{"id":2302,"date":"2026-06-23T08:35:56","date_gmt":"2026-06-23T08:35:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/uspropertymoves.com\/?p=2302"},"modified":"2026-06-23T08:35:56","modified_gmt":"2026-06-23T08:35:56","slug":"warner-bros-pictures-animation-tries-to-turn-the-page-at-annecy-with-ambitious-new-feature-slate","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/uspropertymoves.com\/?p=2302","title":{"rendered":"Warner Bros. Pictures Animation Tries to Turn the Page at Annecy With Ambitious New Feature Slate"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n<\/p>\n
\n

\n\tWarner Bros. Pictures Animation wants the industry to know it\u2019s back. For real this time. <\/p>\n

Read more How Shanghai Is Reinventing the Movie Theater to Strengthen Its Position as \u201cChina\u2019s City of Film\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n

\n\tAfter several years in which Warner Bros. became better known among animators for what it wouldn\u2019t release than for what it made, WBPA President and chief creative officer Bill Damaschke took the stage at Annecy to say the studio is committed to taking big swings in animation. <\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cToday marks the beginning of a new chapter for animation at Warner Bros.,\u201d Damaschke said, calling WBPA an \u201cartists-first studio\u201d that wanted to make original theatrical films that \u201cfeel completely unique, connected not by a single style but by heart, hope, and humor.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tDamaschke ran through a slate of seven features planned from this year into 2028, starting with the oft-delayed The Cat in the Hat<\/em>, directed by Alessandro Carloni and Erica Rivinoja and starring Bill Hader, set for a November release, and including upcoming theatrical releases Bad Fairies<\/em> and The Lunar Chronicles<\/em>, both developed with the U.K.\u2019s Locksmith Animation. <\/p>\n

\n\tHe unveiled a new logo, that evoked the studio\u2019s 80-year-old tradition, and premiered the new Looney Tunes short Daffy Season<\/em>. All in front of an audience of animators, producers and festival-goers who have spent recent years watching the Warner Bros. animation pipeline become a case study in corporate caution rather than a creative destination.<\/p>\n

\n\tLooney Tunes fans remember how, in 2023, Warner Bros. shelved the finished Coyote vs. Acme<\/em>, preferring a tax-write off to releasing the hotly-anticipated animated live action feature starring Will Forte. WB eventually reversed course, allowing the filmmakers to shop the project to other distributors. But the move gave some creatives pause. It followed similar moves by David Zaslav-run WB to bin animated feature Scoob Holiday Haunt!<\/em>, a planned HBO Max release, and The Day the Earth Blew Up<\/em>, the first fully animated Looney Tunes release. <\/p>\n

\n\tWB\u2019s loss ended up being Ketchup Entertainment\u2019s gain. The indie distributor Ketchup acquired The Day the Earth Blew Up<\/em>, releasing it earlier this year, where it grossing a respectable $9 million domestically and $15 million worldwide. In March, Ketchup picked up Coyote vs. Acme<\/em> in a $50 million deal. The film opens Aug. 28.<\/p>\n

Read more Shanghai: Three Things We Learned From the 2026 Festival<\/a><\/p>\n

\n\tDamaschke would clearly like to put that era behind him. At Annecy, he invoked the history of WB animation, arguing that giving animators creative freedom, not fixing on an in-house style, was the key to the Looney Tunes golden age. An approach, he said, WBPA was looking to emulate. <\/p>\n

\n\tSince taking over as WBPA boss three years ago, Damaschke has boosted the group\u2019s full-time team from roughly 30 people to, according to the studio\u2019s calculations, more than 250 artists and filmmakers working across 13 countries. With its creative partnerships, including with sister division DC Studios and third-party partners like Locksmith, WBPA can boast of a \u201cglobal creative community\u201d of more than 1,200 animation artists, filmmakers, and storytellers. <\/p>\n

\n\tAs proof of the studio\u2019s newfound commitment to theatrical animation, across all genres and styles, Damaschke rattled off the titles in its upcoming slate, including Maggie Claus<\/em>, a holiday film from Melissa McCarthy, Ben Falcone, and Damon Jones; the musical adventure Oh, The Places You\u2019ll Go!<\/em> adapted from the Dr. Seuss book, featuring Ariana Grande and Josh Gad; a Hello Kitty movie, being produced in partnership with Sanrio and New Line Cinema; and Dynamic Duo<\/em>, an adventure fantasy set in the Batman universe told from a teenager\u2019s perspective that follows two would-be Robins \u2013 Dick Grayson and Jason Todd. Damaschke said the latter, produced in partnership with DC Studios and 6th & Idaho, will be feature the groundbreaking puppetry of New Orleans-based Swaybox Studios.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe studio also confirmed new projects in development, including reimaginings of Tom & Jerry<\/em>, Thundercats<\/em> and Meerkats<\/em>, and Prehistoria<\/em>, an original musical from Hazbin Hotel<\/em> creator Vivienne Medrano. <\/p>\n

\n\tDamaschke gave an impressive pitch. But for many in the animation community, creators and fans alike, the real test will come as WBPA\u2019s slate actually hits theaters. Then we\u2019ll see if the studio has truly turned the page. <\/p>\n

Read more Diane Warren Pays Tribute to Clive Davis: \u201cWe Lost the Greatest Music Man of All Time Today\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

At Annecy, Warner Bros., recovering from after The Day the Earth Blew Up and Coyote vs. Acme controversies, doubles down on feature animation.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2301,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[288,1829,1830,1878,1879,1880,2,1881,1882,1883],"class_list":["post-2302","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-interesting","tag-animation","tag-annecy-2026","tag-annecy-animation-festival","tag-bill-damaschke","tag-bill-hader","tag-coyote-vs-acme","tag-international","tag-looney-tunes","tag-the-cat-in-the-hat","tag-warner-bros-pictures-animation"],"yoast_head":"\nWarner Bros. 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