Picture Credits: Netflix
Netflix just dropped intel and first looks for its slate showcased at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival. Below, we’ll cover all the major new announcements for some of its feature films and series, in addition to our coverage yesterday on the anime and adult animation roundup.
Before we dive into the full lineup, a quick PSA: We’ve got way more to come from the announcements throughout the rest of the day, but below, we’re just going to run through all the new intel and first look. Make sure you’re following us across all our social media channels because we’ll be bringing you live updates, sneak peek photos, and real-time news straight from the festival.
Now, let’s break down everything Netflix just revealed for its upcoming animation slate.
The Heavy Hitter Films
Charlie vs. the Chocolate Factory
Release Date: 2027
Prepare for a completely different kind of trip to the chocolate factory. Executive-produced by and starring Taika Waititi as Willy Wonka, this highly anticipated animated spin-off picks up in a rather bitter world. Wonka has just spent years behind actual bars for turning a child into a blueberry.
Enter teenager Charlie Paley (voiced by Heartstopper’s Kit Connor) and his friends, who plot a grand heist on the factory to steal a priceless Wonka Bar and save their homes from eviction. Netflix is showing off exclusive first looks at the film—produced by Sony Pictures Imageworks—during the Wednesday showcase, and it looks very polished and irreverent in nature.
We got an intro from the two directors behind the film, plus a a first look clip with footage ranging from early in production to the finished thing. More to come on this from us down the line.
Ray Gunn
Release Date: December 18, 2026
Visionary director Brad Bird (The Incredibles, The Iron Giant) is finally bringing his 30-year-in-the-making passion project to the screen later this year. For the public, we got two new first look snaps.
Produced at Skydance Animation, the film has been one of our most anticipated animated projects for a while. During the panel, Bird will provide a deeply personal insight into the making of Ray Gunn, in a special conversation moderated by stop-motion legend Peter Lord, co-founder of Aardman (who are notably celebrating their 50th anniversary this year!). We’ll have more of a write-up for this later today.
In addition, we got plenty of concept art pieces (including how the main character was designed with reference pictures, including Chris Pine and WW2 movies), and audiences were treated to the opening 7 minutes of the film, which begins with a heist in the visually gorgeous, fleshed-out futuristic city.
RAY GUNN – Venus Nova (Scarlett Johansson) and Raymond Gunn (Sam Rockwell). Cr: Skydance Animation ©2026
RAY GUNN – Raymond Gunn (Sam Rockwell) and Venus Nova (Scarlett Johansson). Cr: Skydance Animation ©2026
Steps
Release Date: November 20th, 2026
Yesterday, Netflix held a special Work-in-Progress session at Salle Pierre Lamy on Tuesday, June 23rd, to give us an early look at this hilarious re-imagining of the classic fairy tale, which we’ve spoken about in-depth in our massive roundup yesterday. As a reminder, the film is directed by Alyce Tzue and John Ripa, with Jason Figliozzi heading up character animation.
The movie got another small tease during the main Annecy presentation, in addition to the now-confirmed release date this November.
STEPS – (Pictured) Lilith (Ali Wong). Cr: Netflix Animation © 2026
STEPS – (Top to Bottom) Lilith (Ali Wong), Cinderella (Amanda Seyfried) and Margot (Stephanie Hsu). Cr: Netflix Animation © 2026
The Animated Series
Ghostbusters: Night Shift
Release Date: 2027
Who ya gonna call? The Ghostbusters are officially coming back to television! Following the weekend’s announcement of title and release year, executive producers Jason Reitman and Gil Kenan, along with showrunners Ben Hibon and Elliott Kalan, gave an in-depth presentation on the new series, unveiling a world-exclusive preview of the series. We’ve got a lot more coverage to come on this later today but released to the public is a first look image and concept art:
Ghostbusters: Night Shift – Cr: Sony Pictures Animation ©2026
Ghostbusters: Night Shift – Visual Development Art. Cr: Sony Pictures Animation ©2026
Alley Cats
Release Date: August 7, 2026
Ricky Gervais is a guest of honor at this year’s festival, hosting a special masterclass tied to his brand-new adult animated comedy series, Alley Cats. As a reminder, the stacked voice cast features David Earl as Puke, Diane Morgan as Olive, Jo Hartley as Kitten, Ricky Gervais as Gus, Tom Basden as Ponce, and Andrew Brooke as Fang.
We’ve got a full panel on this show to look forward to in person on June 25th, and we’ll bring you our first reaction to the two episodes and more from Gervais as and when we get it. Ahead of this panel, Netflix dropped the trailer on Monday and a new still today:
Alley Cats. (L to R) Jo Hartley as Kitten, Diane Morgan as Olive, Ricky Gervias as Gus, David Earl as Puke, Andrew Brooke as Fang, Tom Basden as Ponce, in Alley Cats. Cr. Courtesy of Netflix © 2026
Look out for more coverage in the hours and days to come but until then, what’s your favorite new announcement from the Next on Netflix 2026 Annecy announcements.
