ANNECY 2025: Netflix gets animated

13 June 2025 // News

Skwigly

Animation Magazine

Netflix lit up the prestigious Annecy Film Festival once again, thrilling audiences with a preview of its bold slate of highly anticipated animated movies and shows. Throughout the festival, award-winning filmmakers and creators, like Raphael Bob-Waksberg, Alex Woo, Genndy Tartakovsky and more, pulled back the curtain to reveal exclusive clips and sneak peeks of Netflix’s upcoming animated slate – giving festivalgoers an early taste of the magic to come! Highlights include:

• Showrunner Eric Robles teased, behind closed doors, a world exclusive of the highly anticipated Stranger Things: Tales From ‘85 animated series. Welcoming us back to Hawkins in the stark winter of 1985, the epic new show sees the original characters fighting new monsters and unraveling a paranormal mystery terrorizing their town. Stranger Things: Tales From ‘85 features a cutting-edge animation style by Flying Bark. Robles said: “We’re beyond excited to unveil this years-long secret project. The animated series will present a captivating new mystery, deeply rooted in the Stranger Things universe. It will propel beloved characters into an adventure that will stretch the limits of action, suspense, and horror, perfectly suited for animation.”

IN YOUR DREAMS – In Your Dreams is a comedy adventure about Stevie (12) and her little brother Elliot (8) who journey into the absurd landscape of their own dreams. If the siblings can withstand a snarky stuffed giraffe, zombie breakfast foods, and the queen of nightmares, the Sandman will grant them their ultimate dream come true… the perfect family. Cr: Netflix © 2025

• Emmy® Award-winner and first-time feature director, Alex Woo, production designer Steven Pilcher and VFX supervisor Nicola Lavender enchanted audiences with extensive footage from In Your Dreams. Woo also debuted the teaser trailer a few hours before its global debut. The film releases on Netflix on November 14. Woo said of his first Annecy experience: “I’ve always felt that making a film is like cooking a really special meal for your friends: you pick the best ingredients, pull out your favorite recipes, and set the table with your best china. Being at Annecy and serving up a little amuse-bouche of In Your Dreams has been such a joy—and I can’t wait to share the full meal with you all soon!”

The Twits. (L to R) Margo Martindale as Mrs. Twit, Johnny Vegas as Mr. Twit, in The Twits. Cr. Courtesy of Netflix © 2025

• Head of Netflix Animation Studios Hannah Minghella spotlighted never before seen clips from the upcoming features slate including KPop Demon Hunters (Coming June 20), Phil Johnston’s new animated film inspired by Roald Dahl’s The Twits (coming this Fall), and Skydance Animation’s Pookoo (coming in 2026)

Netflix

• Howl-arious adult animated film Fixed, which releases globally on August 13, opened to paw-tastic reviews and raised the ruff following its World Premiere. Visionary director Genndy Tartakovsky expressed his excitement: “That. Was. Crazy! What an incredible reception! This is truly one of the reasons that I became an animator, to sit in a theater and watch people laugh and love hand-crafted animation! I’ve always had great experiences in Annecy but this was the most exceptional one.”

Long Story Short (L to R) Lisa Edelstein as Naomi Schwartz, Ben Feldman as Avi Schwooper, Abbi Jacobson as Shira Schwooper, Paul Reiser as Elliot Cooper, Dave Franco as Danny and Max Greenfield as Yoshi Schwooper in Long Story Short. Cr. COURTESY OF NETFLIX © 2025

• Writer and producer Raphael Bob-Waksberg delighted audiences with a masterclass that focused on his career from BoJack Horseman and Undone to his upcoming adult comedy series, Long Story Short. He also treated audiences to a preview of the first episode ahead of the series coming to Netflix on August 22. Bob-Waksberg said: “There’s nothing like Annecy when it comes to celebrating the vast, beautiful universe of animation. I’m honored I get to be a part of it. With all my projects I aspire to create something that will make people laugh, make people cry, and make angry dorks on the internet call me dumb and bad. I achieved all three with BoJack Horseman. With my new show I’m hoping to get at least two.”

• The studio held its inaugural studio focus Netflix Series Animation: Get Ready for What’s Next! led by executive John Derderian (Vice President, Animation Series). The team provided an exclusive look at the upcoming shows from visionary storytellers and studios from around the world including sneak peeks from preschool series Dr. Seuss’s Horton! to adult spectacle Blue Eye Samurai Season 2 and Magic: The Gathering, family spectacle Ghostbusters and Minecraft, and adult comedies Mating Season and Haunted Hotel.

• Derderian announced the celebrated French animated series sensation Samuel from Folivari International will be available on Netflix in the US, Canada, Australia, Spain, India and France. The show is the brainchild of director Émilie Tronche, about a 10-year-old boy living in a small town who keeps a diary documenting his life and originally aired on Arte’s platform, is co-produced by Les Valseurs, Arte and Pikkukala.

Ben Hibon, Showrunner and Executive Producer of the Ghosbusters Animated Series. Cr. COURTESY OF NETFLIX © 2025

• Another highlight came from a pre-recorded video by showrunner and executive producer Ben Hibon on his high-end animated series based on the beloved Ghostbusters franchise where he delighted the audiences with a peek at concept art from the upcoming series.

• In addition, home crowd favorite Astérix & Obélix: Le Combat des Chef and runaway smash hit Devil May Cry compete in Annecy’s Official TV Films Competition, while Mononoke The Movie: Chapter II – The Ashes of Rage was screened as part of the festival’s Midnight Specials programming, which are held out of competition.

• There was also a Work-in-Progress session for Ubisoft’s popular Tom Clancy game franchise Splinter Cell: Deathwatch, a Making of session for Folivari International’s French preschool series 7 Bears, and a Demo session with the DNEG Animation team and last year’s festive classic, That Christmas

• The festival hosted exhibitions for beloved French titles Arcane and Samuel where visitors were invited to enjoy a treasure trove of visual feasts.

Six years after releasing its first animated feature, Netflix has gone on to receive 11 Oscar®  nominations including two wins across animated features and short categories with Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio and If Anything Happens I Love You; seven BAFTA nominations including this year’s double BAFTA-winning and Oscar-nominated Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl, plus seven wins at the Annies for fan-favourite juggernaut Arcane.