After being the most-watched Wednesday Annecy showcase in recent years, Netflix today revealed new details of its future animation plans for 2026 and beyond from the stage of the Théâtre du Annecy-Bonlieu, which attracted anime fans from all over the world.
The presentation was headlined by two-time Academy Award winner Brad Bird, who took to the stage for an in-depth conversation with fellow Academy Award-winning director and recently knighted Aardman co-founder Peter Lord, and revealed new images and previously unseen clips from his upcoming feature film Ray Gun, set for release later this year on December 18th.
Venus Nova (Scarlett Johansson) and Raymond Gunn (Sam Rockwell) in Brad Bird’s Ray Gunn. Credit Skydance Animation 2026
As he explained in a previous announcement, “Ray Gun” has been in the director’s mind for more than 30 years. Bird finally picked up the project again a few years ago after it sat in Hollywood’s vaults for decades. “Even though there have been many changes in animation technology and the film industry as a whole, the basic concept was still important to me,” Bird explained. An urban, futuristic, sci-fi noir adventure inspired by genre works and a love of “Chinatown,” which Bird called “the greatest detective movie of all time.” Bird went even deeper into the production of this film, sharing his love of laughter and the animation medium with captivated audiences at both Lorde and Annecy.
In addition to the original story that has been in the works for a long time, Netflix also released the first teaser for its flagship anime project, The One Piece, which is scheduled for worldwide release in February 2027. This brand new animated feature from WIT Studios goes back to the very beginnings of the East Blue arc of the original manga, setting it apart from the animated TV series that has been full steam ahead for over 25 years. Instead, “One Piece” takes advantage of the expressive power of modern technology to portray Luffy’s early adventures in a familiar yet fresh perspective, with “Attack on Titan” director Masashi Koizuka directing the production at WIT Studio.
Netflix used Annecy to announce that Mayumi Tanaka will be joining the Japanese voice cast for series protagonist Luffy.
“When we first started working on the project, we knew this story would be emotional and moving, but we wanted to approach it as a naval action-adventure story. It’s a story about a boy who wants to be the Pirate King, so we thought that was the most appropriate place to start,” said One Piece director Masashi Koizuka. “That means seawater needs to be awe-inspiring. The ocean that Luffy sees is literally an unknown ocean full of wonder and excitement. We wanted to bring that awe and scale to life,” he added.
Another legendary and beloved IP is coming to Netflix Animation in 2027. Ghostbusters: Nightshift The Sony Pictures animation team took to the stage to reveal a first look and concept art for the upcoming young adult animated series set between the original film and the Afterlife sequel. Set five years after Ghostbusters strolled down the Statue of Liberty, a group of young, cranky New Yorkers face a new wave of supernatural horror sweeping the Big Apple. Untrained, underappreciated, and seemingly responsible for the problem, it’s time for them to strap on their proton packs, face their fears, and defeat the ghosts.
Credit Sony Pictures Animation 2026
Jason Reitman and Gil Keenan took to the stage as executive producers to introduce showrunner duo Ben Hibbon and Elliot Curran. Amy Karp and Dan Aykroyd will also serve as executive producers on the project. Unsurprisingly, given Sony Pictures Animation’s record to date, the Annecy crowd was enthusiastic about the first footage, an extensive behind-the-scenes look, that Hibon and Karan showed today. From heavily stylized brand new characters to new interpretations of classic objects from the popular series, this show is sure to captivate the next generation of Ghostbusters fans with its signature style.
Ahead of Thursday’s masterclass in Annecy, Netflix director Ricky Gervais shared new images from his new adult comedy series Alley Cats, set for release on August 7th.
(Left to right) Joe Hartley as Kitten, Diane Morgan as Olive, Ricky Gervais as Gus, David Earle as Pook, Andrew Brooke as Fang, and Tom Basden as Ponce in Alley Cats. Provided by Netflix
Back to featurettes, Netflix has released footage from Charlie vs. the Chocolate Factory, the new movie starring Taika Waititi as Wonka and directed by Jared Stern (The Lego Batman Movie) and Elaine Bogan (Trollhunters). With Kit Connor already announced as the lead voice cast and a new teenage character at the Factory, the film appears to be a fast-paced, thrilling and colorful adventure for young audiences, and received enthusiastic feedback from the Annecy crowd.
New images for “Steps,” set to be released worldwide on November 20th, were also unveiled by John Ripa and Alice Tswe after a fun production session, focusing on the title “In Waves,” which was picked up by Netflix at the Cannes Film Festival, following a worldwide release on Netflix (excluding France) on December 11th.
Lilith (Ali Wong) from “Steps”. Credit Netflix Animation
Netflix has become the go-to destination for animation in all its forms, with over 130 million members around the world watching a variety of animated titles every month. The number of anime fans continues to increase on Netflix, and by 2025, anime programs will have been viewed more than 1.5 billion times. Earlier this week, Netflix announced its anime lineup in another exclusive showcase.
Today’s announcement comes on the heels of an unprecedented year for Netflix Animation, with the brilliant KPop Demon Hunters winning a historic two Academy Awards, becoming Netflix’s most popular film in history, and staying in Netflix’s Global Top 10 for over a year. In addition to this accomplishment, Netflix films have won 13 Annie Awards, including three for “Love, Death + Robots,” and “Ultraman: Rising” won the Children’s and Family Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Special and Sound. Mixing and sound editing for anime programs.
