Our cup runneth over with newly public domain characters this year. While 2025’s offerings amounted to just Popeye and Tintin, 2026 has delivered twice that number and more. However, they’re a bit more restricted than you think.

PLUTO: A new batch of Mickey Mouse cartoons entered public domain on January 1, and with them, the earliest version of Mickey’s dog. Fun fact: he was named after the newly discovered “planet,” not the other way around, invalidating decades of “a dog is a planet” puns that would follow. The identical name was intentional, folks!

THE PROBLEM HERE: Two 1930 cartoons starred Pluto, but he wasn’t named Pluto yet and he didn’t belong to Mickey. He was Minnie’s dog and his name was Rover. Under these conditions, he’d be unrecognizable and not really as “free” as we’d think. Best wait another year.

BETTY BOOP: 1930 also saw the release of “Dizzie Dishes,” the first Max Fleischer Betty Boop cartoon. Despite being nearly a century old now, Betty still commands a profitable line of merchandise. Profits that could now be yours!

THE PROBLEM HERE: Don’t crank up that pottery kiln to bake your own Betty-shaped commercial ceramics just yet. Betty’s appearance in “Dizzie Dishes” was quite different…and by that I mean she wasn’t even human. She started out as a dog! Best wait another year.

BLONDIE: Chic Young’s Blondie comic strip began its run in the final four months of 1930. Dagwood also appeared in these strips, so they’re both fair use starting this week.

THE PROBLEM HERE: She wasn’t married to him yet. Blondie started out as a flapper, much like Betty Boop — in fact her maiden name was “Blondie Boopadoop.” You can only use the Boopadoop version and they have to be just dating. Blondie also looked a bit different back then, though the trademark curly hair was always part of her.

NANCY DREW: The world’s most famous teenage detective is no longer tied down by any publishing company. The Hardy Boys predate Nancy and have been free for years already, so…why not a teamup? In fact, you can go even further than that because Agatha Christie’s MISS MARPLE just crossed the PD line in 2026 as well.

THE PROBLEM HERE: No problems we foresee, actually…as long as Nancy is different enough to be yours. If only we could make a new season of the Nancy Drew CW series, but for that specific version we’ll have to wait another 91 years.

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The post Who’s Public Domain In 2026? Betty Boop, Pluto, Blondie And More appeared first on Anime Superhero News.

We can say something about the Annie Awards that we can’t say about most other awards ceremonies: it ISN’T a popularity contest. The nominations for the 53rd Annies were revealed this morning, and there are two leads. One is the obvious — KPop Demon Hunters with ten noms — but the other is less expected, an equal number of noms for Pixar’s largely ignored summer alien flick Elio.

KPDH’s nominations include Best Writing, Best Character Animation, Best Voice Acting, Best Production Design and obviously, Best Music. Elio is chasing Best FX, Best Character Design, Best Storyboarding and Best Production Design. Both are in the running for Best Feature.

Chasing at their heels are Zootopis 2 with seven nominations, and the French movie Little Amélie or the Character of Rain with another seven. Third place goes to The Bad Guys 2 with five nominations. All five of the aforementioned films are up for Best Feature.

In terms of television, another unloved Pixar creation leads the way: Win or Lose, a miniseries created for Disney+, gained six nominations. Adult Swim’s Common Side Effects has five noms, and so does Netflix’s Asterix & Obelix: The Big Fight. Runners up with three nominations each include Love, Death + Robots, Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Snoopy Presents: A Summer Musical.

Check out the full list of Annie nominations below. The 53rd Annie Awards takes place February 21, 2026 at UCLA’s Royce Hall.

BEST FEATURE

• Elio – Pixar Animation Studios
• KPop Demon Hunters – Sony Pictures Animation for Netflix
• Little Amélie or the Character of Rain – Maybe Movies, Ikki Films, Distributed by GKIDS
• The Bad Guys 2 – DreamWorks Animation
• Zootopia 2 – Walt Disney Animation Studios

BEST FEATURE – INDEPENDENT

• A Magnificent Life – Mediawan, What the Prod and Bidibul productions
• Arco – Remembers, MountainA France, France 3 Cinéma
• I Am Frankelda – Cinema Fantasma, Warner Bros. Discovery, Woo Films, Cine Vendaval
• Lost In Starlight – Netflix / Climax Studio
• Scarlet – Studio CHIZU

BEST SPECIAL PRODUCTION

• A Loud House Christmas Movie: Naughty or Nice – Nickelodeon Animation Studio & Jam Filled Entertainment
• Adult Swim’s The Elephant – Titmouse and Williams Street
• Not Just a Goof – Venturia Animation Studios ® for CNEK Films LLC
• Snoopy Presents: A Summer Musical – WildBrain Studios in association with Apple
• The Night Before Christmas in Wonderland – Lupus Films, Universal Pictures Content Group

BEST SHORT SUBJECT

• Cardboard – Locksmith Animation
• Ovary-Acting – Klipp og Lim, Jante Films, Apparat Filmproduktion AB
• Pillowzzz – Animoshe
• Snow Bear – The Art of Aaron Blaise
• The Girl Who Cried Pearls – National Film Board of Canada

BEST SPONSORED

• Animated Short: “Trek” | Honkai: Star Rail – FLiiiP Design
• Fortnite x The Simpsons: Apocalypse D’Oh! – A Gracie Films Production in Association with 20th Television Animation
• LouiMax Dreams of Being an Adult – Imagine Create Media Inc. in conjunction with Maileg APS
• Olipop Yeti – Screen Novelties & Passion Pictures
• Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds – The Animation – SEGA of America in association with GXS Productions

BEST TV/MEDIA – PRESCHOOL

• Eva The Owlet – Episode: Welcome to Treetopington – Brown Bag Films / Scholastic Entertainment in association with Apple
• Kindergarten: The Musical! – Episode: Gotta Go! – Oddbot Entertainment, Disney Branded Television
• The Tiny Chef Show – Episode: Tiny Chef’s Spooky Stump Spectacular – Imagine Entertainment, Tiny Chef Productions and Nickelodeon Productions
• Wow Lisa – Episode: Rainy Day – Punkrobot
• Xavier Riddle and the Secret Museum – Episode: I Am Jackie Robinson – 9 Story Media Group, Brown Bag Films

BEST TV/MEDIA – CHILDREN

• My Melody & Kuromi – Episode: All for Our Best Friend – Sanrio Company for Netflix
• Spice Frontier: Escape From Veltegar – Episode: 1 – Steamroller Animation
• Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles – Episode: Rise of the Night Ninja – Nickelodeon Animation Studios and PointGrey Pictures
• The Wonderfully Weird World of Gumball – Episode: The Rewrite – Hanna-Barbera Studios Europe
• Wylde Pak – Episode: Sungandeul – Nickelodeon Animation Studios / Jam Filled Entertainment

BEST TV/MEDIA – MATURE

• Bob’s Burgers – Episode: Grand Pre-Pre-Pre Opening – 20th TV
• Common Side Effects – Episode: Pilot – Green Street Pictures, Bandera Entertainment and Williams Street Productions
• Haha, You Clowns – Episode: 107 – Duncan Holds a Baby – Williams Street
• Il Baracchino – Episode: Claudia entra in un caffè – Luckyred, Megadrago
• South Park – Episode: Sermon on the ‘Mount – Comedy Central LLC

BEST TV/MEDIA – LIMITED SERIES

• Asterix & Obelix: The Big Fight – Episode: Episode III – Netflix / Banijay Productions France / Légende Films
• Eyes of Wakanda – Episode: Into the Lion’s Den – Marvel Studios
• Marvel Zombies – Episode: 2 – Marvel Studios
• Star Wars: Visions – Volume 3 – Episode: BLACK – david production
• Win Or Lose – Episode: Episode 8: Home – Pixar Animation Studios

BEST STUDENT FILM

• A Sparrow’s Song–  Student director: Tobias Eckerlin, Student producer: Tobias Eckerlin, School: Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg GmbH
• Acrobats – Student directors: Eloïse Alluyn, Hugo Danet, Anna Despinoy, Antonin Guerci, Alexandre Marzin, Shali Reddy; School: Gobelins
• Jour de vent – Student directors: Martin Chailloux, Ai Kim Crespin, Elise Golfouse, Chloé Lab, Hugo Taillez, Camille Truding; School: École des Nouvelles Images
• The Undying Pain of Existence – Student director: Oscar Jacobson; Student producers: Franz Rügamer, Nadiia Yunatska; School: Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg GmbH
• TRASH – Student directors: Maxime Crançon, Alexis Le Ral; Student producers: Robin Delaporte, Romain Fleischer, Mattéo Durand; School: ESMA

BEST FX – TV/MEDIA

• Marvel Zombies – Episode: Episode 4 – Production Company: Marvel Animation – FX Production Company: Stellar Creative Lab, Inc.
  • Emma Badia, Tristan Fairclough, Jimmy Dumont, Sheng Hung, Arth Vasavada
• Prehistoric Planet: Ice Age – Episode: The Big Freeze – Production Company: BBC Studios Natural History Unit – FX Production Company: Framestore
  • Edward Ferrysienanda, Kevin Christensen, Guy Shuleman , Benedikt Roettger, Kevin Tarpinian
• Spice Frontier – Episode: 1 – Production Company: Steamroller Animation – FX Production Company: Steamroller Animation
  • Steamroller Animation Effects Department
• Star Wars: Visions – Volume 3 – Episode: The Bird of Paradise – Production Company: Polygon Pictures – FX Production Company: Polygon Pictures
  • Takashi Okamoto, Kohei Yamamoto, Genyo Sasaki, Chizuru Nakamura, Erika Matsui
• WondLa – Episode: Lost – Production Company: Skydance Animation – FX Production Company: ICON Creative Studio
  • EP 209 ICON Creative Studio FX Team

BEST FX – FEATURE

• Elio – Production Company: Pixar Animation Studios – FX Production Company: Pixar Animation Studios
  • Ferdi Scheepers, Shaun Galinak, Alyssa Lee, Nate Skeen, Gary Bruins
• In Your Dreams – Production Company: Netflix, Kuku Studios – FX Production Company: Sony Pictures Imageworks
  • Dmitriy Kolesnik, Stephen Paschk, David Sellares, Stephanie McNair
• KPop Demon Hunters – Production Company: Sony Pictures Animation for Netflix – FX Production Company: Sony Pictures Imageworks
  • Filippo Macari, Nicola Finizio, Simon Lewis, Naoki Kato, Daniel La Chapelle
• The Bad Guys 2 – Production Company: DreamWorks Animation – FX Production Company: DreamWorks Animation
  • Landon Gray, Michael Losure, Zachary Glynn, Chris Wombold, Olivier Malric
• Zootopia 2 – Production Company: Walt Disney Animation Studios – FX Production Company: Walt Disney Animation Studios
  • Le Joyce Tong, Shamintha Kalamba Arachchi, Dimitre Berberov, Chris Carignan, Cristiana Covone

BEST CHARACTER ANIMATION – TV/MEDIA

• Asterix & Obelix: The Big Fight – Episode: Episode III – Netflix / Banijay Productions France / Légende Films
  • Floriane Caseiro
• Forevergreen – Special Production – Nathan Engelhardt and Jeremy Spears
  • Brendan Gottlieb
• Snoopy Presents: A Summer Musical – Special Production – WildBrain Studios in association with Apple
  • Chris Derochie
• The Simpsons – Various Episodes – A Gracie Films Production in Association with 20th Television Animation
  • Nik Ranieri
• Win Or Lose – Various Episodes – Pixar Animation Studios
  • Alli Sadegiani

BEST CHARACTER ANIMATION – FEATURE

• Elio – Pixar Animation Studios
  • Jonah Sidhom
• KPop Demon Hunters – Sony Pictures Animation, Netflix
  • Ryusuke Furuya
• Little Amélie or the Character of Rain – Maybe Movies, Ikki Films, Distributed by GKIDS
  • Juliette Laurent
• The Bad Guys 2 – DreamWorks Animation
  • Ludovic Bouancheau
• Zootopia 2 – Walt Disney Animation Studios
  • Tony Smeed

BEST CHARACTER ANIMATION – LIVE ACTION

• A Minecraft Movie – Production Company: Warner Bros. Pictures, Legendary Pictures, Mojang Studios, Vertigo Entertainment, On the Roam – FX Production Company: Weta FX
  • Kevin Estey, Anthony McIndoe, Jade Lorier, Caroline Ting, Luisma Lavin Peredo
• Captain America: Brave New World – Production Company: Marvel Studios, Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures – FX Production Company: Weta FX
  • Sidney Kombo-Kintombo, Andrew William Park, Marco Röth, Paul Seyb, Thien Ly
• How to Train Your Dragon – Production Company: DreamWorks Animation – FX Production Company: Framestore
  • Kayn Garcia, Jean-Denis Haas, Meena Ibrahim, Nathan McConnel, Nick Tripodi
• Prehistoric Planet: Ice Age – Production Company: BBC Studios Natural History Unit – FX Production Company: Framestore
  • Adrien Annesley, Alvise Avati, Riyad Chalakkara, Daniel Mizuguchi, Liam Russell
• Superman – Production Company: DC Studios – FX Production Company: Framestore
  • Loic Mireault, Michael Elder, Philipp Winterstein, Victor Dinis, Diego De Paula Pereira Batista

BEST CHARACTER ANIMATION – VIDEO GAME

• Bye Sweet Carole – Little Sewing Machine
  • Chris Darril
• Death Stranding 2: On the Beach – Kojima Productions
  • Hideo Kojima, Masaaki Kawata, Kojima Productions, PlayStation Studios XDEV
• Ghost of Yōtei – Sucker Punch Productions
  • Sucker Punch Productions Animation Team
• Keeper – Double Fine Productions
  • Zach Baharov, Alex Turner, Jerry Matsko, Anne-Sophie Savard, Geneviève Desbiens
• South of Midnight – Compulsion Games
  • Mike Jungbluth, Sebastien Dussault, Vincent Schneider, Remi Edmond

BEST CHARACTER DESIGN – TV/MEDIA

• Asterix & Obelix: The Big Fight – Episode: Episode IV – Netflix / Banijay Productions France / Légende Films
  • Borja Montoro
• Bat-Fam Episode: A Knight at the Movies – Amazon MGM Studios, Warner Bros. Animation, DC Entertainment
  • Benjamin Tong
• Love, Death + Robots – Episode: 400 Boys – Blur Studio for Netflix
  • Robert Valley
• Wednesdays with Gramps – Short Film – DreamWorks Animation
  • Seth St. Pierre
• Win Or Lose – Episode: Episode 8, Home – Pixar Animation Studios
  • Lou Hamou-Lhadj

BEST CHARACTER DESIGN – FEATURE

• Elio – Pixar Animation Studios
  • Matt Nolte, Yingzong Xin, James Woods, Kaleb Rice, Bob Pauley
• Fixed – Sony Pictures Animation for Netflix
  • Craig Kellman
• KPop Demon Hunters – Sony Pictures Animation for Netflix
  • Scott Watanabe, Ami Thompson
• The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants – Paramount Animation / Nickelodeon Movies
  • Adam Paloian, Thaddeus Couldron, Alvi Ramirez
• The Twits – Netflix Presents / The Roald Dahl Story Company
  • Kei Acedera, Tristan Poulain, Jules Rigolle, Fernando Peque, Remi Salmon

BEST DIRECTION – TV/MEDIA

• Common Side Effects – Episode: Cliff’s Edge – Green Street Pictures, Bandera Entertainment and Williams Street Productions ○ Vincent Tsui
• DAN DA DAN – Episode: Clash! Space Kaiju vs. Giant Robot! – Science SARU, Mainichi Broadcasting System, Distributed by GKIDS
  • Fuga Yamashiro, Abel Góngora
• Not a Box – Episode: It’s a Boat – Silver Creek Falls Entertainment / Passion Pictures in association with Apple
  • Siri Melchior
• Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles – Episode: Rise of the Night Ninja – Nickelodeon Animation Studios and PointGrey Pictures
  • JJ Conway, Kevin Molina-Ortiz
• The Quinta’s Ghost – Short Film – Martirio Films & Illusorium Films
  • James A. Castillo

BEST DIRECTION – FEATURE

• Arco – Remembers, MountainA France, France 3 Cinéma
  • Ugo Bienvenu, Adam Sillard, Anaëlle Saba
• Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc – MAPPA Studios
  • Tatsuya Yoshihara
• KPop Demon Hunters – Sony Pictures Animation for Netflix
  • Maggie Kang, Chris Appelhans
• Little Amélie or the Character of Rain – Maybe Movies, Ikki Films, Distributed by GKIDS
  • Maïlys Vallade, Liane-Cho Han
• Scarlet – Studio CHIZU
  • Mamoru Hosoda

BEST MUSIC – TV/MEDIA

• Common Side Effects – Episode: Lakeshore Limited – Green Street Pictures, Bandera Entertainment, and Williams Street Productions
  • Nicolas Snyder
• Devil May Cry – Episode: The First Circle – A Netflix Series / Studio Mir / Adi Shankar Animation / Capcom
  • Power Glove, Alex Seaver
• Éiru – Short Film – Cartoon Saloon
  • Leo Pearson, Ceara Conway
• Snoopy Presents: A Summer Musical – Special Production – WildBrain Studios in association with Apple
  • Ben Folds, Jeff Morrow, Alan Zachary, Michael Weiner
• Win Or Lose – Episode: Episode 6, Mixed Signals – Pixar Animation Studios
  • Ramin Djawadi, Shane Eli, Johnny Pakfar

BEST MUSIC – FEATURE

• Arco – Remembers, MountainA France, France 3 Cinéma
  • Arnaud Toulon
• Elio – Pixar Animation Studios
  • Rob Simonsen
• KPop Demon Hunters – Sony Pictures Animation for Netflix
  • KPop Demon Hunters Music Team
• Little Amélie or the Character of Rain – Maybe Movies, Ikki Films, Distributed by GKIDS
  • Mari Fukuhara
• Zootopia 2 – Walt Disney Animation Studios
  • Shakira, Ed Sheeran, Blake Slatkin, Michael Giacchino

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN – TV/MEDIA

• Asterix & Obelix: The Big Fight – Episode: Episode II – Netflix / Banijay Productions France / Légende Films
  • Aurélien Prédal
• Forevergreen – Special Production – Nathan Engelhardt and Jeremy Spears
  • Jeremy Spears, Gregory Culp
• Love, Death + Robots – Episode: How Zeke Got Religion – Blur Studio for Netflix
  • Gigi Cavenago
• ParaNorman: The Thrifting – Special Production – LAIKA
  • Thibault Leclercq, Santiago Montiel, Jung Woonyoung, Stephanie Bray-Lee
• Wednesdays with Gramps – Short Film – DreamWorks Animation
  • Frederic Stewart

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN – FEATURE

• Elio – Pixar Animation Studios
  • Harley Jessup, Ernesto Nemesio, Maria Lee, Kristian Norelius, Kyle Jones
• KPop Demon Hunters – Sony Pictures Animation for Netflix
  • Helen Chen, Dave Bleich, Wendell Dalit, Scott Watanabe, Celine Kim
• The Bad Guys 2 – DreamWorks Animation
  • Luc Desmarchelier, Floriane Marchix
• The Twits – Netflix Presents / The Roald Dahl Story Company
  • Estefania Pantoja, Alexandre Diboine, Clement Dartigues, Fernando Peque, Remi Salmon
• Zootopia 2 – Walt Disney Animation Studios
  • Cory Loftis, Limei Z. Hshieh

BEST STORYBOARDING – TV/MEDIA

• Love, Death + Robots – Episode: How Zeke Got Religion – Blur Studio for Netflix
  • Edgar Martins
• ParaNorman: The Thrifting – Special Production – LAIKA
  • Coleton Palmer, Katherine Jay Myong, Heewon Jeong
• Snow Bear – Short Film – The Art of Aaron Blaise, LLC.
  • Aaron Blaise
• Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles – Episode: Rise of the Night Ninja – Nickelodeon Animation Studios and PointGrey Pictures
  • Richard Chi, Matthew Kim, Sheldon Vella, Lyndsay Simpson
• Win Or Lose – Episode: Episode 8, Home – Pixar Animation Studios
  • Esteban Bravo

BEST STORYBOARDING – FEATURE

• Arco – Remembers, MountainA France, France 3 Cinéma
  • Ugo Bienvenu
• Elio – Pixar Animation Studios
  • Tony Rosenast
• Little Amélie or the Character of Rain – Maybe Movies, Ikki Films, Distributed by GKIDS
  • Nicolas Pawlowski
• The Bad Guys 2 – DreamWorks Animation
  • Anthony Holden, Young Ki Yoon
• Zootopia 2 – Walt Disney Animation Studios
  • Hikari Toriumi

BEST VOICE ACTING – TV/MEDIA

• Bob’s Burgers – Episode: Don’t Worry Be Hoopy – 20th TV
  • Dan Mintz (Character: Tina Belcher)
• Hazbin Hotel – Episode: Behind Closed Doors – Amazon MGM Studios, A24, Bento Box Entertainment
  • Erika Henningsen (Character: Charlie Morningstar)
• Long Story Short – Episode: Shira Can’t Cook – Tornante Television and ShadowMachine for Netflix
  • Abbi Jacobson (Character: Shira Schwooper)
• Smiling Friends – Episode: Shmaloogles – Williams Street
  • Zach Hadel (Character: Evil Wizard)
• The Wonderfully Weird World of Gumball – Episode: The Amadain – Hanna-Barbera Studios Europe
  • Alkaio Thiele (Character: Gumball Watterson)

BEST VOICE ACTING – FEATURE

• Dog Man – DreamWorks Animation
  • Lil Rey Howery (Character: Chief)
• Elio – Pixar Animation Studios
  • Remy Edgerly (Character: Glordon)
• In Your Dreams – Netflix Presents a Kuku Studios Production / Sony Pictures Imageworks
  • Craig Robinson (Character: Baloney Tony)
• KPop Demon Hunters – Sony Pictures Animation for Netflix
  • Arden Cho (Character: Rumi)
• The Twits – Netflix Presents / The Roald Dahl Story Company
  • Maitreyi Ramakrishnan (Character: Beesha)

BEST WRITING – TV/MEDIA

• #1 Happy Family USA – Episode: Episode 101: NINE TEN – Amazon MGM Studios, A24, Cairo Cowboy
  • Ramy Youssef, Pam Brady
• Adult Swim’s The Elephant – Special Production – Titmouse and Williams Street
  • Pendleton Ward, Ian Jones-Quartey, Rebecca Sugar, Patrick McHale
• Common Side Effects – Episode: Pilot – Green Street Pictures, Bandera Entertainment, and Williams Street Productions
  • Joe Bennett, Steve Hely
• Lulu is a Rhinoceros – Special Production – Bento Box and Propagate in association with Apple
  • Allison Flom
• Win Or Lose – Episode: Episode 4, Pickle – Pixar Animation Studios
  • Carrie Hobson, Michael Yates

BEST WRITING – FEATURE

• Elio – Pixar Animation Studios
  • Julia Cho, Mark Hammer, Mike Jones
• KPop Demon Hunters – KPop Demon Hunters Editorial Team
  • Danya Jimenez, Hannah McMechan, Maggie Kang, Chris Appelhans
• Little Amélie or the Character of Rain – Maybe Movies, Ikki Films, Distributed by GKIDS
  • Liane-Cho Han, Aude Py, Maïlys Vallade, Eddine Noël
• Scarlet – Studio CHIZU
  • Mamoru Hosoda
• Zootopia 2 – Walt Disney Animation Studios
  • Jared Bush

BEST EDITORIAL – TV/MEDIA

• Asterix & Obelix: The Big Fight – Episode: Episode III – Netflix / Banijay Productions France / Légende Films
  • David Boyadjian
• Common Side Effects – Episode: Raid – Green Street Pictures, Bandera Entertainment, and Williams Street Productions
  • Tony Christopherson, Joie Lim
• Haunted Hotel – Episode: The Acolytes of Abaddon – Titmouse for Netflix
  • Benjamin Morse, Benjamin Martian, Marshall Wetta
• Invincible S3 – Episode: I Thought You’d Never Shut Up – Amazon MGM Studios, Skybound Animation
  • Luke Asa Guidici, Matt Michael, Lea Carosella, Liam Johnson
• Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Deathwatch – Episode: Up From the Grave – Ubisoft Film & Television
  • Thomas Belair, Nicolas Bourgeois, Julien Perez

BEST EDITORIAL – FEATURE

• Arco – Remembers, MountainA France, France 3 Cinéma
  • Nathan Jacquard
• Elio – Pixar Animation Studios
  • Anna Wolitzky, Steve Bloom, Noah Newman, Greg Snyder, Ben Morris
• KPop Demon Hunters – Sony Pictures Animation for Netflix
  • KPop Demon Hunters Editorial Team
• Little Amélie or the Character of Rain – Maybe Movies, Ikki Films, Distributed by GKIDS
  • Ludovic Versace
• Olivia & las Nubes – Cine Chani, Historias de Bibi & Guasábara Cine
  • Tomás Pichardo Espaillat

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2026 is here, and looks to be an amazing year in animation (both for adults and kids)! Here are our picks for the animated series and movies we are looking forward to the most!

Primal – Season 3

Genndy Tartakovsky’s Primal offered a pretty brutal story set within the stone age, with plenty of action and drama spread throughout. Season two had a pretty finite ending and it was basically the end of Spear’s story, but a brand new season is on the way, which will hopefully be just as entertaining as what came before. Primal Season 3 is scheduled to debut on January 11, 2026, on Adult Swim.

The Super Mario Galaxy Movie

This sequel to The Super Mario Bros. Movie is scheduled to release on April 3, 2026 and will bring back Chris Pratt and Charlie Day as the voices for the titular bros, Mario & Luigi. Joining them are Anya Taylor-Joy as Princess Peach, And Jack Black as Bowser likewise role reprisals, along with newcomer Brie Larson as the voice of Rosalina. The movie should cover more concepts and plots inspired by the Mario Universe (or Galaxy) video games, which should be fun and viewers don’t even really need to be hardcore gamers to enjoy it.

Stranger Things: Tales From ’85

The “Stranger Things” series has wrapped, and no matter what you think of the final episode, the series creators (the Duffer Brothers) have teased there are spinoffs coming. First up, the “Tales From ’85” animated series! Set around Season 3 (aka “1985”), this actually is a welcome “change of pace” for the franchise – as it doesn’t have to solve plotlines or expand upon the lore (though it likely will). Instead, this animated series just gives us what we like: more stories set in this universe! With interdimensional monsters, 80’s music and stylish animation, what’s not to love?

The Legend of Aang: The Last Airbender

Regardless of how you feel about the live action “Avatar: The Last Airbender” that’s ongoing on Netflix, fans of the original “Avatar” series have been awaiting a new project set in the universe of “The Last Airbender” for years.  This upcoming film promises to show a continuation of Aang’s story, and was said to be leading to more animated films and a new animated series, but the hype for this upcoming film took a blow recently with the annoucement of it being moved to streaming (instead of releasing in theaters). Still, it doesn’t change the fact that every glimpse we see of this project looks amazing, and brings back all of the happy memories we have of this franchise in it’s glory days (back in the late 2000’s).

Coyote Vs Acme

If last year’s The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie was the first “rallying cry” of fans saving animated shows from the “David Zaslov/HBO Max/Discovery Monster”, then getting “Coyote vs Acme” to air in theaters is all of that, on steroids. The news that this film could be reduced to a “tax write-off” and cast aside angered fans of these characters. There hasn’t been this much love for the “Road Runner/Coyote” storyline in years.

Yes, it’s not a fully animated film, as the Looney Tunes characters present will be interacting with actors in some scenes, as was done previously in the two Space Jam films (and in Looney Tunes: Back in Action). But this is still the triump of fans uniting to defend the theatrical experience for classic animated characters (which is what Looney Tunes represents in the eyes of many animation fans).

Honorable Mentions: 

Just going by how well Star Wars has merged with animation over the last decade, it’s worth giving a “shout out” to two different projects releasing next year: First up is the Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord animated series (featuring the return of Sam Witmer – aka the world’s biggest Star Wars fan, in the role of Maul). The story chronicles the events of what happened to Maul inbetween the Clone Wars and the eventual conclusion of his plotline in “Star Wars: Rebels”. The other is a spinoff of “Star Wars: Visions” anthology series titled Star Wars: Visions Presents – The Ninth Jedi. The “Visions” line is always an animation spectical, so we will be watching this one with great interest.

But that’s our picks. What animated series or films are YOU looking forward to the most in 2026?!?

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The post The Top 5 Most Anticipated Animated Shows/Movies In 2026 appeared first on Anime Superhero News.

Here’s your guide to Disney Channel’s broadcast TV schedule for the week of January 5 – 11, 2026. This week you can find new episodes of Spidey and his Amazing Friends, SuperKitties, and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse+.

You can view the complete line-up for the week below. Check back for updates, but be aware that the schedule is subject to change without notice. Listed start times are approximate.

Monday, January 5, 2026

Tuesday, January 6, 2026

Wednesday, January 7, 2026

Thursday, January 8, 2026

Friday, January 9, 2026

Saturday, January 10, 2026

Sunday, January 11, 2026

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Here’s your guide to Disney XD’s broadcast TV schedule for the week of January 5 – 11, 2026. This week you can find a new episode of Yu-Gi-Oh! GO RUSH!!. Also, DuckTales (2017), Star vs. The Forces of Evil, and Amphibia return to Disney XD’s regular line-up from their first episodes.

You can view the complete line-up for the week below. Check back for updates, but be aware that the schedule is subject to change without notice. Listed start times are approximate.

Monday, January 5, 2026

Tuesday, January 6, 2026

Wednesday, January 7, 2026

Thursday, January 8, 2026

Friday, January 9, 2026

Saturday, January 10, 2026

Sunday, January 11, 2026

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Here’s your guide to Disney Jr.’s broadcast TV schedule for the week of January 5 – 11, 2026. This week you can find new episodes of Spidey and his Amazing Friends, SuperKitties, and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse+.

You can view the complete line-up for the week below. Check back for updates, but be aware that the schedule is subject to change without notice. Listed start times are approximate.

Monday, January 5, 2026

Tuesday, January 6, 2026

Wednesday, January 7, 2026

Thursday, January 8, 2026

Friday, January 9, 2026

Saturday, January 10, 2026

Sunday, January 11, 2026

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“Time waits for no one.” An anime film that brought waves for its director when it was originally released and turns up on many best-of lists is finally coming home to GKIDS, who seem to be where the beloved will thrive from here on out. (It certainly isn’t with Crunchyroll.) While the film will be having its twentieth anniversary this year, its coming-of-age story and striking animation hold up to this day, and ensure it’ll be a favorite among Hosoda’s catalog for years to come.

Makoto is a normal teenage girl facing the normal anime teenage girl struggles – being late for school, keeping her grades up, avoiding awkward moments – until the day she somehow avoids being the victim of a train accident by literally leaping through time. Her aunt explains to her, surprisingly calm or perhaps not taking her niece entirely seriously, that time itself cannot go back – Makoto herself has gone back through time. Despite her experience, Makoto herself is initially unsure that it even happened. Once she manages to do it again and save an uneaten pudding from her sister’s thieving mitts, she begins to take advantage of her special power to make her teenage life a little less hasslesome. But does altering the past truly come without any consequence?

The Girl Who Leapt Through Time is one of Hosoda’s earliest works, and his first at Madhouse after facing rocky roads with Toei Animation and even Studio Ghibli. While Makoto’s family does play a role in the story, family isn’t the major focus of the story in the same sense as his later works Summer Wars, Wolf Children, Mirai, etc. The trope of “time travel doesn’t come without consequence” isn’t exactly a new one, but Makoto is a protagonist that you want to root for and hope she somehow finds a way to put everything back together. Without spoilers, it strikes a chord in terms of its realism – there is no magic reset, but Makoto comes to terms with the reality of her seemingly frivolous actions at the time, and begins to realize that time itself is something she should cherish. It definitely has some similarities to a Studio Ghibli film, and after seeing the returns and acclaim that Hosoda’s gotten on his work, I’m sure they’ve kicked themselves once or twice for letting him go.

The science fiction element of time traveling here can come off as a little confused at times, but this isn’t Steins;Gate – the main focus definitely isn’t on breaking down the logistics of how exactly Makoto can time travel and how she manages to break through time. All she ever really figures out is that she can barrel roll into a room and do karaoke for hours. We never quite figure out how much Makoto’s aunt actually knows about time travel either, though her dialogue sounds like she could just think Makoto is having an odd puberty experience. You can get hints of Hosoda’s future sci-fi design he’d use for the world of OZ in Summer Wars in the scenes where Makoto travels through time.

The English dub is a solid production from Ocean Productions, the former Canadian powerhouse for anime dubs. The majority of the VAs aren’t well-known today, but it’s a relief that they were able to get it right the first time, and that Funimation or another license holder never felt the need to go in and fix what wasn’t broken. Escaflowne, I’m looking at you.

GKIDS has put together another mostly stellar release of an anime classic. Compared to Funimation’s previous release, this one features better artwork and even a limited-edition slipcase and steelbook edition. However, GKIDS’ release is missing a few extras that were present on Funimation’s – including a talk with the director, a look inside one of the earliest screening events of the film, and the music video for Hanako Oku’s “Garnet”. These won’t be dealbreakers for the majority of people who just want a nice-looking release of the film, which GKIDS definitely provides and then some – but may be disappointing for the biggest completionists out there.

Overall, The Girl Who Leapt Through Time is a standout anime film that continues to shine to this day. It’s easy to understand why this was Hosoda’s big break into the mainstream, and why it’ll continue to delight audiences of all ages for years to come. It doesn’t quite feel old enough to call it a “classic,” but sitting on a line next to GKIDS’ other stellar releases of various classic Ghibli films, it doesn’t feel out of place at all.

The Girl Who Leapt Through Time is available from GKIDS on 4K, Blu-ray, and streaming.

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From the vibe of the new trailer Marvel Studios released today, it’s clear they want you to know their new series Wonder Man is different than what you’re used to. This isn’t a bloated CG showdown between heroes and villains, it contains no laser beams or car chases or exploding planets. They even use two words we never thought we’d see any Marvel production print in giant yellow letters: “Superhero Fatigue.”

What Wonder Man IS, at least according to the video below, is a quirky comedy about an actor struggling to work within the Hollywood system. A system that, foe some reason, forbids superpowers. If you want to work, you have to sign a contract stating you don’t have any, and if you’re found lying…

This establishing fact gives away another: that the show’s lead protagonist, Simon Williams, DOES have powers and can’t let anybody know. Is this the Wonder Man of the title? No, actually, “Wonder Man” is a campy old superhero movie that the studio is interested in remaking. Williams is the prime candidate, but his landing the gig depends on if he can prevent anyone from discovering the truth.

With the aid of has-been former actor Trevor Slattery, and the guidance of legendary (in this world) director Von Kovak, Williams might be able to pull it all off…unless Agent Cleary of Damage Control starts picking up his scent.

Wonder Man is created by Destin Daniel Cretton (‘Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’) and Andrew Guest (‘Community, ‘Hawkeye) and stars Emmy Award winner Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as Simon Williams and Academy Award winner Ben Kingsley, who reprises his role as Trevor Slattery following appearances in ‘Iron Man 3, ‘Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings,’ and ‘All Hail the King.’

Wonder Man will be eight episodes long; whether it’s a miniseries or open-ended for a second season is a question no one knows the answer to right now. The show debuts on Disney+ January 27.

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2026 is here, and looks to be an amazing year for superhero movies and shows (both animated and live action). Here are my picks for the series and movies I am looking forward to the most!

Batman: Knightfall

“Knightfall” is one of the most well known older Batman stories that never received a proper adaptation, until now. Sure elements from it have popped up in other animated and live-action projects over the years, but this multi-part animated event movie should deliver a more faithful adaptation. From Bane breaking Batman’s back, through the whole imbroglio with Azrael (who would make his official animated debut with this occasion as well, by the way). Originally published between 1993-1994, the comic was divided into three parts, “Knightfall”, “Knightquest”, and “KnightsEnd”, so a series of animated movies have the opportunity to do the comic book story arc justice. While no date has been announced yet, the first part of the animated movie is set to release in 2026.

X-Men ’97 – Season 2

X-Men ’97, the continuation to the X-Men animated series from the ’90s, is set to return for more episodes in Summer of 2026. It will be around 2 years after the first season ended on sort of a cliff-hanger, with several X-Men scattered through time and space, while others seem to be missing in action, and the ones still in the “present” time-line have to find a way to solve things in a satisfying manner. Here’s hoping the quality of the show won’t suffer after the show-runner for the initial season was removed (and we will not comment more on that in this mini review); there should still be lots of stories to tell with these characters.

Supergirl

Following the live-action Superman movie from this year, Supergirl is set to fly (again) into theaters in 2026, so look out. Starring Milly Alcock as Superman’s cousin, and Jason Momoa (previously Aquaman) as Lobo, the alien bounty hunter. Inspired at least in part by the “Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow” comic, the movie is scheduled to debut on June 26.

Spider-Man: Brand New Day

Following the game-changing Spider-Man: No Way Home, Brand New Day, is set to debut on July 31. Alongside Spidey (played again by Tom Holland), you’ll be able to also see The Punisher (played by John Bernthal), so it should be interesting how that R-rated character will fare in this supposedly milder story. The Hulk is supposed to appear, too. Or at least Mark Ruffalo, who played Bruce Banner since 2012, is included in the cast.

Avengers: Doomsday

The next Avengers movie is set to debut on December 18. Normally I’d try to cover only the first few months, maybe up to Summer in these “coming attractions” articles, but making an exception for a new Avengers movie.

The team roster has changed quite a bit since the last time the Avengers teamed up, as anyone who has followed the Marvel Cinematic Universe would know. The movie’s main cast was announced – a whooping more than two dozen names – but there should still be some surprises in there. New characters introduced in the meantime, such as the Fantastic Four, will also show up which makes even more sense considering the title Doomsday also alludes to Doctor Doom, usually depicted as their foe. And none other than Robert Downey, Jr. – whom you might remember as playing a different character in a few previous MCU movies – is set to play the villain. The movie will be followed by Avengers: Secret Wars one year later but… that will probably be included in next year’s list of “most anticipated movies”.

Honorable Mentions:

The above were my “Top 5” for 2026, but as you’d expect, there’s other superhero shows/films arriving in the coming year. With that in mind, here’s some honorable mentions:

Daredevil: Born Again – Season 2. Supposed to debut in March on Disney+, it will continue the adventures of Matt Murdock/Daredevil (played by Chris Cox), in his fight against Wilson Fisk/Kingpin (played by Vincent D’Onofrio).

For animation, there should be more updates, if not the official premieres of Batman: Caped Crusader (Season 2, Amazon Prime Video), and My Adventures With Superman (Season 3, Adult Swim/HBO Max). There’s been no real word yet on when to expect new episodes from these shows, but they’re all still anticipated in 2026.

But that’s my picks. What superhero series or films are YOU looking forward to the most in 2026?!?

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In about a month from now, it will be time to play the music and light the lights once more. For one night only, The Muppet Theater re-opens its doors to play to what Disney hopes will be a sold-out crowd on broadcast and streaming.

Kermit, no stranger to fourth wall breaks, admits the exact situation: “It’s the return of The Muppet Show back on the very stage where it all started, and then ended, and is maybe starting again, depending on how the night goes.” Indeed, Disney intends to use the performance of this special as a gauge to determine if pursuing a full revival is something that’d attract an audience.

To make sure they get that audience, the Muppets have called up their friend Sabrina Carpenter to lend the special some star power (she really is their friend; she’s a big fan of Kermit and pals). She gives Miss Piggy a compliment, which the hog fawns over — and then demands more of.

Seth Rogen is also here, not just as executive producer but a camera presence. Like Carpenter, he tells them it’s always been his dream to be on the Muppet Show, and Fozzie, perhaps being a bit too honest, replies with “Oooo…..got any other dreams?”

The Muppet Show special features the talents of Bill Barretta, Dave Goelz, Eric Jacobson, Peter Linz, David Rudman and Matt Vogel. Goelz is the only member of the team to have lasted the entire time; though Frank Oz still lives he no longer performs his characters.

Produced by 20th TV, Disney Branded Television, The Muppets Studio and Point Grey Pictures, the special is directed by Emmy-nominee Alex Timbers (Mozart in the Jungle, Alex Edelman: Just for Us, John Mulaney: Baby J.) . Exec producers are Timbers, Rogen, Evan Goldberg, James Weaver, Alex McAtee; David Lightbody, Leigh Slaughter, Michael Steinbach, Carpenter, Albertina Rizzo, Matt Vogel and Eric Jacobson.

The Muppet Show‘s 50th anniversary special will air on ABC February 4, followed by its streaming debut on Disney+.

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