Animation Is Film, the Hollywood festival that treats animation as cinema, returns for its ninth edition October 16 to 19, 2026, at the TCL Chinese 6 Theatres. For the first time, it opens with a TV series: the first theatrical presentation of the opening two episodes of Dana Terrace’s Knights of Guinevere. That screening is already sold out.
GKIDS produces the festival in collaboration with France’s Annecy International Animation Film Festival and Variety. This year’s program has nine competition features, a Cartoon Saloon anniversary, a sneak peek at Disney’s Hexed, and five shorts programs. Here is the plan as posted on the festival’s site as of September 28, 2026.
The quick version
| When | Friday, October 16, through Monday, October 19, 2026 (the posted schedule currently runs through Sunday, October 18) |
| Where | TCL Chinese 6 Theatres, Ovation Hollywood, 6801 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood, CA 90028 |
| Highlights | Knights of Guinevere (sold out), Wolfwalkers with Cartoon Saloon’s founders, Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender, Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust |
| Tickets | $20 plus a $2 fee per screening; packages of 6 for $90 or 10 for $150 |
| Ages | Each screening carries a content rating: G, PG, 13+, or R (18+) |
| Parking | Validated parking at Ovation Hollywood |
| Official site | animationisfilm.com |
What’s screening
Competition features
| Film | When |
|---|---|
| O filho da puta (Son of a Bitch), Brazil | Fri., Oct. 16, 7 p.m. |
| ghost: end of night (Shingo Natsume), Japan, North American premiere | Fri., Oct. 16, 9 p.m. |
| Julián (Louise Bagnall), Cartoon Saloon’s take on Julián Is a Mermaid | Sat., Oct. 17, 3 p.m. |
| Tangles (Leah Nelson), voices include Abbi Jacobson, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Bryan Cranston, and Seth Rogen | Sat., Oct. 17, 5:30 p.m. |
| Jim Queen (Nicolas Athané and Marco Nguyen), an adult comedy | Sat., Oct. 17, 8 p.m. |
| The Violinist (Ervin Han and Raúl García), this year’s Annecy Cristal winner | Sun., Oct. 18, noon |
| Iron Boy (Louis Clichy), LA premiere with Clichy in person | Sun., Oct. 18, 3 p.m. |
| VIVA CARMEN! (Sébastien Laudenbach) | Sun., Oct. 18, 5 p.m. |
| Cherry and Virgin (Masanao Kawajiri) | Sun., Oct. 18, 7:30 p.m. |
Iron Boy won the Un Certain Regard Special Jury Prize at Cannes and three awards at Annecy. Laudenbach’s last feature, Chicken for Linda!, won both the Grand Jury Prize and the Audience Award at Animation Is Film in 2023.
Special events
- Knights of Guinevere, Friday, October 16, 7 p.m. The opening night series presentation, with Dana Terrace in conversation. Sold out; see the rush line tip below.
- The Art of Cartoon Saloon: 25 Years and Wolfwalkers, Saturday, October 17, noon. A screening followed by a conversation with founders Tomm Moore, Nora Twomey, and Paul Young. Wolfwalkers was set to open the festival in 2020 before the pandemic paused it.
- Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender, Saturday, October 17, 4:30 p.m., followed by a conversation with director Lauren Montgomery.
- Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust, Saturday, October 17, 8:30 p.m. A new HD remaster of Yoshiaki Kawajiri’s 2000 cult classic.
Works in progress and industry
- Behind the Scenes: The Making of Disney’s Hexed, Saturday, October 17, noon.
- Work in Progress: Clara and the Below, Saturday, October 17, 1:30 p.m. The independent project from Amphibia creator Matt Braly and his studio Fantasy Project.
- Inside Animation, Sunday, October 18, 2 p.m. A panel with UTA on the business, representation, and opportunities for new voices. Free with RSVP.
Shorts
- Best of Annecy, with Women in Animation: Friday, October 16, 4 p.m.
- Short Films Program 01: Saturday, October 17, 3 p.m.
- Student Showcase: Sunday, October 18, noon
- Short Films Program 02: Sunday, October 18, 3:30 p.m. Includes Paper Trail from Don Hertzfeldt.
- New Voices in Animation: Sunday, October 18, 7:30 p.m.
Passes and tickets
Tickets are sold on animationisfilm.com and at the on-site box office. A single screening was listed at $20 plus a $2 fee on September 28. There are two ticket packages:
- The Fan Package, $90: a code good for six tickets to any screenings or events.
- The Cinephile Package, $150: a code good for ten tickets, which you can split with friends.
Package codes work for panels and other ticketed events too, and you can redeem them over time. But a package does not hold a seat. Once a screening sells out, codes cannot be used for it, so reserve early.
First-timer cheat sheet
- Sold out is not the end. The festival runs rush lines for every sold-out event and says the success rate has historically been very good.
- Check the rating. Every screening has a content guide: G for all audiences, PG for guardian guidance, 13+ for teens and adults, and R (18+) for adults only. Knights of Guinevere is 13+, and Jim Queen is billed as an adult comedy.
- Mind the subtitles. Some films screen in their original language with English subtitles. Iron Boy, for one, is in French.
- Eat nearby. Ovation Hollywood is full of restaurants for bites between screenings.
Getting there
The festival is at the TCL Chinese 6 Theatres inside Ovation Hollywood (formerly Hollywood and Highland), 6801 Hollywood Blvd. The festival notes it is steps from the Hollywood/Highland Metro station. Drivers can use the Ovation Hollywood underground garage, where validation is available for festival guests.
Accessibility
The festival has not posted accessibility details. For questions about seating or access, the box office is at (800) 210-0689 or support@SquadUP.com.
A little history
GKIDS launched Animation Is Film with Annecy and Variety to give the U.S. a world-class animation festival in Hollywood. The festival says it champions women filmmakers and artists from a wide range of backgrounds. Matt Kaszanek is the festival director.
Still to come
The festival’s dates run through Monday, October 19, but no Monday events are posted yet. Awards and any added screenings are still to come. The 824 Journal will update this guide when the festival announces them.
Sources
- Animation Is Film, official site and schedule
- Animation Is Film: Ticket packages
- Animation Is Film: FAQ
- Animation Is Film: Mission
- Cartoon Brew: Knights of Guinevere, Iron Boy, Tangles, Jim Queen headline 2026 Animation Is Film lineup (September 22, 2026)
Featured photo: Carol M. Highsmith via Wikimedia Commons, Public domain
