As Annecy Animation Festival attendees try to avoid the scorching sun as much as they can, Warner Bros. Pictures Animation turned up the heat today in its 2026 Annecy Showcase, with both new titles and additional voice cast announced for the upcoming feature “Bad Fairies,” as well as more info on its upcoming originals.
The studio’s biggest announcement came from President of Warner Bros. Pictures Animation Bill Damaschke himself who announced on stage a partnership with acclaimed animator and creator Vivienne Medrano on her new original animated musical movie “Prehistoria,” marking the feature directorial debut of the beloved “Hazbin Hotel,” “Helluva Boss” creator, before inviting her on stage to share more about her new landmark project.
Medrano, also known as “VivziePop,” has emerged in the last decade as one of the most influential voices in independent animation, building a global fanbase through her breakout YouTube-driven projects and distinctive visual style. The creator’s work on the “Hellaverse” series has cultivated a passionate, highly engaged audience, with her content generating billions of views and establishing her as a leading cross-platform storyteller.
“Since I began my animation journey,” Medrano shared, “my biggest dream was to be part of a feature film. Now to be creating an original story that I have been holding for years, and with Warner Bros. Pictures Animation, a studio whose characters and stories have been a huge part of my life, is truly a dream come true. I’m SO excited to share this fossil fantasy world with everyone!”
Set outside the “Hellaverse,” the film underscores Warner Bros. Pictures Animation’s continued commitment to collaborating with bold, creator-driven voices and tapping into emerging talent with strong direct-to-fan connections.
A testament to this is definitely “Bad Fairies,” which Warner Bros. Pictures Animation and Locksmith Animation bring to Annecy ahead of its May 2027 release.
On stage, Director Megan Nicole Dong and co-director Olivier Staphylas revealed further details about their upcoming punk, original musical comedy that follows a delightfully subversive gang of fairies as they shake up their magical world.
The duo also added that previously announced cast members Cynthia Erivo and Ncuti Gatwa will be joined by British actress Serrana Su-Ling Bliss (“Enola Holmes 2,” “Belfast,” “Harry Potter,” voicing Fei), English comedian James Acaster (Netflix’s “Repertoire”, HBO Max’s “Hecklers Welcome,” voicing Stickers), and Dee Bradley Baker (voicing Groundbeef). Baker, one of the most prolific voice actors in animation, is known for voicing the clone troopers across the “Star Wars” animated universe, Klaus on “American Dad!,” Perry the Platypus on “Phineas and Ferb,” and Appa and Momo on “Avatar: The Last Airbender.”
“Bad Fairies” is directed by Megan Nicole Dong and co-directed by Olivier Staphylas, from an original screenplay by Deborah Frances-White. Tony Award-winning duo Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss (“Six: The Musical”) will write the original songs, with Grammy-nominated Isabella “Machine” Summers (Florence + The Machine) composing the score and contributing to the songs. Ian Eisendrath (“KPop Demon Hunters”) is executive music producer.
The film’s creative team also includes producer Carolyn Soper (“Tangled”), editor Sim Evan-Jones (“Shrek 2,” “Shaun the Sheep), cinematographer James C.J. Williams, character designer Uwe Heidschötter, heads of story Rikke Asbjoern and Chris Garbutt, and production designers Justin Hutchinson-Chatburn and Mike Redman. Production is currently underway in London, with DNEG Animation serving as digital partner.
As underscored ahead of the screening, “Bad Fairies” will be the first feature released under the first-look deal between Warner Bros. Pictures Animation and Locksmith Animation and will debut theatrically via Warner Bros. Pictures on May 21, 2027.
The second film from WBPA and Locksmith Animation is “The Lunar Chronicles,” releasing worldwide on Nov. 3, 2028, which was introduced on stage as well by Noëlle Raffaele and producer Christina Steinberg, showing a new video clip to Annecy’s already upbeat audience.
As part of the showcase, Damaschke and directors Erica Rivinoja and Alessandro Carloni along with producer Daniela Mazzucato also unveiled extensive footage of “The Cat in the Hat,” the latest Dr Seuss’ adaptation, to come out in November, along with a “Dynamic Duo” reel from Swaybox Studios, produced in partnership with DC Studios and 6th & Idaho, a new project dubbed by the team as a groundbreaking fusion of puppetry, practical artistry, and cutting-edge technology,
Underlining the studio’s resilience, Damaschke added: “Under Arthur Mintz’s leadership, the Swaybox team is pushing the medium of animation forward, building on the pioneering puppetry of visionaries like Jim Henson while redefining what’s possible with today’s tools and techniques.”
WBPA’s President also honored the characters’ who helped Warner Bros. become one of the leading animation studios, aka the Looney Tunes. Previously announced, the “Daffy Season” short was introduced by its directors Todd Wilderman and Hamish Grieve, to the great pleasure of the benevolent, short-savvy Annecy crowds.
The presentation sugested WBPA has a full slate of features lined up for the years to come, with seven theatrical motion pictures and one theatrical short scheduled for release over 2026-2028.
Serrana Su-Ling Bliss is repped by The Artists Partnership. James Acaster is repped by PBJ Management UK, CAA and Sue Terry Voices. Dee Bradley Baker is repped by Sutton, Barth & Vennari Talent. Vivienne Medrano is repped by CAA, Redefine Entertainment, and RLG.
