Annecy 2026 – The Annecy International Animation Film Festival—held late June—left an X-stream worth of new project announcements, with Amazon, Netflix, and Warner Bros. leading the week’s biggest reveals. From Genndy Tartakovsky’s Conan series and DC’s Joker anime “Last La
I couldn’t make it to Southeast France for the Annecy International Animation Film Festival this week. I still felt it the way a lot of people did: a sudden flood of animated project announcements hit my X feed as the festival moved through its days.
Annecy is the premier festival for the medium of animation. established as a bi-annual event in 1960 before shifting to a yearly event in 1998. The main competition runs every year with roughly 10 animated films across formats—2D. 3D. and stop-motion—vying for the Cristal for Best Feature Film. There’s also the Contrechamp competition, short film categories, and other screenings. But the festival’s role as a kind of trade hub is just as real: companies preview upcoming animated films and TV shows. and announce what’s on the way.
Late June. when Annecy takes place. has become a reliable moment for animation news to spill out beyond the festival’s walls. This year followed that pattern. Throughout the week, companies including Amazon, Netflix, and Warner Bros. had showcases and panels. with returning shows such as “Common Side Effects” and “King of the Hill. ” along with premieres of upcoming films including “Forgotten Island” and “Minions & Monsters.”.
Some of the biggest attention also landed outside Annecy’s direct orbit. A “Shrek” spinoff prequel about Donkey titled “Donkey” has people talking, and the skepticism in the room has grown the longer it’s been on people’s radar.
With the festival wrapping up tomorrow and most of the announcements now out in the open. the question is which reveals are likely to change the animation conversation next—and which are already meeting resistance. Amazon’s announcement that most grabbed attention personally was the unveiling of a “Conan the Barbarian” animated series at Prime Video from Genndy Tartakovsky. creator of “Dexter’s Laboratory” and “Samurai Jack.” The project isn’t expected to arrive for years. but it’s the kind of match that feels almost inevitable if you’ve seen Tartakovsky’s Adult Swim action series “Primal. ” where the sword-and-sandal pulp hero fits his sensibilities.
If there’s a single company that seemed to have the most new projects on deck, it was Warner Bros. Animation. The company held multiple panels, including one for its DC Studios slate. At the DC panel. four new shows were announced. led by an anime about the Joker called “Last Laugh. ” directed by Yasuhiro Aoki. who made the underseen gem “ChaO” earlier this year. Warner Bros. also announced a “Krypto” series for kids from the creator of “Chowder. ” a setup that immediately brings to mind the “Krypto” cartoon someone might have grown up with and the theme song that never quite leaves.
The headline moment. at least among those DC reveals. was “Absolute Batman.” The series adapts an alternate universe comic reimagining Bruce Wayne as a blue-collar worker instead of a billionaire heir. The original comic isn’t the most beloved starting point for everyone. but its commercial success is hard to ignore: it has sold about 3 million copies since its 2024 launch. The show’s production also drew confidence from its team—Scott Snyder. the writer of the original comic. is executive producing the project. The presentation also showcased footage for a previously announced “Mister Miracle” show from writer Tom King.
Warner Bros. wasn’t limiting itself to DC Studios, either. Outside of that panel, the company announced an HBO Max “Adventure Time” spinoff focusing on Marceline and Princess Bubblegum. It also brought feature news. including the feature debut of “Hazbin Hotel” creator Vivienne Medrano. “Prehistoria.” And then there was the announcement that instantly split the room: the confirmed development of a “Powerpuff Girls” feature film.
The “Powerpuff Girls” debate carries history. A 2016 reboot was poorly received, and a live-action attempt received so much backlash it was canned before it ever aired. The franchise. at least for some viewers. doesn’t feel like it’s set up to recapture the magic of the circumstances that first made it. Some things, they argue, may be better left alone.
Not all the standout news was built around legacy IP, though. One of the more intriguing acquisitions tied to Annecy came when Crunchyroll secured a distribution deal to take “The Wolf. ” a French animated movie based on a graphic novel by the original creator of “Snowpiercer.” The film is made by the directing team behind “I Lost My Body.” Crunchyroll is often associated with anime distribution and streaming. but it has handled live-action releases and movies and TV shows from outside Japan before. Still, “The Wolf” stands out as one of its biggest gets on the non-Japanese animated front.
That matters in the broader competition for attention. Other companies have been investing in anime more heavily—Netflix had an entire showcase for its anime titles. including a reveal of footage from its “One Piece” reboot “The One Piece” and a new series “Fool Night.” Amazon. meanwhile. announced that Science Saru’s new “Ghost in the Shell” reboot is coming to streaming next month. Against that backdrop, Crunchyroll’s push to diversify its output reads like a deliberate move, not just a one-off deal.
There were simply too many other items to list here. The week’s chatter included an Illumination movie “Not Alone,” with Selena Gomez and Timothee Chalamet. It also included what some might call the strangest possible avenue for a cast reunion from “A Rainy Day in New York.” Other titles named in the flood included “Batman: Knightfall. ” and Aardman Animation’s “Pokémon” stop-motion series that. while not newly announced. received premieres or previews.
Still. the through-line of the festival was clear: the trade-show energy of Annecy isn’t just about what wins Cristals—it’s about what sets the next releases in motion. Amazon’s long-horizon “Conan the Barbarian” series. Warner Bros. Animation’s sweeping DC expansion. including “Last Laugh. ” “Krypto. ” and “Absolute Batman.” Crunchyroll’s distribution play for “The Wolf.” And. for better or worse. a “Powerpuff Girls” feature film entering development at a moment when the franchise’s comeback history already has scars.
When the next wave lands, it won’t just be new shows and movies. It’ll be a test—of fan trust, of studio instincts, and of whether today’s bold announcements can earn the same kind of magic that once made these worlds feel inevitable.
Annecy 2026 Annecy Film Festival animation announcements Prime Video Conan the Barbarian animated series Genndy Tartakovsky Warner Bros. Animation Absolute Batman Mister Miracle Last Laugh Yasuhiro Aoki Krypto series Adventure Time spinoff Marceline Princess Bubblegum Prehistoria Powerpuff Girls feature Crunchyroll distribution deal The Wolf animated movie Vivienne Medrano Fool Night One Piece reboot Ghost in the Shell reboot Illumination Not Alone Aardman Pokémon stop-motion