Netflix is returning to the Annecy International Animation Film Festival with a busy animation slate spanning legacy IP, anime, adult comedy, and a long-gestating Brad Bird passion project. The streamer’s 2026 festival lineup includes first looks at “Charlie vs. the Chocolate Factory,” “The One Piece,” the upcoming “Ghostbusters” animated series, and Bird’s “Ray Gunn,” along with an early look at Ricky Gervais’ “Alley Cats.”
The centerpiece session, Next on Netflix Animation: from Ghostbusters to Brad Bird’s Ray Gunn, takes place Wednesday, June 24, at Théâtre Bonlieu. Jason Reitman and Gil Kenan will attend with showrunners and executive producers Ben Hibon and Elliott Kalan to unveil a world-exclusive preview of Netflix’s new “Ghostbusters” series, produced with Sony Pictures Animation and set to debut exclusively on Netflix in 2027.
Bird will also take the stage for “Ray Gunn,” his 30-plus-year passion project produced at Skydance Animation. The film is set in Metropia, “a gigantic city in an alternate future as seen from 1939,” where private eye Raymond Gunn is pulled into a case involving aliens, murder, and a multimedia star named Venus Nova. Sam Rockwell, Scarlett Johansson, and Tom Waits lead the voice cast. Peter Lord, co-founder and creative director of Aardman, will moderate the conversation.
Netflix will also preview “Charlie vs. the Chocolate Factory,” set for 2027. Directed by Jared Stern and Elaine Bogan, the film stars Taika Waititi as Willy Wonka and Kit Connor as Charlie Paley. This version finds Wonka released from prison after serving time “for the crime of turning a child into a blueberry,” only to face a new generation of kids plotting to break into his factory.
The anime side of the slate gets its own Tuesday showcase, “Netflix Anime: Bold Stories, Boundless Worlds,” with sneak peeks at “The One Piece,” “Sparks of Tomorrow,” and “The Ribbon Hero,” along with “Blue Eye Samurai” Season 2 and “Bass X Machina.” “The One Piece,” arriving in February 2027, is a new WIT Studio adaptation starting from Eiichiro Oda’s East Blue saga.
Gervais will appear Thursday, June 25, for a masterclass tied to “Alley Cats,” his adult animated sitcom about feral British cats navigating everyday life with his signature mix of comedy and social commentary. The series debuts on Netflix on August 7, 2026.
Netflix will also present a work-in-progress session for “Steps,” a 2026 “Cinderella” riff told from the perspective of one of the so-called evil stepsisters, with Ali Wong, Amanda Seyfried, and Stephanie Hsu leading the voice cast.
The festival push follows a major awards year for Netflix Animation, led by “KPop Demon Hunters,” “Love, Death + Robots,” and “Ultraman: Rising.” Netflix will mark the first anniversary of “KPop Demon Hunters” with an outdoor sing-along screening by Lake Annecy on June 24, while “Sparks of Tomorrow,” “Long Story Short,” and “Love, Death + Robots” will compete in Annecy’s Official TV Films Competition. Check out some images below.
