Netflix Animation returned to the spotlight at this year’s Annecy Animation Film Festival with an expansive showcase of its upcoming slate, unveiling new footage, first-look images, concept art, and release date updates for several highly anticipated projects. The presentation featured new looks at Brad Bird’s sci-fi noir feature Ray Gunn, the animated Ghostbusters series Ghostbusters: Night Shift, the fairy tale reimagining Steps, and the romantic drama In Waves, while also offering updates on The One Piece anime and Ricky Gervais’ new comedy series Alley Cats.
From original animated features and beloved franchise adaptations to ambitious new series, Netflix’s Annecy presentation highlighted the streamer’s continued investment in animation across genres and audiences. Here’s a closer look at everything revealed during the panel, along with the newly released images from each project.
Ray Gunn
Brad Bird (The Incredibles, Ratatouille) took the stage to discuss his upcoming animated feature Ray Gunn. Set in Metropia, a gigantic metropolis in an alternate future envisioned through the lens of 1939, the film follows private investigator Raymond Gunn as he becomes entangled in a mystery involving aliens, murder, and multimedia superstar Venus Nova.
Sam Rockwell leads the voice cast as Raymond Gunn, alongside Scarlett Johansson as Venus Nova. Produced by Skydance Animation, Ray Gunn is scheduled to premiere on Netflix on December 18. New images from the film were also unveiled during the presentation and can be viewed above.
Ghostbusters: Night Shift
Executive producers Jason Reitman and Gil Kenan then took the stage alongside showrunners and executive producers Ben Hibon and Elliott Kalan to debut the first official image and new concept art from Ghostbusters: Night Shift.
Set in New York City in 1994, five years after the Ghostbusters famously brought the Statue of Liberty to life, the series follows a new generation of unlikely heroes when a fresh wave of supernatural terror descends upon the city. Untrained, underappreciated, and partially responsible for the chaos they face, a group of scrappy young New Yorkers must suit up, confront their fears, and save the Big Apple from its latest paranormal threat.
Ghostbusters: Night Shift is set to premiere on Netflix in 2027.
Steps
Netflix also showcased Steps, its upcoming animated reimagining of the classic Cinderella story. The film follows Lilith (Ali Wong), who has grown tired of living in Cinderella’s (Amanda Seyfried) shadow. After stealing the Fairy Godmother’s (Bette Midler) magic wand, Lilith and her sister Margot (Stephanie Hsu) hijack the Royal Ball, sending the beloved fairy tale off course and plunging the kingdom toward the tyrannical rule of Priscilla (Nikki Glaser).
Netflix released several new images from the film following the Annecy presentation. Steps is currently scheduled to premiere on November 20.
In Waves
Another animated feature receiving an update was In Waves, which was accompanied by a newly released image and a confirmed premiere date of December 11.
The film follows AJ, a shy teenager who loves skateboarding and drawing, and Kristen, a passionate surfer. The pair quickly fall in love and begin imagining a future together, but their relationship is tested when Kristen is suddenly confronted with a life-altering illness.
The One Piece
One of the most anticipated announcements of the panel was the official debut of the teaser trailer for The One Piece. Produced by WIT Studio, the new anime adaptation will retell Eiichiro Oda’s legendary manga from the very beginning, starting with the East Blue Saga. The series is currently slated to premiere on Netflix in February 2027.
Alley Cats
Also featured during the presentation was Alley Cats, a new animated comedy series created by Ricky Gervais. The feline-focused comedy received a new-look image.
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