We are on the verge of the 2026 Fantasia International Film Festival happening. For its big thirtieth anniversary, Fantasia is the biggest it has ever been, with over 125 feature films and over 200 short films for cinema lovers to peruse and enjoy. To say that the festival is ascribing to the ‘go big or go home‘ sensibility would be an understatement here. And if you’re anything like me, when you’re given all the things to try to watch, you’re likely to get super overwhelmed trying to narrow down your list.
For fans of all things animated, Fantasia offers a range of short films and features to satisfy audiences of all ages. Every year, different animation styles get their day in the sun at the Fantasia Film Festival, and this year is no exception. With selections from all over the world, it’s now clearer than ever (in case there was any disillusionment here) that animation is a global art.
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For the purpose of this list, we honed in on feature-length animated films. However, if you want to see which animated short films will be playing at the 2026 Fantasia International Film Festival, check the listings here.
The 5 Animated Films to Check Out at Fantasia Film Festival
Blaise
Directed by Dimitri Planchon and Jean-Paul Guigue, Blaise is an adaptation of Guigue’s comic strip series centering around the Sauvage family. Blaise (Timéo) is the sixteen-year-old son of Carole (Léa Drucker) and Jacques (Jacques Gamblin), and frankly, all three are struggling. Carole can’t escape the all-too-relatable feeling of no one liking her, whilst Jacques can’t help but feel like no one is taking him seriously.
In the case of the titular Blaise, he is silent, detached, and doesn’t quite have a defined personality, making it all too easy for him to agree to anything and everything. Stuck in their self-destructive patterns, it doesn’t seem like anything will change, that is, until Blaise meets Josephine (Nina Blanc-Francard), and little by little, the world starts to look brighter.
With comedy best described as cringe and a distinct photomontage style creating fun visuals, Blaise is definitely one to add if you need both a good laugh and a belief in better things to come. At least, for a little while. Just try not to slowly sink into your seat with embarrassment as you watch the Sauvage family try to make their way through life.
Cherry and Virgin
After his short film A Japanese Boy Who Draws screened at the Fantasia Film Festival back in 2019, Masanao Kawajiri is back with the world premiere of his feature film debut, Cherry and Virgin. This romantic dramedy brings two not-so-surprisingly awkward artists together in what, on paper, sounds like the beginning of a lovely romance that is sure to warm even the most cynical of hearts. Thanks to the power of a dating app, will the two be able to rid themselves of their virgin status? I’m personally curious to see how their dating escapade pans out.
What makes Cherry and Virgin fascinating is how Masanao Kawajiri draws his protagonists in the style they draw in. Not only does this create a striking visual contrast onscreen, but it also presents an insane technical challenge for the animator. Not just in terms of execution, but assimilating all these styles in a way that doesn’t detract from everything else going on. Based on what has been released so far, Cherry and Virgin looks like it’s going to live up to every bar Kawajiri has set for himself.
GROTESQQQUE
Making its world premiere at the 2026 Fantasia Film Festival, GROTESQQQUE is the latest from Atsushi Nishigori and Japanese Animation Studio, CloverWorks (Spy x Family), and it boasts an astoundingly poppy, colorful tableau and a certain level of manic energy that just hits all the right places.
In terms of its premise, it’s a bit of a surprise. Consisting of three episodes, each episode focuses on either an alien, gyaru (gal), or vampire in some capacity, paving the way for some unexpected moments that no one going in may expect. Even more surprising is how essential music is to GROTESQQQUE, with a whopping 35 artists contributing to the score, spanning a wide range of musical genres.
As a celebration of art in all of its facets beyond the scope of its animated story, GROTESQQQUE is the wild card to add to your viewing list.
Jim Queen
The premise of Jim Queen (also known as Jim Queen and the Quest for Chloroqueer) alone is enough of a draw. A new STI is hitting the gay club scene, and if the sheer horror of contracting an STI wasn’t enough, it only seems to impact gay men, AND it turns them straight. Le gasp! For Jim Parfait (Alex Ramirès), who is adored by many in the Parisian LGBTQIA+ community for his physique, this is a fate worse than death.
As the first feature film out of animation studio Bobbypills, Jim Queen boasts incredible characterization and a colorful palette that complement the bold and beautiful community it represents onscreen.
Despite its animation style, this film is certainly not for kids. But once they are old enough, i.e., grown adults, how Jim Queen aims to dissect the standards upheld within the community regarding body image, masculinity, and the like will give plenty of food for thought amid all the general fabulousness.
A New Dawn
The premise of A New Dawn leans into its title. Siblings Sentaro and Keitaro Obinata are seeing their family’s legacy, their firework factory, closed to make way for new changes to their seaside town. Keitaro refuses to budge, prompting Sentaro to enlist the help of their childhood friend, Kaoru, to try to convince his sibling to leave. Of course, there wouldn’t be any conflict without some resistance, and in Keitaro’s case, he has other ideas about what should happen next.
Call it nostalgia, but the animation and art style of A New Dawn just take a person back. Making his feature film debut, Yoshitoshi Shinomiya brings his background in traditional painting to good use in what is sure to be an animation classic one day.
The Fantasia International Film Festival will celebrate its upcoming 30th edition with an electrifying program of screenings, workshops, and events running from July 16 through August 2, 2026, returning to the Concordia Hall and J.A. de Sève cinemas, with additional screenings and events at Montréal’s Cinéma du Musée. If you’re an animation fan and want something long-form to watch at Fantasia this year, this list should get you started!
