Netflix's Animated Future
Netflix Unveils New Ghostbusters Series, Brad Bird's Ray Gunn, and The One Piece Anime
Key Points
Ghostbusters: Night Shift will be co-written by Jason Reitman and Gil Kenan, with Dan Aykroyd among the executive producers, expanding the franchise’s animated footprint and tying into the live‑action legacy.
Masashi Koizuka, known for directing Attack on Titan, is helming Netflix’s The One Piece anime adaptation from WIT Studio, scheduled for a global February 2027 release with Mayumi Tanaka voicing Luffy.
Brad Bird’s Ray Gunn is set to debut on December 18, 2026, described as a noir sci‑fi set in 1939 Metropia, starring Sam Rockwell, Scarlett Johansson, and Tom Waits, with Skydance Animation producing.
In Waves, a Cannes‑acquired film about love and grief, is slated to premiere with a December 11, 2026 release; the feature is directed by Phuong Mai Nguyen and stars Will Sharpe and Stephanie Hsu.
Steps, a Cinderella retelling, is directed by Alyce Tzue and produced by Amy Poehler’s Paper Kite Productions, highlighting Netflix’s collaboration with the indie animation outfit.
Netflix pulled back the curtain on its biggest animation slate in years at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival, headlined by Ghostbusters: Night Shift — a new animated series set in 1994 New York, due in 2027. The show will be co-written and executive produced by Jason Reitman and Gil Kenan, the duo behind Ghostbusters: Afterlife, with Dan Aykroyd also on board as executive producer, according to Dread Central.
The showcase also locked in a December 18, 2026 release for Brad Bird's long-gestating Ray Gunn, set a February 2027 global debut for The One Piece anime remake, and confirmed several other titles. Netflix is making a clear push to rival Disney and Sony in prestige animation, Head Topics reported.
Ghostbusters Night Shift Fills a 32-Year Animated Gap
Ghostbusters: Night Shift is set exactly five years after Ghostbusters II, placing it in 1994 New York City. The series focuses on young New Yorkers facing a new supernatural threat. It marks the first animated Ghostbusters entry since Extreme Ghostbusters in 1997, according to Bloody Disgusting.
Ben Hibon, known for Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, serves as showrunner alongside co-EP Elliott Kalan. Netflix and Sony Pictures Animation have released concept art teasing a gritty, retro visual style. The 1994 setting is designed to bridge the original films and the modern Afterlife continuity, Ghostbusters News noted.
Brad Bird's Ray Gunn Finally Arrives After 30 Years
Ray Gunn debuts December 18, 2026. The film is set in 1939 Metropia, an alternate-universe city filled with aliens. Sam Rockwell voices the human private eye Ray Gunn. Scarlett Johansson plays Venus Nova, and Tom Waits voices a one-eyed alien named Eyera. Skydance Animation is producing, with a reported budget over $150 million, according to Head Topics.
Bird described the film as "Maltese Falcon meets Buck Rogers." He originally developed the concept at Turner Feature Animation in the 1990s before shelving it to direct The Iron Giant. Johansson called the project a "career milestone" and said it represents a "total realization of where Brad is currently on his artistic journey." Bird added that "animation as a medium is too interesting to limit what kind of stories can be told."
The One Piece Remake Targets One Billion Anime Viewers
Netflix's The One Piece launches globally in February 2027. WIT Studio is producing the remake, with Masashi Koizuka — director of Attack on Titan — at the helm. The initial order is 7 episodes totaling 300 minutes. Mayumi Tanaka, the original voice of Luffy, returns for the role, according to Head Topics.
The remake covers the East Blue and Baratie arcs, the same story that launched the original 1999 Toei Animation series. Netflix says the goal is to make the massive franchise accessible to viewers intimidated by 1,100-plus existing episodes. Anime titles on Netflix racked up 1.5 billion views in 2025, making the genre a key growth driver for the streamer.
In Waves and Steps Round Out a Packed Late-2026 Calendar
In Waves, directed by Phuong Mai Nguyen, premieres December 11, 2026. Netflix acquired it after it opened Cannes Critics' Week. The film stars Will Sharpe and Stephanie Hsu in a story about love and grief. Nguyen said animation "helped us to move very freely between memories, history, reality, and dreams, much like the waves themselves."
Steps, a modern Cinderella musical retelling, arrives November 20, 2026. It is directed by Alyce Tzue and produced through Amy Poehler's Paper Kite Productions. Earlier in the fall, Ricky Gervais's adult animated sitcom Alley Cats lands on August 7, 2026. Together, the slate spans indie arthouse fare, IP nostalgia, and global anime — a deliberate play to win both Oscar voters and mass audiences at once.
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