August Animation Preview: A Paradise Lost, Diane Warren (in Slovakia/outer space), and so much more!

After a somewhat quiet July (thank goodness I had some Fantasia titles to cover), August picks up the pace on the animation front. I don't think I've ever had so many movies to cover in one of these previews. Paw Patrol's prehistoric return is the only movie on the Hollywood studio front, which means hopefully all these smaller films will get a chance to grab some eyeballs and get more attention than they might in the shadow of a Toy Story or Minions movie.

In Theaters

A movie I reviewed and loved last year, A Paradise Lost, is getting an Oscar-qualifying theatrical release on August 3. Laurie Sumiye has made a magnificent documentary that is so generous in its storytelling. It feels like she really thought about how best to tell each part of this story, handling various parts with novel approaches (including, yes, animation). The film documents the plight of the palila, a beautiful little bird that lives in a very specific region of Hawaii. There was a court case in the late seventies to help save the endangered species, but it still exists on the brink of extinction today, with only about 200 palila remaining. I'm hoping that after its theatrical run, the film will follow with a digital release so even more people can watch this wonderful, deeply moving documentary.

A Paradise Lost

Years ago, through some festival or another, I saw a great little indie movie called The Weird Kidz. It's about a trio of teen boys who go camping with an older brother and his girlfriend out in the desert, where they encounter a strange creature and stranger people. It has a fantastic shaggy charm to it, a bit South Park-adjacent but with more heart. Rather than getting a full-blown theatrical roll-out, it's going the road show route starting on August 6. You can see the full schedule and snag tickets on the film's site.

The Weird Kidz

I think it's worth mentioning The Crystal Planet on this post, even though it doesn't have a US release date. It starts its theatrical rollout in Slovakia and Czechia on August 13. Why bring it up? Because it has a song penned by Diane Warren, meaning there's a good chance it could end up as an Oscar nominee if it makes its way to our shores this year. The film is a sci-fi adventure about two kids who are trying to protect an adorable little bear-like creature from an evil factory that wants to turn it into a robot. The voice cast includes some big names, including Jeremy Irons and Vanessa Redgrave. It's a fun movie that has some surprisingly deep themes -- I'll have my review up after it opens overseas.

All Wishes Come True! comes to the US on August 14 as part of its strong worldwide rollout this summer. The film reimagines the classic Chinese folktale The Eight Immortals Crossing the Sea through a comedic lends, showing how a group of mortals are able to outsmart the gods. I imagine its theater count will be pretty limited, but here's to hoping it opens somewhat close-ish to me. 

All Wishes Come True!

Also on August 14, the much-anticipated (by children and me) Paw Patrol: The Dino Movie makes its theatrical debut. I have had such a blast seeing the other two big-screen adaptations of the show. They're super cute, energetic, and fun. And this one looks like it very well could be the best one yet, as our furry heroes get blown off-course and end up on an island that is teeming with dinosaurs. They meet a cute dinosaur friend and (obviously) have to face off with Mayor Humdinger, whose mining operation causes a volcanic eruption. I'm so ready to howl in that theater!!

Paw Patrol: The Dino Movie

Crunchyroll, as part of its Crunchyroll Anime Nights programming series, is bringing Your Letter to theaters in the US for one night only, August 17. I've been looking forward to this one for a while (it premiered at the Ottawa International Animation Festival back in 2024), so I was delighted to finally see it get a date. The film follows a girl who transfers to a new school, where she finds an anonymous letter in her desk. This leads her on a scavenger hunt to find more letters, a journey which brings friendship and healing for the formerly-bullied student. It sounds really sweet, and I can't wait to see it.

It's hard to believe I'm actually writing this, but Coyote vs. Acme is coming to theaters on August 28. The much-anticipated film became a symbol of Warner Bros.' frustrating leadership and the industry's wider lack of respect for animation. It was unceremoniously shelved, but thankfully Ketchup Entertainment stepped in to save the day (they're also the ones who released the fantastic Daffy/Porky movie The Day the Earth Blew Up). 

Coyote vs. Acme

Coyote vs. Acme is a live-action/animation hybrid starring the iconic Wile E. Coyote, who is taking Acme to court over all of its faulty products that have failed him in his endless pursuit of the Road Runner. It's such a good premise, and should give Will Forte, who plays Wile E.'s lawyer, a lot to play with. I hope everyone who has so vocally supported this movie online turns out to the theater to show Warner Bros. what a mistake they made in their handling of this movie.

Another movie I feel like I've been waiting forever to see (though it only debuted in Japanese theaters last October) is The Last Blossom, which GKIDS brings to theaters on August 30. The film follows a former yakuza who is on his deathbed in prison. He reminisces about his life, the choices he made, the relationships he left behind, all while talking to his only companion in his cell: a flower growing in a can. I won't be surprised if this one has me crying by the end.

The Last Blossom

Re-Releases

August has a trio of Ghibli Fest releases from GKIDS: Tales of Earthsea (Ghibli's worst movie, in my opinion) starts on August 8, the lovely Takahata-helmed Only Yesterday rolls out on August 9, and one of Miyazaki's early masterpieces Castle in the Sky hits the big screen starting August 22. Check your local theaters for times and to see which days/showings are dubbed vs. subbed. 

Only Yesteday

Makoto Shinkai's modern classic Your Name is somehow already celebrating its tenth anniversary, and to mark the occasion, GKIDS is releasing a 4K remaster of the film in theaters on August 14. The film follows a girl who lives in the countryside and a boy who lives in the city who wake up one day having swapped bodies. They have to navigate their new lives, figure out what's going on, and try to figure out how to swap back. It's an iconic movie, one of Shinkai's best works, and absolutely deserves to be seen on the big screen.

Janus is bringing a new 4K restoration of Gandahar to theaters on August 21 in New York, and nationwide on August 28. The film is based on a 1969 novel by Jean-Pierre Andrevon, and is the final film of Fantastic Planet director René Laloux, who passed away in 2004. The film follows an inexperienced warrior who sets out on a quest to save his people from an army of automata that are turning them to stone. This movie looks so cool, and I'm hoping I can catch it on the big screen.

Gandahar

At Home

On August 6, Miss Moxy makes its way to the US! Angel Studios is bringing the film here, and it'll debut on their streaming platform. It's cool to see Angel continuing to branch out a bit beyond faith-based releases, like they did with Animal Farm earlier this year. Miss Moxy is one of my most pleasant surprises this year, a movie that looked like it would be cute but forgettable, but ended up being so much fun. It follows a cat who gets lost during a family holiday, who must then team up with a dog and a bird to find her way home. It's zany, full of memorable characters, and super cute. You can read my review here.

August 7 brings us a new hour-long special on PBS called The Day You Begin, which is adapted from Jacqueline Woodson's bestselling book of the same name. The special follows four kids who are going through their first day of school. They don't all necessarily fit in, but over the course of the day, they learn that everyone has a story to share (including, presumably, themselves). It sounds like a sweet message that kids today will certainly benefit from hearing. 

The Day You Begin

Netflix has been a little quiet on the animation front so far this year (though they have some heavy hitters yet to come), but they're back in the game this month with The Ribbon Hero, which hits the service on August 8 (and will also be playing in theaters in some markets). Based on the 1953 manga Princess Knight, the film follows the princess of a fallen kingdom who is determined to protect her new home from succumbing to a similar fate. This is the feature directorial debut from Yūki Igarashi, who has previously worked on projects like Miss Hokusai, Star Wars: Visions, and last year's electrifying Virgin Punk: Clockwork Girl.

The Ribbon Hero

Well Go USA brings their latest animated release, The Kung Fu Kid, to digital on August 11. The film follows a boy from a village who travels to Shanghai to enter a fighting tournament. He's doing kung fu, while his competitors employ a swathe of techniques from around the globe. Of course, our hero has a lot of pressure to succeed, hoping to use his winnings to pay off his father's medical depths. I'm gonna bet that he succeeds!

On August 21, a documentary called The Donn of Tiki hits digital platforms. The film tells the (unverifiable) story of Don the Beachcomber, a cocktail innovator whose bar helped spark the widespread popularity of tiki bars. It uses a blend of live-action, stock footage, stop-motion animation in the style of Rankin-Bass, and traditional hand-drawn animation to tell the wild story. 

The Donn of Tiki

A legendary Batman story is coming to the screen in a new trilogy of movies. The first part, aptly titled Batman: Knightfall - Part 1: Knightfall debuts digitally on August 25 ahead of a Blu-ray release in September. I haven't read this arc before (I probably should, eh?), but it sounds great. The story involves Bruce Wayne becoming crippled following an encounter with Bane. The Batman mantle is taken up by an apprentice named Azrael, whose violent approach to his vigilante work tarnishes Batman's reputation. DC has released some really great multi-part movies over the past few years (the Watchmen movies were particularly great), so I'm excited to see how this turns out, and curious when the other parts will release.

On August 27, Netflix will start streaming Gintama: The Movie 2026: Yoshiwara in Flames, which is a compilation film covering a stretch of seven episodes from the show. Gintama takes place in an alternate version of Edo-era Japan, in which samurai must contend with an alien invasion. I haven't seen it myself, but maybe I'll try jumping into this to see how I vibe with it.

Festivals

We're about to get into the thick of festival season, though a lot of the bigger fests (like Telluride, Venice, Toronto, AFI FEST) don't necessarily have a huge animation presence. Still worth keeping an eye out for their lineups, as they'll each likely have a few to offer.

I want to mention that the 79th Locarno International Film Festival takes place August 5 - 16. I'll be reviewing Mu-Ki-Ra out of the fest, which I'm excited to talk about.

Mu-Ki-Ra, showing at Locarno

I will once again be covering Hollyshorts this year, which returns to the Chinese Theatre in Hollywood for its 22nd edition August 13 - 23. This is one of the biggest (if not the biggest) shorts-specific festivals in the world, and the lineup is always huge and diverse. If you're here in LA, you can attend screenings in person. There's also a remote pass you can purchase to access the majority of the lineup online. I'll be popping in with roundups of various groups of animated shorts throughout the festival.