The Animation Blog

Robot Chicken Returns with a New Special Celebrating 25 Years of Adult Swim — Watch the Trailer Now!

July 28, 2026 / The Animation Blog / 0 Comments

Release date: August 30, 2026 on Adult Swim. Next day on HBO Max.

Synopsis: Every iconic character in Adult Swim’s history is aboard a cruise ship celebrating a quarter century on the air, but toasts turn to screams as it develops into a disaster of titanic proportions!

Will the stars of Smiling Friends, Aqua Teen Hunger Force, Metalocalypse, Assy McGee, Venture Bros., and dozens more survive? Or meet a watery doom?

Additionally, Adult Swim will air a second special in 2027 to commemorate Cartoon Networks’ 35th anniversary.

New ‘Family Guy’ Halloween and Christmas Specials Set for Hulu and Disney+ with Kieran Culkin Guest Starring

July 27, 2026 / The Animation Blog / 0 Comments

At this year’s Family Guy San Diego Comic-Con panel, showrunner Rich Appel revealed “Happy Hell-o-ween” and “The Peter Clause,” two specials premiering this year exclusively on Hulu in the U.S. and Disney+ internationally in most markets.

Halloween special synopsis: Brian and Stewie find themselves in Hell – not an annoying day, the actual underworld – paying for 24 seasons’ worth of bad behavior. When they manage to annoy even the Devil himself, they end up in charge.

Kieran Culkin guest stars as the Devil.

Christmas special synopsis: It’s Christmas in Quahog, and Peter and the guys compete to become the town’s official Santa. Peter loses, and he can either process his disappointment in a mature manner, or give fans a memorable episode of Family Guy. Thankfully, he chooses option number two.

Family Guy returns with new episodes in 2027.

‘Bob’s Burgers’ Celebrates the Holidays with ‘On the Fort Day of Christmas’ Short on Hulu and Disney+

July 27, 2026 / The Animation Blog / 0 Comments

Synopsis: A record-breaking Christmas snowstorm means one thing to the Belcher kids — a record-breaking Christmas snow fort.

At this year’s Bob’s Burgers San Diego Comic-Con panel, creator Loren Bouchard announced “On the Fort Day of Christmas,” a short film premiering this year exclusively on Hulu in the U.S. and Disney+ internationally in most markets.

Season 17 of Bob’s Burgers premieres in 2027.

‘Futurama’ Season 14 Trailer, Release Date and Poster: Fry, Bender and Leela Return in 10 New Episodes on Hulu

July 26, 2026 / The Animation Blog / 0 Comments

Release date: August 3, 2026 on Hulu and Hulu on Disney+ for bundle subscribers in the U.S., and on Disney+ internationally

Synopsis: It’s a nonstop onslaught of swaggering space pirates, lab-grown meats, sexy scams… plus the shocking return of Dr. Zoidberg’s lost love. No one saw that coming, prior to being told about it just now.

Created by Matt Groening.

Developed by Matt Groening and David X. Cohen.

Additionally, Hulu has greenlit three extended length Futurama specials, the first of which is Christmas themed and will launch in 2027.

Short Film Spotlight: The Eve

July 25, 2026 / The Animation Blog / 0 Comments

Synopsis: Sixteen-year-old Jad, passionate about drawing, lives under the pressure of his older brother Bilal. He discovers graffiti as a new way to express himself and reveal his true desires.

Directed by:
Jade Berto
Lunayah Corvaisier
Alexandra Djeneva
Lucille Laurent
Lucas Layeul
Théotime Meunier
Antoine Valero
Daria Volochai

Original Score by Louison Pugin.

Sound by Mickael Merrheim, José Vicente and Yoann Poncet.

Voice cast:
Mark Kaczmarek
Tristan Le Bozek
Jade Berto
Lucas Layeul
José Vicente

‘The Kung Fu Kid’ Trailer and Release Date: ‘I Am What I Am 2’ Gets a New Title for Its North American Debut

July 24, 2026 / The Animation Blog / 0 Comments

Release date: August 11, 2026 on Digital and September 15, 2026 on Blu-ray and DVD, exclusively through Amazon

Synopsis: A village boy travels to Shanghai, desperate to save his sick father and pay off medical debt.

Recruited by a local Kung Fu gym, he enters “Shanghai Fight Night,” a brutal tournament packed with elite fighters and techniques from around the world.

Embodying the fading tradition of Chinese martial arts, he embarks on a tale of heritage, sacrifice, and the ultimate pursuit of victory.

Directed by Sun Haipeng.

Written by Sun Haipeng, Shen Cheng, Zhang Ting and Shi Mai.

Original Chinese title: I Am What I Am 2

‘Avatar: Seven Havens’: Teaser Trailer, Release Date and Voice Cast Revealed for Paramount+ Series

July 23, 2026 / The Animation Blog / 0 Comments

Release date: October 9, 2026 on Paramount+

Synopsis: A young Earthbender discovers she’s the new Avatar after Korra — but in this dangerous era, that title marks her as humanity’s destroyer, not its savior.

Hunted by both human and spirit enemies, she and her long-lost twin must uncover their mysterious origins and save the Seven Havens before civilization’s last strongholds collapse.

Created by Michael DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko.

Voice cast:
Saheli Khan as Pavi
Aishu Devan as Nisha
Akshay Khanna as Karthik
Major Curda as Jae
Sakina Jaffrey as Agam
Darren Barnet as Daemin
Dianne Doan as Zi
Dee Bradley Baker as Geet and Ruhi

Short Film Spotlight: Pear Garden

July 22, 2026 / The Animation Blog / 0 Comments

Synopsis: Lily is confused by her grandmother’s post-mastectomy appearance. One night, she discovers that her grandmother’s shadow still has breasts. She follows the shadow to a tree bearing breast-like fruit, believing she has found replacements.

Lily picks two, but when she returns home, she realizes they’re pears. She tosses them aside, causing them to split open and reveal their seeds, which she places on her sleeping grandmother’s scars, hoping they will grow into breasts.

Written and directed by Shadab Shayegan.

Based on a story by Shadab Shayegan and Sepideh Sarihi.

Music by Periklis Liakakis.

Sound by Farzan Roozbahani, Rachel Oker, Jonathan Rösch and Vincent Egerter.

Voiced by Cheshmeh Ebrahimzadeh, Nava Hemyari and Shahin Taslimi.

Short Film Spotlight: Gardening

July 21, 2026 / The Animation Blog / 0 Comments

Synopsis: In the aftermath of sexual assault, a woman retreats into the garden of her mind. Searching for answers and struggling to do “the right thing,” she realises that she must regain her voice and find new paths to healing, before she and her garden are destroyed completely.

Directed by Sarah Beeby.

Written by Louisa Wood and Sarah Beeby.

Music by Die Hexen.

Sound by Louis Morand, Adrian Walter and Helen Miles.

Voice cast:
Evanna Lynch as Leonora
Speech Debelle as Imani
Freddie Fox as Quillan
Chetna Pandya as Rita
Simon McBurney as Detective Danforth

Short Film Spotlight: Cupid

July 20, 2026 / The Animation Blog / 0 Comments

Synopsis: Cupid is about a perfectionist Elite Cupid whose arrow goes wildly off-course, thanks to a very unlucky butterfly, and who must now race to undo the damage before the wrong two people fall in love.

Directed by Lee Do Hee.

Written by Lee Do Hee and Kim Seul Gi.

Music by Kim Dong Wook and Chai Min Joo.

Voiced by:
Lee Young Ki
Choi Jeong Yoon
Jin Yang Uk
Joe Sun

Short Film Spotlight: Colis Suspect (Suspicious Package)

July 19, 2026 / The Animation Blog / 0 Comments

Synopsis: A rolling suitcase is left unattended at an airport. A team of unprofessional GNGN soldiers tries to disable it by any means necessary, leading to chaos.

Directed by:
Antoine Carayol
Thomas Garandel
Nicolas Gradelle-Llaurensou
Martin Hoffmann
Célina Malledant
Loïc Nivet
Léo Pennard
Quentin Renoux

Original Score by Antoine Trameçon.

Sound by Baptiste Leblanc, José Vicente and Yoann Poncet.

Voice cast:
Emmanuel Curtil
Michel Elias
Alexis Tomassian
France Renard
Donald Reignoux
Gabriel Bismuth-Bienaimé
Antoine Perrichon

Short Film Spotlight: Crumble City

July 18, 2026 / The Animation Blog / 0 Comments

Synopsis: As the world comes to an end, three teenagers searching for one last meal get scammed by Girl Scouts selling cookies — and now they want their money back!

Written and Directed by Adriana Lopez Escalante.

Music by Evan Yu and Sudhanva Kalaga.

Sound Design by Sudhanva Kalaga.

Sound Mix by Daniel Eaton.

Voice cast:
Jackie Manke as Fiona
Jessica Ji as Selena
Diego Pimentel as Dom
Adriana Lopez Escalante as Girl Scout Jennie
Daniela Lopez Escalante as Girl Scout Valentina
Marisssa Brennan as News Reporter
Judah Esquivel as Church Guy

Short Film Spotlight: Wander to Wonder

July 17, 2026 / The Animation Blog / 0 Comments

Synopsis: After the creator of kids TV series dies, three miniature, human actors are left alone in the studio. With their slowly decaying costumes and growing hunger, they continue to make increasingly strange episodes for their fans.

Wander to Wonder was nominated for Best Animated Short Film at the 97th Academy Awards and won the BAFTA award for Best British Short Animation.

Directed by Nina Gantz.

Written by Nina Gantz, Daan Bakker, Simon Cartwright and Stienette Bosklopper.

Cinematography by Steven Frederickx.

Music by Terence Dunn.

‘Cocoon – One Summer of Girlhood’: GKIDS Reveals Trailer, Release Date, Synopsis, Cast and Poster

July 16, 2026 / The Animation Blog / 0 Comments

Theatrical release date: September 4, 2026, in both the original Japanese with English subtitles and an English dub

Synopsis: San and Mayu attend an all-girls school on a warm and tranquil island. When war reaches their shores, they are ordered to help nurse the wounded in a military hospital hidden away in a cave. Amidst escalating death and brutality, the friends struggle to find solace in their fragile lives.

Directed by Yukimitsu Ina.

Written by Taku Kishimoto and Yukimitsu Ina.

Based on the manga by Machiko Kyo.

Music by Kensuke Ushio.

Short Film Spotlight: Threads

July 15, 2026 / The Animation Blog / 0 Comments

Synopsis: In a universe where people are seeking connections with others, a woman and a small child are brought together as mother and daughter.

Inside the bubble of the mother’s protection, the child learns about love and trust, and ultimately how to form her own attachments.

Written and directed by Torill Kove.

Animation by Torill Kove, Josefine Hannibal and Sunniva Fluge Hole.

Music by Kevin Dean.

Sound Design by Luigi Allemano.

Sound Mix by Jean Paul Vialard.