Stephanie Hsu and Will Sharpe’s Acclaimed Animated Romance ‘In Waves’ is Heading to Netflix

Picture Credit: semainedelacritique.com

It’s Cannes season, and Netflix is already making waves—literally. We’ve got our first major acquisition out of the 2026 festival, with Netflix picking up the global rights (excluding France) to the animated romance In Waves.

First confirmed overnight by Variety, Netflix reportedly won a highly competitive bidding war for the feature, snagging it for a price tag rumored to be in the mid-seven figures. Netflix’s official social accounts quickly confirmed the news shortly after the initial report dropped.

The deal was negotiated on behalf of the filmmakers by Anonymous Content, CAA Media Finance, and Charades.

Here’s the confirmation tweet from Netflix:

Here’s a rundown of everything you need to know about the new animated pickup.

What is In Waves about?

In Waves is an adaptation of the 2019 graphic memoir by AJ Dungo. The film opened up the prestigious Semaine de la Critique (Critics’ Week) at Cannes to absolute rave reviews, with critics praising its emotional depth and gorgeous, elegant animation style.

Critics on Rotten Tomatoes are uniformly praising In Waves as a beautifully bittersweet and emotionally resonant coming-of-age romance. Although some reviewers note the film occasionally relies on familiar genre tropes, these minor flaws are easily forgiven thanks to the authentic, real-life heart behind AJ and Kristen’s joyful yet painful journey, earning it comparisons to touching indie dramas like The Fault in Our Stars.

Picture Credit: semainedelacritique.com

Set in Los Angeles, the coming-of-age story follows AJ, a shy teenager with a love for skateboarding and drawing, and Kristen, a passionate surfer. The two fall deeply in love and begin to map out a future together, but tragedy strikes when Kristen is diagnosed with a sudden illness. Together, they navigate the heavy adversity through the strength of their relationship, the support of their community, and a shared, deep-rooted connection to the ocean.

Who is behind In Waves?

The project boasts some stellar talent, particularly in the recording booth.

Oscar-nominee Stephanie Hsu (Everything Everywhere All at Once, The Fall Guy) and BAFTA-winner Will Sharpe (The White Lotus, Beef) are leading the voice cast for the movie.

In the director’s chair is Phuong Mai Nguyen, who is bringing AJ Dungo’s graphic novel to the screen using a script penned by Fanny Burdino and Samuel Doux.

Silex Films produced the feature, with Priscilla Bertin and Judith Nora serving as producers. The executive producing team includes David Levine, Yohann Comte, Carole Baraton, Pierre Mazars, Nick Shumaker, alongside stars Will Sharpe and Stephanie Hsu.

(A quick note on why Netflix doesn’t have the rights in France: Diaphana is handling the domestic distribution over there, which is standard practice for a lot of these European co-productions!)

Speaking on the acquisition, in an exclusive quote to Variety, David Levine and Nick Shumaker of Anonymous Content had this to say:

“From the very start, we were energized by Mai’s unmistakable talent and the ability of AJ’s story to deeply move audiences. This exciting partnership with Netflix will ensure that our romantic, coming-of-age story reaches people all over the world.”

Silex Films’ Priscilla Bertin added:

“I am very happy about this partnership with Netflix and their enthusiasm for ‘In Waves,’ which gives us the opportunity to reach the broadest possible audience and share this deeply moving true love story with the world.”

There’s no word on a release date just yet. Since it’s already making its premiere at Cannes, we could see it drop on the service later in 2026 or early 2027, but we’ll keep you posted as soon as we hear more.

Picture Credit: semainedelacritique.com

Are you looking forward to catching In Waves on Netflix? Let us know in the comments down below.