2026 in animation
2026 in animation is an overview of notable events, including notable awards, list of films released, television show debuts and endings, and notable deaths.
Events
January
January 1: Clarabelle Cow, Blondie, Pluto, Flip the Frog, and the first Betty Boop cartoon Dizzy Dishes enter the public domain in the United States.January 11: Season 3 of Primal premiered on Adult Swim.January 15: A third Phineas and Ferb film is announced by Disney Branded Television to be in development.January 16:- * The final two episodes of the fifth season of Phineas and Ferb premiere on Disney Channel and Disney XD simultaneously.
- * The Phineas and Ferb spin-off short series titled Agent P, Under C premiered on Disney+, with its first episode uploaded to YouTube.January 17: The final ten episodes from the fifth season of Phineas and Ferb were released on Disney+.January 24: A crossover series between Cocomelon and Hello Kitty, named CoComelon Playdates with Sanrio Friends, was released on YouTube.January 26: Turner Classic Movies announced a six-year contract with Warner Bros. Discovery to air the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies shorts starting in February amid ongoing efforts from several companies to acquire the company.January 29: The Incredibles is inducted into the National Film Registry.January 30: Neon's Arco was released.
February
February 2: The Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies shorts begin airing on TCM with a marathon of Bugs Bunny cartoons.February 7: The eighth Helluva Boss short will be released on Youtube.February 13: Sony Pictures Animation's Goat will be released.February 15: The season 37 finale of The Simpsons will premiere on Fox.February 21: The 53rd Annie Awards will be held.February 22: American Dad! will return to Fox after airing on TBS for 12 years with the 22nd season.February 27: Doraemon: New Nobita and the Castle of the Undersea Devil will be released.March
March 6: Pixar's Hoppers will be released.March 15: The 98th Academy Awards will be held.March 18: Season 4 of Invincible will premiere on Prime Video.March 20: The eighth and penultimate episode of The Amazing Digital Circus will be released on YouTube.April
April 1: Illumination and Nintendo's The Super Mario Galaxy Movie will be released.May
May 1: Angel Studios' Animal Farm will be released.May 22: The pilot/first episode of Glitch Productions's GAMEOVERSE will be released on YouTube.June
June 19: Pixar's Toy Story 5 will be released.July
July 1: Illumination's Minions 3 will be released.August
August 14: Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon's Paw Patrol: The Dino Movie will be released.August 28: Warner Bros.'s Coyote vs. Acme will be released.September
September 18: Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon's The Legend of Aang: The Last Airbender will be released exclusively for Paramount+.September 25: DreamWorks Animation's Forgotten Island will be released.October
October 23: Laika's Wildwood will be released.November
November 6: Warner Bros. Pictures Animation's film adaptation The Cat in the Hat, based on the Dr. Seuss book of the same name, will be released.November 25: Walt Disney Animation Studios' Hexed, will be released.December
December 23: Paramount Pictures' The Angry Birds Movie 3 will be released.Specific date unknown
- Aardman's Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom will be released.
- Skydance Animation's third feature film Swapped will be released as a Netflix exclusive.
- Skydance Animation's Ray Gunn will be released as a Netflix exclusive.Mating Season will premiere on Netflix.Adventure Time: Side Quests will be released on Cartoon Network.
- Part 2 of the third and final season of Beastars will premiere on Netflix.Sofia the First: Royal Magic will premiere on Disney Jr.
- An eighth season of Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood will be released.
- The season 6 finale of Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir will premiere on TF1 in France.
- The 16th season finale of Bob's Burgers will premiere on Fox.
- The season 24 finale of Family Guy will premiere on Fox.
- Season 38 of The Simpsons will premiere on Fox.
- Season 17 of Bob's Burgers will premiere on Fox.
- Season 25 of Family Guy will premiere on Fox.
- The ninth season of Rick and Morty will premiere on Adult Swim.
- Season 15 of King of the Hill will premiere on Hulu.
- Season 11 of Futurama will premiere on Hulu.
- Season 3 of Helluva Boss will premiere on Prime Video.
- The ninth and final episode of The Amazing Digital Circus will be released on YouTube.
- The third season of Pupstruction will premiere on Disney Jr. in the United States.
- The fifth season of Big City Greens will premiere on Disney Channel and Disney XD simultaneously.
- The third season of Kiff will premiere on Disney Channel and Disney XD simultaneously.
- The sixth season of Phineas and Ferb will premiere on Disney Channel and Disney XD simultaneously.
- The fourth season of Chibiverse will premiere on Disney Channel and Disney XD simultaneously.
- Season 7 of Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir will premiere on TF1 in France.
- Season 4 of Smiling Friends will premiere on Adult Swim.
- Season 29 of South Park will premiere on Comedy Central.
- The thirteenth season of Gabby's Dollhouse will premiere on Netflix.
Awards
- Academy Award for Best Animated Feature: TBA
- Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film: TBA
- American Cinema Editors Award for Best Edited Animated Feature Film: TBA
- Annecy International Animation Film Festival Cristal du long métrage: TBA
- Annie Award for Best Animated Feature: TBA
- Annie Award for Best Animated Feature – Independent: TBA
- Annie Award for Best Animated Television Production: TBA
- Astra Film Award for Best Animated Film: KPop Demon Hunters
- Austin Film Critics Association Award for Best Animated Film: KPop Demon Hunters
- BAFTA Award for Best Animated Film: TBA
- BAFTA Award for Best Short Animation: TBA
- Boston Society of Film Critics Award for Best Animated Film: Endless Cookie
- Central Ohio Film Critics Association Awards for Best Animated Feature: Little Amélie or the Character of Rain
- César Award for Best Animated Film: TBA
- Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Animated Film: KPop Demon Hunters
- Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Animated Feature: KPop Demon Hunters
- Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Animated Series: South Park
- Dallas–Fort Worth Film Critics Association Award for Best Animated Film: KPop Demon Hunters
- European Film Award for Best Animated Feature Film: Arco
- Florida Film Critics Circle Award for Best Animated Film: Little Amélie or the Character of Rain
- Golden Globe Award for Best Animated Feature Film: KPop Demon Hunters
- Golden Reel Award for Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing – Sound Effects, Foley, Dialogue and ADR for Animated Feature Film: TBA
- Goya Award for Best Animated Film: TBA
- Japan Academy Film Prize for Animation of the Year: TBA
- Kids' Choice Award for Favorite Animated Movie: TBA
- Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Animated Film: Little Amélie or the Character of Rain
- Mainichi Film Award for Best Animation Film: TBA
- Minnesa Film Critics Alliance Award for Best Animated Feature: KPop Demon Hunters
- National Board of Review Award for Best Animated Film: Arco
- New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Animated Film: KPop Demon Hunters
- Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Animated Film: KPop Demon Hunters
- Producers Guild of America Award for Best Animated Mion Picture: TBA
- San Diego Film Critics Society Award for Best Animated Film: KPop Demon Hunters
- San Francisco Bay Area Film Critics Circle Award for Best Animated Feature: KPop Demon Hunters
- Saturn Award for Best Animated Film: TBA
- Seattle Film Critics Society Award for Best Animated Feature: KPop Demon Hunters
- St. Louis Film Critics Association Award for Best Animated Feature: Zootopia 2
- Tokyo Anime Award: TBA
- Toronto Film Critics Association Award for Best Animated Film: Endless Cookie
- Visual Effects Society Award for Outstanding Visual Effects in an Animated Feature: TBA
- Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association Award for Best Animated Feature: ''KPop Demon Hunters''
Television series debuts
| Date | Title | Channel, Streaming |
| January 13 | Hey A.J.! | Disney Jr., Disney+ |
| January 24 | CoComelon Playdates with Sanrio Friends | YouTube |
| February 2 | Phoebe & Jay | PBS Kids |
| February 20 | Strip Law | Netflix |
| March | Breaking Bear | Tubi |
| May | Gameoverse | YouTube |
| TBA | Rooster Fighter | Adult Swim, HBO Max |
| TBA | SuperMutant Magic Academy | Adult Swim, HBO Max |
| TBA | Adventure Time: Side Quests | Cartoon Network, HBO Max |
| TBA | Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord | Disney+ |
| TBA | The Sunnyridge 3 | Disney+ |
| TBA | BeddyByes | Disney Jr. |
| TBA | Sofia the First: Royal Magic | Disney Jr. |
| TBA | Alley Cats | Netflix |
| TBA | Mating Season | Netflix |
| TBA | Stranger Things: Tales from '85 | Netflix |
| TBA | HexVets and Magic Pets | Nickelodeon, Nick Jr. |
| TBA | Super Why's Comic Book Adventures | PBS Kids |
| TBA | - | - |
Deaths
January
January 8: Guy Moon, American composer, dies at age 63.January 9:- * Bill Millar, English visual effect artist and animator, dies at age 79.
- * T. K. Carter, American actor, dies at age 69.January 13: Scott Adams, American cartoonist and producer dies at age 68.January 14: Gloria Rocha, Mexican voice actress, and voice director, dies at age 94.January 16:
- * Yoichiro Yoshikawa, Japanese composer, dies at age 68.
- * Mark Jones, American director, screenwriter and producer, dies at age 72.
- * Kianna Underwood, American actress, dies at age 33.January 18: Roger Allers, American director, screenwriter and animator, dies at age 76.January 19: Stefan Gossler, German actor, dies at age 70.
- January 20: Kōzō Shioya, Japanese voice actor, dies at age 70.
- January 22: Hudson Talbott, American author and animator, dies at age 76.
- January 25: Gabe Lopez, American composer, dies at an unspecified age.
- January 28: Bryan Loren, American songwriter, dies at age 59.
- January 30: Catherine O'Hara, Canadian-American actress, dies at age 71.