming; Halloween and Thanksgiving Specials Coming This Fall

August 6, 2026 / The Animation Blog / 0 Comments

Click play to watch the special right now!

Release date: August 6, 2026 on Disney Jr. and Disney Jr. On Demand. Next day on Disney+.

Synopsis: the SuperKitties invite Willa to officially join them on the team after putting her skills to the test when Cat Burglar and the Glamsters team up to take over Kittydale.

Additionally, two specials will debut this fall:

“Howl-O-Ween Charm” synopsis: When the Howl-o-ween Cat’s charm is stolen, a group of Trixters escapes into Kittydale. The SuperKitties must put the Trixters back in the charm before their tricks ruin Howl-o-ween.

“Friendsgiving Feast” synopsis: When the Glamsters steal treats and decorations around Kittydale, the SuperKitties and Willa race to save everyone’s Friendsgiving traditions.

Created by Paula Rosenthal.

Short Film Spotlight: What to Expect When You’re Expecting

August 5, 2026 / The Animation Blog / 0 Comments

Synopsis: A catholic school student gets pregnant and her lies to cover it up spiral out of control.

Written and directed by Kaylie Haggenmiller.

Storyboarding by Kaylie Haggenmiller and Sebastian Zakhem.

Voice cast:
Isis Mejia Duarte as Faith
Jackie Manke as Lola
Kaylie Haggenmiller as Teacher, Bathroom Girl & Hallway Girl
Lewis Tarver as Pro-life Protestor 1
Elise Jung as Pro-life Protestor 2
Audrey Chow as Gossiping Girl
Dante Perri as Cameraman 1
Jean Montesinos Mederos as Cameraman 2
Sebastian Zakhem as Classroom Girl
Matthew Lei as Post-credits Nurse
Apoorva Dasari as Classmate at Hospital
Yoyo Zhub as Classmate at Hospital
Dylan Johnson as Classmate at Hospital
Crystal Maob as Classmate at Hospital

Short Film Spotlight: Drive On, Mr Otter!

August 4, 2026 / The Animation Blog / 0 Comments

Synopsis: Timid Mr Otter is given one final chance to evict an elderly couple from their rural village home, or risk losing his own company issued housing.

Written and directed by Chun Kit Fong.

Music by Chevy, Jason LaPierre, Veda Lee and Chun Kit Fong.

Sound Design by Veda Lee.

Sound Mix by Daniel Eaton.

Voice cast:
Chun Kit Fong as Mr Otter
Jorge Ruiz as Cat
Joash Cheong as Dog
Veda Lee as Brother & Sister
Dariush Derakhshani as Boss
Maija Burnett as Assistant
Marjan Hormozi as Restaurant Owner
Domidolo as Policeman
My Ah Ma as Grandma
Ivy Tan as Passerby 1
Carina Lim as Passerby 2

Short Film Spotlight: Detlev

August 3, 2026 / The Animation Blog / 0 Comments

Synopsis: A constantly freezing street sweeper drives to a remote gas station every evening and orders a microwave-warmed Toast Hawaii. One night, a construction worker observes him, causing him to flee in embarrassment. His world begins to fall apart as the desperate search for warmth drags him deeper and deeper into his inner abyss.

Written and directed by Ferdinand Ehrhardt.

Cinematography by Sebastian Ganschow & Leoni Gora.

Music by Clemens Gutjahr.

Sound by Manik Möllers, Samuel Krupke, Perschya Chehrazi, Vincent Egerter, Elias Gürtler, Jan Heitland and Robert Haag.

Voice cast:
Peter Schneider as Detlev
David Gordon Smith as Narrator & Son
Konrad Wipp as Dirk
Sebastian Ganschow as Jan-Eric

Short Film Spotlight: Tricot de Corps (Body Knitting)

August 2, 2026 / The Animation Blog / 0 Comments

Synopsis: Recently widowed Patsy knits a stuffed toy. As the cuddly toy comes to life, Patsy must learn to live with it and try to overcome the loss of her husband.

Directed by:
Pierre-Marie Bavay
Laurie Beldent
Joan Haubois
Maëlle Le Bris
Camille Lequeux
Malo Lescop
Clara Navoizat
Emma Rateau

Original Score by Nicolas Pansieri.

Sound by José Vicente, Yoann Poncet and Baptiste Leblanc.

Voiced by Hélène Mignard, Clara Thébault and Nicolas Eon.

Short Film Spotlight: Baba’s Wish

August 1, 2026 / The Animation Blog / 0 Comments

A short film by Yusef Najafi.

Director’s note: “After losing our mom in Iran, my dad, or Baba as we called him, built a happy home for my sisters and me in the U.S., as he assimilated and learned English.

“This animation attempts to capture his understanding that togetherness is what truly matters, alongside his journey through dementia as it drew him closer to my mom.

“I know he was thinking of her when he passed, and I’d like to think they are reunited in some way.”

Short Film Spotlight: Le Grand Saut (Leap of Faith)

July 31, 2026 / The Animation Blog / 0 Comments

Synopsis: A little girl on a beach holiday with her annoying little brother falls in love at first sight with a mysterious boy she spots in the distance.

Directed by:
Anaïs Dos
Coline Reverbel
Edgard Vernier
Kenzo Talma
Lisa Vlain
Martina Doll

Original Score by Aloïs Benoit.

Sound Mix by Pierre-François Renouf.

‘Your Name’ Celebrates 10th Anniversary with 4K Theatrical Remaster, Plus 4K Ultra HD & Blu-ray Release

July 30, 2026 / The Animation Blog / 0 Comments

North American theatrical release date: August 14, 2026

4K Ultra HD and Blu-Ray release date: August 25, 2026

Synopsis: One morning, rural schoolgirl Mitsuha and city kid Taki awaken to discover that they’ve switched bodies. When the two strangers finally meet, the true nature of their connection threatens to seal their fate.

Written and directed by Makoto Shinkai.

Your Name remains the highest-grossing original Japanese animated feature of all time, with a worldwide box office of over $400 million.

Your Name will screen in both its original Japanese language and English dub.

Short Film Spotlight: Black Slide

July 29, 2026 / The Animation Blog / 0 Comments

Synopsis: A shy boy sneaks into the scariest waterslide in the park… but the real fear is waiting for him at home.

Written and directed by Uri Lotan.

Animated by Charles Larrieu, Gabi Barito and Lauren Adassovsky.

Music by Asaf Sagiv.

Sound by Daniel Eaton.

Voice cast:
Ivri Shai
Rom Shemesh
Varda Shpin Gross
Dvir Benedek
Nadav Porat

Robot Chicken Returns with a New Special Celebrating 25 Years of Adult Swim — Watch the Trailer Now!

July 28, 2026 / The Animation Blog / 0 Comments

Release date: August 30, 2026 on Adult Swim. Next day on HBO Max.

Synopsis: Every iconic character in Adult Swim’s history is aboard a cruise ship celebrating a quarter century on the air, but toasts turn to screams as it develops into a disaster of titanic proportions!

Will the stars of Smiling Friends, Aqua Teen Hunger Force, Metalocalypse, Assy McGee, Venture Bros., and dozens more survive? Or meet a watery doom?

Additionally, Adult Swim will air a second special in 2027 to commemorate Cartoon Networks’ 35th anniversary.

New ‘Family Guy’ Halloween and Christmas Specials Set for Hulu and Disney+ with Kieran Culkin Guest Starring

July 27, 2026 / The Animation Blog / 0 Comments

At this year’s Family Guy San Diego Comic-Con panel, showrunner Rich Appel revealed “Happy Hell-o-ween” and “The Peter Clause,” two specials premiering this year exclusively on Hulu in the U.S. and Disney+ internationally in most markets.

Halloween special synopsis: Brian and Stewie find themselves in Hell – not an annoying day, the actual underworld – paying for 24 seasons’ worth of bad behavior. When they manage to annoy even the Devil himself, they end up in charge.

Kieran Culkin guest stars as the Devil.

Christmas special synopsis: It’s Christmas in Quahog, and Peter and the guys compete to become the town’s official Santa. Peter loses, and he can either process his disappointment in a mature manner, or give fans a memorable episode of Family Guy. Thankfully, he chooses option number two.

Family Guy returns with new episodes in 2027.

‘Bob’s Burgers’ Celebrates the Holidays with ‘On the Fort Day of Christmas’ Short on Hulu and Disney+