Cartoon Brew

This is about me. I mean, not just about me, but I am in this story and my film is getting distribution through Bloodstream!

In his debut feature, Zao inverts fantasy and reality: live-action for the VR world, animation for real life. He explains why that choice was partly just practical.

Director Xu Zao On Virtual Escapism In His Debut, 'Light Pillar' Following the film's Berlinale premiere, the director talked with us about blending formats, restrained emotion, and first-feature risks.

"Real life isn't that dramatic": Chinese director Xu Zao on why 'Light Pillar' avoids sentimentality, and what moved Berlinale audiences most instead.
www.cartoonbrew.com/feature-film...

BloodStream Launches Horror-Focused Indie Animation Program A new curated showcase brings independent animated shorts and series from veteran and emerging creators to the genre streaming platform.

Horror platform BloodStream is rolling out Animation Abomination on March 20, a curated showcase of independent animation featuring veteran and emerging creators working outside the studio system.
www.cartoonbrew.com/streaming/bl...

Laika And The Gotham Launch New Animation Accelerator The six-month program offers mentorship, studio access, Annecy participation, and Gotham Week pitching opportunities for emerging animation filmmakers.

Laika and The Gotham have launched a new animation accelerator supporting early- to mid-career creators with mentorship, studio access, Annecy participation, and Gotham Week pitching opportunities.
www.cartoonbrew.com/educational/...

‘Two Black Boys In Paradise’ Creator Dean Atta On BAFTA Win The poet discusses visibility, audience reach, and ceremony fallout, while celebrating a landmark animation victory and its cultural impact.

Dean Atta reflects on winning a BAFTA for 'Two Black Boys in Paradise,' the power of Black queer storytelling, and how controversy couldn’t overshadow a historic night.
www.cartoonbrew.com/awards/two-b...

With magical girls, vampire romance, and fandom-driven storytelling, 'The Three Tomes' is the show she wanted as a kid, and the one she’s making independently for teenagers today.
www.cartoonbrew.com/series/brean...

We spoke to Navickas, a storyboard revisionist at Disney TV, about building a team outside the studio system, creating YA animation for teens, and surviving an eroding industry.

‘Black Kids Deserve To Go To Narnia’: Breana Navickas Interview Animator Breana Navickas on building 'The Three Tomes' independently, centering Black joy, queer YA fantasy, and surviving industry erosion.

“Black kids deserve to go to Narnia.” Animator Breana Navickas on crafting 'The Three Tomes' and building a fantasy world on her own terms.
www.cartoonbrew.com/series/brean...

How The 'Arco' Team Built A Handmade Animation Studio An exclusive look at the custom-built workspace that shaped Ugo Bienvenu’s award-winning feature, from DIY desks to a basement screening room.

Exclusive: An Oscar-nominated film built in a house with a garden. Our latest video goes inside the hand-built Paris studio where 'Arco' was made - tables, screening room, and all - designed to feel lived in, human, and full of memory. www.cartoonbrew.com/studios/arco...

'Smiling Friends' To End After Season 3, Creators Explain Why Zach Hadel and Michael Cusack discuss burnout, creative control, Adult Swim’s support, and two extra episodes coming this April.

'Smiling Friends' will end after Season 3, but two more episodes are on the way. Creators Zach Hadel and Michael Cusack say burnout and wanting to leave on a high note drove the decision.
www.cartoonbrew.com/series/smili...

'Avatar,' 'KPop Demon Hunters' Win Big At 2026 VES Awards The Visual Effects Society honored standout achievements across film, animation, television, games, and emerging technology.

'Avatar' and 'KPop Demon Hunters' were the big winners at last night's VES Awards, but there were plenty of other plaudits to be shared.
www.cartoonbrew.com/awards/ves-a...

Netflix Exits Warner Bros. Deal As Paramount Bid Advances With Netflix declining to raise its offer, Warner Bros. fate lies in the hands of government regulators, as Paramount Skydance moves closer to taking control.

After Paramount Skydance submitted an improved bid for Warner Bros. Discovery, Netflix has declined to raise its own $82.7 billion offer, clearing the way for Paramount’s bid, and raising new questions about the studio’s future.
www.cartoonbrew.com/studios/warn...

How The 'Arco' Team Built A Handmade Animation Studio An exclusive look at the custom-built workspace that shaped Ugo Bienvenu’s award-winning feature, from DIY desks to a basement screening room.

Exclusive: An Oscar-nominated film built in a house with a garden. Our latest video goes inside the hand-built Paris studio where 'Arco' was made - tables, screening room, and all - designed to feel lived in, human, and full of memory. www.cartoonbrew.com/studios/arco...

'Smiling Friends' To End After Season 3, Creators Explain Why Zach Hadel and Michael Cusack discuss burnout, creative control, Adult Swim’s support, and two extra episodes coming this April.

'Smiling Friends' will end after Season 3, but two more episodes are on the way. Creators Zach Hadel and Michael Cusack say burnout and wanting to leave on a high note drove the decision.
www.cartoonbrew.com/series/smili...

'Avatar,' 'KPop Demon Hunters' Win Big At 2026 VES Awards The Visual Effects Society honored standout achievements across film, animation, television, games, and emerging technology.

'Avatar' and 'KPop Demon Hunters' were the big winners at last night's VES Awards, but there were plenty of other plaudits to be shared.
www.cartoonbrew.com/awards/ves-a...

Femme Grotesquerie Experimental Animation At L.A. Filmforum Los Angeles Filmforum presents 10 animated shorts, including global award winners 'Moon Cycle,' 'On Weary Wings Go By,' and 'The Gnawer of Rocks.'

Los Angeles Filmforum presents Femme Grotesquerie, a program of experimental animated shorts reimagining femininity through excess, discomfort, and transformation. March 8, 7:30 p.m., followed by a discussion with filmmakers and curator Sam Gurry.
www.cartoonbrew.com/animators/fe...

'Zootopia 2' Overtakes 'Minecraft' As 2025's Top Domestic Release The animated sequel’s unprecedented opening, long furry legs, and global appeal pushed it past the year’s early box office frontrunner.

'Zootopia 2' has passed 'Minecraft' as 2025's top domestic release. The sequel’s unprecedented opening, long furry legs, and global appeal pushed it past the year’s early box office frontrunner.
www.cartoonbrew.com/box-office-r...

Crunchyroll Bringing 'Reincarnated As A Slime' Movie To Theaters The upcoming film rolls out nationwide this May, aligning cinema exhibition with the franchise’s next major streaming chapter.

Crunchyroll continues to align streaming and theatrical releases with a May 1 cinema debut for 'That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime the Movie: Tears of the Azure Sea.'
www.cartoonbrew.com/distribution...

‘Hey AJ!’ Studio Surfing Giant Opening New Tenerife Facility The company expands its European network, adding 100+ jobs in the Canary Islands as Tenerife cements its status as a global animation hub.

'Hey A.J.!' studio Surfing Giant Studios is expanding its European footprint with a new Tenerife facility opening in spring 2026, creating 100+ animation jobs and strengthening the island’s role as an emerging global animation hub.
www.cartoonbrew.com/studios/surf...

USC Will Shutter Its Expanded Animation MFA In 2026 The decision includes layoffs of non-tenured faculty, with enrolled students reassigned to other divisions within USC’s School of Cinematic Arts.

‘Pure, unadulterated rage and grief': USC students and staff were left in varying degrees of shock when the university announced it is shuttering its four-year-old Expanded Animation MFA program.
www.cartoonbrew.com/schools/usc-...

2026 New York Intl. Children's Film Festival Animation Lineup From studio-backed features to boundary-pushing shorts, the festival’s animation lineup reflects a wide range of voices and styles from around the world.

The Oscar-qualifying New York International Children’s Film Festival has unveiled its 2026 animation lineup, led by Pixar’s 'Hoppers' and a deep roster of global features and shorts.
www.cartoonbrew.com/festivals/ne...

Femme Grotesquerie Experimental Animation At L.A. Filmforum Los Angeles Filmforum presents 10 animated shorts, including global award winners 'Moon Cycle,' 'On Weary Wings Go By,' and 'The Gnawer of Rocks.'

Los Angeles Filmforum presents Femme Grotesquerie, a program of experimental animated shorts reimagining femininity through excess, discomfort, and transformation. March 8, 7:30 p.m., followed by a discussion with filmmakers and curator Sam Gurry.
www.cartoonbrew.com/animators/fe...

'Zootopia 2' Overtakes 'Minecraft' As 2025's Top Domestic Release The animated sequel’s unprecedented opening, long furry legs, and global appeal pushed it past the year’s early box office frontrunner.

'Zootopia 2' has passed 'Minecraft' as 2025's top domestic release. The sequel’s unprecedented opening, long furry legs, and global appeal pushed it past the year’s early box office frontrunner.
www.cartoonbrew.com/box-office-r...

Crunchyroll Bringing 'Reincarnated As A Slime' Movie To Theaters The upcoming film rolls out nationwide this May, aligning cinema exhibition with the franchise’s next major streaming chapter.

Crunchyroll continues to align streaming and theatrical releases with a May 1 cinema debut for 'That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime the Movie: Tears of the Azure Sea.'
www.cartoonbrew.com/distribution...

‘Hey AJ!’ Studio Surfing Giant Opening New Tenerife Facility The company expands its European network, adding 100+ jobs in the Canary Islands as Tenerife cements its status as a global animation hub.

'Hey A.J.!' studio Surfing Giant Studios is expanding its European footprint with a new Tenerife facility opening in spring 2026, creating 100+ animation jobs and strengthening the island’s role as an emerging global animation hub.
www.cartoonbrew.com/studios/surf...

2026 New York Intl. Children's Film Festival Animation Lineup From studio-backed features to boundary-pushing shorts, the festival’s animation lineup reflects a wide range of voices and styles from around the world.

The Oscar-qualifying New York International Children’s Film Festival has unveiled its 2026 animation lineup, led by Pixar’s 'Hoppers' and a deep roster of global features and shorts.
www.cartoonbrew.com/festivals/ne...

A look inside the making of 'Huxley: The Oracle,' a sweeping, ambitious trailer for the second book in Mauro's expansive sci-fi series.

'Huxley: The Oracle': Ben Mauro, Digital Bones Team For Trailer By exercising restraint and emphasizing atmosphere and visual storytelling, the short introduces a grounded war chapter in an expanding sci-fi mythology.

From 'Astartes' to 'Huxley': how Ben Mauro and Digital Bones teamed up on an animated short that functions as both tone piece and proof of concept for a larger sci-fi universe.
www.cartoonbrew.com/shorts/huxle...

‘Kiki’s Delivery Service’ Flies Back To Theaters In IMAX More than three decades after its initial release, 'Kiki' is getting a 4K remaster for the big, really big, screen. U.S. and Canada tickets are on sale now.

More than three decades after its initial release, 'Kiki's Delivery Service' is getting a 4K remaster and IMAX theatrical release. Tickets in the U.S. and Canada are on sale now.
www.cartoonbrew.com/distribution...