Warner Bros. Pictures Animation teased a possible big-screen ThunderCats animated film in an Annecy sizzle reel, reviving decades of talk about the 1985 series—though no release date or team details were provided.
There’s a familiar kind of excitement in the way a studio teases an old obsession—quick, teasing, and just specific enough to set the rumor mill spinning.
This time, Warner Bros. Pictures Animation put ThunderCats on the screen. The 1985 animated series. known for heroes who were fantastical. large. and talking cats. was included among titles teased in a longer sizzle reel shown at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival and Market this week. Alongside ThunderCats, the reel also featured The Powerpuff Girls.
The teaser matters, but it also leaves a lot hanging. There has been no official announcement beyond the tease, and no additional details about the project. That means key questions—how far along the film is, who is working on it, and when it could arrive—remain unanswered.
For now, viewers are left to read the timing through the studio’s own planning. Warner Bros. has already announced multiple animated films with release windows stretching to 2028, including Dr. Seuss’ Oh, the Places You’ll Go, DC’s Dynamic Duo, and Hello Kitty. If ThunderCats follows that same runway, it likely won’t hit theaters until 2029 at the very earliest.
This isn’t the first time ThunderCats has been pulled into the conversation about a feature film. The property—like Masters of the Universe and Voltron—has been rumored and discussed as a film adaptation for decades. slowly resurfacing as new eras of animation and blockbuster cycles change what audiences will chase.
Most recently, that long wait had a new name attached to it. In 2021, The Guest and Godzilla vs. Kong director Adam Wingard was announced to be working on a live-action ThunderCats adaptation. and the report added that he apparently was still attached in 2024. Whether that’s still the plan, whether it changed, or whether the Warner Bros. tease points to an animated version instead is unclear.
Even with the uncertainty, the choice of animation isn’t hard to understand. ThunderCats is visually bold—mythology, designs, and character work built for the kind of larger-than-life look animation can deliver. The comparison made here is blunt and telling: it’s basically He-Man meets Cats the musical.
That’s also why caution sits right next to optimism. The franchise moment is complicated by what’s happening elsewhere. Masters of the Universe is currently in theaters. and Cats the musical was also a recent box-office moment a few years back. With audience taste notoriously unpredictable, Warner Bros. has every reason to proceed carefully—even if it placed ThunderCats in a sizzle reel for a reason.
ThunderCats may be returning to the big screen, but right now it’s still a promise without a timetable. The tease has lit the fuse; the studio hasn’t handed over the match.
The question now is simple enough for fans to feel in their bones: would audiences show up for a ThunderCats animated film—and is animation the right door for a franchise like this to walk through?
Warner Bros. ThunderCats ThunderCats animated film Annecy Warner Bros. Pictures Animation 1985 animated series Masters of the Universe Voltron Adam Wingard Dr. Seuss’ Oh the Places You’ll Go DC’s Dynamic Duo Hello Kitty
So they’re making ThunderCats now? Finally. I’m hoping it’s actually good and not some random reboot.
Wait is this the talking cat thing from the 80s or am I mixing it up with Thundercats? Either way Warner always teases stuff and then disappears. If there’s no release date it’s basically just clickbait tbh.
I saw something about Adam Wingard being attached to ThunderCats but this sounds like an animated one? So is it gonna be live action with cats but animated characters?? Also 2029 sounds like forever, like by then the studio will forget they teased it at that festival.
Annecy sizzle reel doesn’t mean anything. They tease Powerpuff Girls and ThunderCats and suddenly everyone thinks it’s confirmed. Warner said 2028 windows for other stuff too so this probably means it’ll come out sooner… unless it doesn’t. Honestly I’m just here for the “large fantastical heroes” cat vibes, whatever that means.