The Animation Blog

Short Film Spotlight: Direction les Champs (Toward the Fields)

October 31, 2026 / The Animation Blog / 0 Comments

Synopsis: This summer, the Tour de France is finally coming by the tiny village of Laventour. For 8-year-old Sophie, there’s no way her big brother Benoît can miss it.

Once the village’s cycling champion, he hasn’t spoken, left his room or shown any interest for the outside world for months.

But Sophie isn’t giving up that easily: the peloton is coming… and so are they!

Written and Directed by:
Calixte Chateau
Mingzhen Cui
Alexandre Kittel
Lancelot Lemau de Talancé
Menghan Li
Cassiopée Melero
Lucia Pérez Dominguez

Music and sound by Jérémy Ben Ammar.

Voiced by Louna Tiger, Elise Pettigrew, David Faure, Lemmy Constantine and Clément Naline.

Music Video Spotlight: Average Friends – u know i luv u

October 30, 2026 / The Animation Blog / 0 Comments

Directed and Animated by Bill Plympton.

Written and Performed by Average Friends.

Produced by George Kosturos, Bill Plympton and Owen Andrejco.

Mixed and Mastered by Kutan Katas.

Sound Design by Josh Aude.

Edited by Owen Andrejcob and George Kosturos.

Color by Nora Avissar, Brooke Murphy and Caden Zips.

‘Play-Doh with Margo’ Trailer: New YouTube Series for Preschoolers Features Animated Short Stories

October 29, 2026 / The Animation Blog / 0 Comments

Release date: October 30, 2026 on YouTube

Synopsis: In each episode, after Margo welcomes viewers, she discovers something that sparks the episode’s “What if…?” question and previews the featured creation during “The Unsquish.”

She shapes the idea with Play-Doh compound in “Imaginoodle” and explores ways to customize it in “Switch-Up.”

The “Can-Can Shuffle” then determines what comes next: a “Mission Make,” an upbeat “Silly Song” or a real-world “Exploration.”

Finally, the finished creation comes to life in an animated short story.

The series currently has 42 episodes planned, with new installments rolling out weekly in five languages: English, French, German, Brazilian Portuguese and Latin American Spanish.

Short Film Spotlight: Fortune Tellers Inc

October 28, 2026 / The Animation Blog / 0 Comments

Synopsis: Mai ventures out to the Fortune Tellers Inc. to have all aspects of her future predicted.

Written and Directed by:
Daniel Anter Tolansk De Melo
Eva Aubry
Coralie Bélaygue
Châu Hoàng
Kalina Koleva
Prathik Poojary

Music and Sound Design by Jérémy Ben Ammar.

Voice cast:
Erika Ishii as Mai
Jessica Carter as Mai’s Mom
Max Herzfeld as Mai’s Dad
Selena Mikes as Tower’s Speaker
Dontae Majors as Teacher
Cristina Van Epps as Owl
Clayton Michael Walker as Crow
Jessica Ruppe as Aunts in Void
Max Herzfeld as Artist
Jessica Carter as Octopus
Max Herzfeld as Hermit Crab
Taylor Fernandez as Horse
Samantha Afflick-Smith as Grandma
Jonathan Abbaszadeh
Cléo de Lasteyrie
Lunia Belaïd
Yosi Hsu

‘MrBeast Lab’ Series Trailer and Release Date: World’s Biggest YouTuber Debuts Show Inspired by Toy Line

October 27, 2026 / The Animation Blog / 0 Comments

Release date: November 1, 2026 on YouTube

Synopsis: With the Lab destroyed and the evil Shroud hot on their trail, Jimmy and his team follow a mysterious signal that may lead them to Banana, their friend presumed dead. Now, Jimmy, Panthar and the crew will stop at nothing to bring Banana home.

Created by Jimmy Donaldson (MrBeast).

Ben Bjelajac and Michael Cruz serve as showrunners.

Written by Ben Bjelajac, Michael Cruz, Jameel Saleem, Lillian Yu, Conor Hanney, Charley Feldman and Daniel Kibblesmith.

Short Film Spotlight: Manca

October 27, 2026 / The Animation Blog / 0 Comments

Synopsis: Henry Mcallister, after stepping on an innocent bug, receives an extraordinary punishment from an otherworldly entity that he accidentally summons.

Written, directed, animated and scored by Emile Burford.

Sound Design by Mikey Burford.

Voice cast:
Baden Willimott as Henry
Cosmos Gibbs as Critter
Lee Wursag as Sam

Short Film Spotlight: Sorgin 1615

October 26, 2026 / The Animation Blog / 0 Comments

Synopsis: In 1615, in the Basque Country, three friends celebrate the summer solstice around a campfire. Their night takes a dark turn when a menacing figure emerges to shatter their plans.

Directed by:
Alexandre Maurier
Bilal Duat Wibaux
Caroline Vanek
Enzo Mondet
Hugo Girard
Julia Beaurain
Leïa Ribon
Rebecca Hatté
Rebecca Pellegrin

Original Score by Bastien Nectoux.

Sound by:
Antoine Smets
Baptiste Leblanc
Guilhem Favard
Lionel Gaillardin
Tristan Le Bozec
Yoann Poncet

Voice cast:
Ariane Aggiage
Agathe Schumacher
Frédéric Perchet
Lisa Nyarko

Short Film Spotlight: I’m Sick!

October 25, 2026 / The Animation Blog / 0 Comments

Synopsis: A dancer realizes she’s sick after getting flown out for an international audition.

Written and directed by Lewis Tarver.

Choreography by Spencer Lenain.

Voiced by Lewis Tarver, Amy Hewett and Emy Galustyan.

Short Film Spotlight: Masked

October 24, 2026 / The Animation Blog / 0 Comments

Synopsis: A young mask-changing performer struggles to impress his cold, perfectionist mother and soon finds himself willing to do whatever it takes to gain her approval.

A short film by:
Esther Chung
Farah Ma
Gary Luo
Iris Wu
James Coture
Jane Jian
Jessi Phan
Sarah Forrestal
Stella Tchen
Zachary Hastie

Music and Sound Design by Mark Kueffner.

Voice cast:
Jalen Askins as Tang
Lily Yasuda as Mom
Sara Dunham as The Witch

Short Film Spotlight: Outwilded

October 22, 2026 / The Animation Blog / 0 Comments

Synopsis: Animal documentary meets reality TV as a group of animals must navigate rivalry, alliances, and cooperation in a race to find a key.

Written and directed by:
Ilona Baars
Anna Dupuy
Quique Garos
Alexandra Rajeva
Stasa Rakocevic

Music by Thibault Duclos and Octave Cros.

Sound by Mathieu Tiger and Clément Lanine.

‘Tex Avery: The Definitive Screwball Classics Collection’ Blu-ray Release Set for December 11

October 21, 2026 / The Animation Blog / 0 Comments

Release date: December 11, 2026

Tex Avery: The Definitive Screwball Classics Collection brings together every animated short Avery created at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, presented in their original uncut and uncensored form.

The release includes a collectible 72-page full-color booklet, along with archival bonus features, including:

– Tex Avery: The King of Cartoons
– Droopy and Friends: A Laugh Back

Also included are three bonus shorts presented in their original release versions:

– The Shooting of Dan McGoo (1945)
– Wild and Woolfy (1945)
– Lucky Ducky (1948)

Across four Blu-ray discs, all 74 cartoons have been upgraded, with select shorts newly remastered for this collection.

Super Bowl LXI Gets Animated in ‘Star Wars Funday Football’ Telecast on Disney Platforms

October 20, 2026 / The Animation Blog / 0 Comments

ESPN, Lucasfilm, Disney and the NFL will present a real-time, animated alternate telecast of Super Bowl LXI set in the Star Wars galaxy and featuring characters from across the franchise, including original 1977 cast member Anthony Daniels returning to voice C-3PO.

Star Wars Funday Football will stream live in the U.S. on Disney+ and the ESPN App and air on Disney Channel and Disney XD on February 14, 2027.

The Star Wars animated telecast will recreate every play of Super Bowl LXI in real time, transforming players on the field into animated avatars, while Star Wars characters sub in during key moments and various Easter eggs appear throughout the game.

Short Film Spotlight: As I Was a Tree

October 19, 2026 / The Animation Blog / 0 Comments

Synopsis: The Self moves through a constantly shifting world, searching for a way out.

Along the journey, it encounters Proteus, an ever-changing presence that takes different forms, sometimes appearing as an outside force, sometimes as something coming from within.

As reality continually reshapes itself, the Self is pushed to confront the forces that influence who we become, what we believe, and how much control we really have over our own path.

Written, animated and directed by Jalal Maghout.

Sound by Larissa Kischk and Nicolas Voss.

Music by Marcus Sander.

Short Film Spotlight: Fleur Bleue (Blue Flower)

October 18, 2026 / The Animation Blog / 0 Comments

Synopsis: In a distant future, men and women are locked in a merciless war.

Their most powerful weapons are Rocket Robots, highly advanced machines designed to break through enemy spacecraft and destroy everything in their path.

But during one battle, one of these combat robots crashes onto a deserted island.

Far from the battlefield, something unexpected begins to happen: the machine starts to experience emotions.

Directed by Thomas Guerigen.

Cinematography by José Gerel.

Sound and music by Vincent Boutolleau.