June Animation Preview: Toy Story, Annecy, The Amazing Digital Circus...this month is PACKED!!

June is shaping up to be maybe the biggest month in animation this year, thanks to a slate of exciting releases and a couple big festivals (including, of course, Annecy).

In Theaters

The month kicks of with an big indie bang: on June 4, the feature-length finale of The Amazing Digital Circus (subtitled The Last Act) hits theaters. There's been so much buzz about this release, with tons of showtimes selling out, new ones being added, fans being angry about who-knows what. I haven't caught the show yet, but I know it's a huge hit. The show is about a group of humans who are trapped in a circus-themed virtual world, where they are subjected to the whims of a wild AI. I might catch up and try to see this on the big screen -- TBD.

The Amazing Digital Circus: The Last Act

One of my favorite movies of the year so far is Another World, which GKIDS brings to theaters on June 5. The highest-grossing animated film in Hong Kong's history, this movie recalls the large scale fantasy of a Studio Ghibli epic, but is very much doing its own thing. The way the plot is structured is so clever, and the way it all clicks into place, super satisfying. It packs a tremendous emotional punch, too, which is always a big one for me.

The film follows Gudo, a squat afterlife guide, who decides to help a recently-arrived girl find her missing brother. Throughout the course of the film, you learn more about the workings of the eponymous Another World (the name for this afterlife space) and watch as Gudo goes above and beyond the call of duty to help this curious new friend. It's gorgeous, stunning, exciting. A definite highlight of the year -- you can read my review here.

Also on June 5, we've got the latest release from Viva Kids, The Last Whale Singer, which will also be popping up at Annecy later in the month. The film follows Vincent, a teenage humpback whale who is trying to live up to his late father's legacy as a whale singer, which is a sort of mystical protector of the sea role. Vincent hasn't yet found his song, so he's at a loss as how to protect his community from a dangerous threat: the massive Leviathan. This movie is a lot of fun (thanks in large part to a fantastic supporting cast of characters) and has a strong environmental message. 

June 5 (with a nationwide expansion on June 12) is also the release date for Jinsei, the feature debut of solo animator Ryuya Suzuki. The film follows a man's life over the course of a hundred years, during which he goes by different names and inhabits very different roles in society. The film has a cool, rough aesthetic to it (again: solo animator) that feels very punk. Unfortunately, I found it to be an extraordinarily dull affair, which is a wild thing to say about a movie that involves an ex-idol becoming a kind of sci-fi oracle. I seem to be in the minority on this one, so it's definitely worth seeing for yourself if it piques your interest. My full review will be up on June 1.

Jinsei

This year's edition of Studio Ghibli Fest, during which GKIDS re-releases numerous classics and underseen gems (and Tales from Earthsea), starts on June 13 with Ponyo, Miyazaki's classic spin on The Little Mermaid featuring the adorable ham-loving fish-girl. This is one of my absolute favorites from Studio Ghibli, and a perfect movie for a hot summer afternoon.

I had thought The Super Mario Galaxy Movie might end up being the year's biggest animated hit, and while it certainly broke the box office, I now feel pretty strongly that Pixar's Toy Story 5, which hits the big screen on June 18, is going to take that crown. Much has been made about the refusal to let this franchise lie -- Toy Story 3 was a perfect capper to the series, but I thought Toy Story 4 served as a thoughtful and lovely coda. Even Lightyear was a lot of fun for what it was (that one's existence still baffles me a bit).

But here we are again, trotting out the gang for another adventure. I'm keeping an open mind, because every Toy Story is good, and I have to hope that this one continues in that tradition. This time around, the threat to the toys is the advent of tech, particularly the Lilypad educational tablet that is now monopolizing Bonnie's playtime. It feels like a pretty simple premise, but knowing Toy Story, I have to imagine there will be a clever spin on the material, and hopefully I end up crying by the end, as I'm wont to do with these joints. (Fun fact: I saw Toy Story 3 six times in theaters during its opening week.)

Toy Story 5

I'm not familiar with the anime Bleach, but it's coming to the big screen with Bleach: Thousand Year Blood War -- The Calamity on June 25. This is a package containing the first three episodes of the new season of this series, which itself is a sequel series to the original? This is probably the rare animated theatrical release I'm going to skip, since it seems like an impossible place to jump in, but for fans of the show, it'll be cool to catch on the big screen.

One of my most anticipated movies of the year is Bouchra, about a queer mid-30s canid woman living in New York City. She's a journey of self-discovery as she sets out to make an autobiographical film, which leads to her seeking to reconnect with her mother, who lives in Morocco. The film looks to be a complex, metafictional work that explores queerness in a rich and unique way, which sounds like it is extremely up my alley. It comes to theaters on June 26. 

Bouchra

Streaming

On June 1, Milky☆Subway: The Galactic Limited Express – the Movie (yes, the star is part of the title) hits Netflix. It's a 46-minute film that covers the events of the original anime, in which six delinquents are assigned to clean a train that suddenly takes off. Per the Netflix description, "chaos ensues." I thought the short runtime was crazy to cover 12 episodes of story, but then realized the original episodes are all like five minutes or less. So this might actually offer more bang for your buck. I'm excited to check it out!

Milky☆Subway: The Galactic Limited Express – the Movie

My favorite movie of the year so far, Hoppers, makes its Disney+ debut on June 3. I saw this movie twice in theaters (which I very rarely do these days -- too much to see), and I'm excited to watch it again at home! It's such a wild, fun, and big-hearted movie, and -- in my humble opinion -- one of Pixar's finest hours. You can read my review here.

I Am Frankelda, the first-ever independently made stop-motion movie from Mexico, comes to Netflix on June 12. The film follows a writer who has to travel into her subconscious to try to rein in her own creations. The film is exquisitely detailed, with particularly impressive puppets and sets. Sadly, when I saw the film last year through Fantasia, I found it to be extremely clunky (you can find my review here). I desperately wanted to love this movie, but it proved a bit frustrating for me. However, I think this is another one I'll be in the minority on, and regardless of my mixed feelings, I think it's certainly worth a watch. 

I Am Frankelda

Festivals

The 2026 Children's International Film Festival (CHIFF) starts on June 6 in Melbourne and Sydney. The festival includes the Australian premieres of great movies like Stitch Head, My Life in Versailles, and Little Amélie or the Character of Rain. There are more than 30 movies showing overall, and I'll have reviews of a couple of them up to coincide with their appearances at the fest, so look forward to that.

Stitch Head

June is, of course, also the month for the biggest animation festival of the year: Annecy. This year's edition unfolds June 21 - 27 in the picturesque French city. Someday, I really hope to attend in person, but I'll hopefully be able to file some reviews from afar. Films playing in competition include a couple movies I've reviewed here previously (Decorado and Nobody), some films fresh off of Cannes premieres (including In Waves and Iron Boy), and films making their debut at the festival (such as The Sunrise File and Tana).

Elsewhere, there's a wide range of films of all shapes and sizes, including Minions & Monsters as the fest's opening film, and already-reviewed-here Blaise and Spacetime Chronicles playing in the Contrechamp section. The lineup is massive and so exciting, and I'm deeply jealous of everyone who will be there in person.

Minions & Monsters