WBPA President Bill Damaschke Hails New Theatrical Chapter As Animation Division Debuts Daffy Season & Dives Into…

Warner Bros. Pictures Animation President Bill Damaschke heralded a new era for the studio’s animated feature arm at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival on Monday.

“We’ve been looking forward to this for a long time because 2026 marks the beginning of a new chapter for us. This November, we take a big step forward with the release of our first animated feature film, The Cat in the Hat,” he told the audience in Annecy’s 1,400-capacity Bonlieu Theatre.

“Three years ago, our team numbered roughly 30 people. Today, our core creative organisation in Burbank is more than 250 artists and filmmakers,” he added.

“We also work across 13 countries and together with our partners around the world, we’ve grown into a global creative community of more than 1200 artists, filmmakers and storytellers, all united by shared belief. Animation is at its best when it’s constantly evolving.”

The presentation gave updates and sneak peeks into seven features being lined-up by WBPA for theatrical spanning: The Cat In The Hat; Bad Fairies, Margie Claus;  Oh, The Places You’ll Go!; The Lunar Chronicle and Dynamic Duo and the freshly announced Prehistoria with Vivienne Medrano.

Former DreamWorks Chief Creative Officer and Skydance Animation President Damaschke recounted how his involvement on the theatrical reboot had started a little over three years ago, when he got a call from Warner Bros Pictures co-chairs and co-CEOs Michael De Luca and Pam Abdy.

“They asked if I’d be interested in helping to rebuild theatrical animation at the studio,” he recounted”We had a lot of conversations about what the studio could be and really shared a vision for what we wanted to create. We wanted to have a studio driven by filmmakers, powered by artists and free of any house style.

“A place where every film could have its own voice, its own visual language, its own creative DNA, yet connected by what I call the three Hs of heart, humor and hope. A studio that would celebrate the iconic characters but also take big swings and tell original stories and create new characters and stories for audiences of the future,” he said.

He noted the aim was also to remain true to the spirit of the legendary early Warner Bros. animators and voices including Chuck Jones, Mel Blanc, Maurice Noble and June Foray among others.

“They worked out of a small rundown bungalow on the lot, so famously infested that it was known as Termite Terrace, and from that humble beginning came Porky Pig, Daffy Duck and some of the most enduring characters in the entertainment history. At our studio now in Burbank, our patio is affectionately called Termite Terrace,” said Damaschke.

In a nod to Looney Tunes, which the exec described as “the soul” of the studio, the presentation world premiered Looney Tunes theatrical short Daffy Season from directors Todd Wilderman and Hamish Grieve.

Tapping into the sporting zeitgeist, the slapstick animation, sees Daffy Duck confounded when Elmer Fudd fails to turn up for duck hunting season. Further investigation reveals the seasoned hunter glued to his TV set watching “European soccer” much to Daffy’s disgust.

“Bringing the Looney Tunes back into the theatres reflects a core belief at Warner Bros Pictures Animation, great characters, comedy and craft deserve the big screen… Daffy Season marks the beginning of a new theatrical chapter for the Looney Tunes and our continued commitment to these iconic characters,” said producer Susan Slagle Rogers as she introduced the short.

In deep dives into the feature slate, Jon M. Chu and Jill Culton unveiled fresh details on musical animation Oh, The Places You’ll Go! featuring Ariane Grande and Josh Gad in the voice cast.

Adapted from the final 1990 book by Dr. Seuss, the film also plays paying tribute to the artistry of the man behind the pen name, Theodor Geisel.

“It was his farewell and his message to future generations,” said Culton in a pre-recorded video segment. “The Seuss Foundation introduced us to this book called ‘The Secret Art Of Dr. Seuss’. He was a painter and a sculptor and his beautiful paintings, all of that just made us say this is what our movie should feel and look like.”

Among those making their way to Annecy to join the WBPA presentation were Lunar Chronicles director Noëlle Raffaele and producer Christina Steinberg.

Adapted from Marissa Meyer’s short story collection transposing fairytale characters such as Cinderella and Rapunzel to a futuristic world, it is one of two animated features being produced under a first-look deal between WBPAnimation and Locksmith Animation alongside Bad Fairies.

Raffaele gave a deep dive into the trajectory of Lunar Chronicles protagonist Lynn Cinder (Cinderella), an orphan and underdog who makes her living as a mechanic, hiding the fact that she is a cyborg and 36.28% not human.

“Though her secret allows for amazing skills, it also means that no one can truly know her. Because in this world, cyborgs are illegal. That’s why Cinder hides behind her work,” said Raffaele.

The director ran through another half dozen characters and their storyline but added the production was still two and a half years out from completion.

“There’s still lots to do and so much more to come,” she said.

A segment for Bad Fairies, about a gang of reprobate fairies, revealed that Serrana Su-Ling Bliss, James Acaster and Dee Bradley Baker have joined Cynthia Erivo and Ncuti Gatwa in the voice cast of animated the musical movie.

Megan Nicole Dong and co-director Olivier Staphylas also confirmed the May 21, 2027 release date for the film.

Rising UK actress Su-Ling Bliss, best known for her performance as Bessie Chapman in Enola Holmes 2, with credits also including Kenneth Branagh’s Oscar-winning Belfast, and Roald Dahl’s Matilda the Musical, will play the character of Fei, a socially awkward youngster who retreats into her belief of fairies.

In a sign of WBPA’s move to embrace all types of animation, Damaschke also announced the division was partnering with Hazbin Hotel and Helluva Boss animator and creator Vivienne Medrano on her first feature, an original animated musical feature entitled Prehistoria. There were no other details other than the title and the release of pink dragon-like creature.

“We’re proud to announce Vivienne is going to create something very special for the big screen for Warner Brothers. Her first feature film, Prehistoria,” he said. “Our partnerships span continents, cultures and creative disciplines.”

For the penultimate sneak peek, Arthur Mintz and Theresa Andersson at Swaybox went behind the scenes of upcoming teen drama Dynamic Duo, devoted the to DC characters Dick Grayson and Jason Todd.

“The story is being done in a brand-new medium no one has seen before, with large scale puppets. I think that’s what’s going to make this project just so unbelievably exciting,” explained Mintz.

“It’s also an exciting entry into the world of Batman. From a teenager point of view, it’s a coming-of-age story. Following these best friends, 15-year-old street thieves Dick Grayson and Jason Todd before we see them turn into the characters that we know they become, Robin and Red Hood.”

The presentation concludes with a preview of the first 15-minutes of The Cat In The Hat, which will kick-off WBPA’s theatrical push later this year.

The new iteration sees The Cat in the Hat, voiced by Bill Hader, fighting for his job as a professional mischief-maker brought in to cheer up lackluster children after his wild antics go to far. With his job on the line, he is handed over the dossier for two particularly hard hit children.