Cartoon Brew

Today’s Oscar-qualified short is 'The Night Boots,' directed by Pierre-Luc Granjon. The film earned its spot in the 2026 Oscar race after winning the Annecy Cristal, where it also received the best French short and audience awards. Told through expressive monochromatic pinscreen animation, The Night Boots follows a boy who sneaks out during a dinner party and ventures into the forest, where he meets a mysterious creature and embarks on an unforgettable nighttime adventure. Our interview and a making-of video can be found here: https://lnkd.in/d_D4gR6P

At the Tokyo International Film Festival, directors Yasuhiro Aoki ('ChaO'), Ryuya Suzuki ('Jinsei'), and Zaven Najjar ('Allah Is Not Obliged') discussed how festivals can better serve animation, and why cinema is still an experience, not content. https://lnkd.in/gUjSr4Gs

EXCLUSIVE: 'Little Amélie' co-director Liane-Cho Han is taking on Jean M. Auel’s 'Earth’s Children' for his next project, a hand-drawn animated series for young adult audiences. The project, inspired by Auel’s classic prehistoric novels, will explore themes of survival, nature, and human evolution through an emotional and visually ambitious lens. More details and a lot more vis dev artwork here: https://lnkd.in/dPjE2d4c

Disney’s networks, including ABC, Disney Channel, Disney Junior, and Disney XD, have gone dark on YouTube TV after contract talks collapsed. https://lnkd.in/dzKN8UUB

For Halloween this year, we asked animation historian Vincent Alexander to take a look at some of the most memorable vampires throughout animation history, so pour yourself a cup of blood and dive in! https://lnkd.in/dzBXHQC4

Harald Zwart, director of 'The Karate Kid' and 'Agent Cody Banks,' makes his animation debut with 'ViQueens,' a CG-animated Viking adventure heading to the American Film Market. https://lnkd.in/dYCdhE5q

Netflix is reportedly exploring a bid for Warner Bros Discovery, a move that could unite two major Hollywood and animation powerhouses and bring some of the art form's most iconic IPs out of hibernation. https://lnkd.in/deFRA5VJ

Aardman has released a well-timed first-look teaser for its third Shaun the Sheep film: 'The Beast of Mossy Bottom.' The film will hit theaters around Halloween 2026. https://lnkd.in/dD63Gg2M

Renowned Spanish art director José Luis Ágreda ('Robot Dreams,' 'Buñuel in the Labyrinth of the Turtles') takes us behind the scenes of Alberto Vázquez’s new feature 'Decorado' in an exclusive new BTS video. In the piece, Ágreda explains how he and Vázquez built the film’s striking visual identity, blending 1930s–50s animation influences with a dark, satirical tone to reflect the story’s emotional depth and surreal world. Watch the full behind-the-scenes feature and hear what Ágreda had to say here: https://lnkd.in/dJB8XvAZ

Jane Goodall lends her voice to Daniel Kreizberg’s 'anyone lived in a pretty how town,' premiering tomorrow at the SCAD Film Festival. The short blends painterly 2D animation with Vaughan Williams’ 'The Lark Ascending' to adapt E.E. Cummings' classic poem. Watch the exclusive trailer here: https://lnkd.in/dipUy75B