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In the ‘90s golden era of animation, Dexter’s Laboratory surfaced as a far-reaching force: quirky, smart, and different from anything viewers had seen before. But behind the cartoon’ futuristic setting and sibling anarchy lies a much daintier, almost poetic origin story. Genndy Tartakovsky, the maker of the show, did not begin this journey with a boy genius and secrets devices.

In fact, the first spark for the show came from a completely different muse: a ballerina. Brainstorming ideas as a film student, Tartakovsky casually sketched up a lanky girl mid-dance. Little did he know that an unplanned doodle would one day evolve into Dee Dee, and eventually, one of Cartoon Network’s most legendary duos. What started as a mindless doodle of a whimsical ballerina ultimately redefined the direction of modern animation in the cartoon industry.

Ironically, Dee Dee paved the way for Dexter’s Laboratory

The creator of...

Dexter’s Laboratory creator Genndy Tartakovsky says his singlehood while working on the animated series was partly responsible for its success. Speaking in an interview, the ace animator shared his unorthodox point of view regarding relationships, as he implied that the show was successful because they were all single.

Almost three decades after the first episode of Dexter’s Laboratory aired on Cartoon Network, Tartakovsky shared the reason for the show’s success. The animated series narrated the story of a young science prodigy, Dexter, who did several science experiments in his laboratory. However, his experiments received challenges equally from his sister, Dee Dee, and his rival, Mandark.

While the storyline was intriguing enough to ensure Dexter’s Laboratory’s success, the 55-year-old Russian origin creator hints at something else. According to Tartakovsky, it was his and his team members’ marital status that played an important role.

Genndy Tartakovsky gives unorthodox reasons behind...

The Star Wars franchise has had a better track record in animation, especially as its big-screen installments received increasingly more criticism. The Tales series is quickly becoming the flagbearer of the franchise’s limitless potential in the medium, and Tales of the Underworld is another glowing addition to the lineup.

The third season of the series, which originally started as Tales of the Jedi, tells the stories of the bounty hunters and criminals active in the underworld during the Empire’s tyrannical reign over the galaxy far, far away. Fans of the franchise are in love with the show’s improved quality in the latest installment, and here is why it might just be what the Star Wars universe needs right now.

Star Wars fans cannot stop raving about Tales of the Underworld

Star Wars received an anniversary present when Tales of the Underworld, the third installment of the animated anthology series,...

Spanning 11 live-action feature films and six live-action TV shows (and counting), the “Star Wars” universe is ever-expanding. And starting with the very first installment, filmmaker George Lucas made clear to audiences that he was telling a saga out of order. The title “Episode IV: A New Hope” underlined there was both a past and a future beyond the 1977 film, and indeed this saga has moved forward and backward in time throughout its history, telling a number of different kinds of stories in a galaxy far, far away.

To that end, whether you’re new to the franchise or hold it dear as a favorite film series, you may be looking for a way to watch all the “Star Wars” movies in order. From young Anakin Skywalker to Rey Palpatine, we’ve got the full story in order below.

But not just that – we also weave in how to watch the “Star Wars” shows in order,...

When the “Tales” mini-series started to air every May the 4th, they felt like a gimmick to give the Lucasfilm Animation team a chance to revisit their favorite characters. In the years since, several of these shows have popped up, but with each year, Lucasfilm and the animation team push the boundaries of what is possible within their aesthetic and storytelling choices. With Star Wars: Tales of the Underworld, they may have cracked the code for the best kinds of stories, with two of the best Dave Filoni-era characters the galaxy has ever seen. With two more phenomenal stories for Asajj Ventress and Cad Bane, Star Wars: Tales of the Underworld represents a new high watermark for the animated mini-series.

Related: Star Wars: Tales of the Empire Review: 6 Episodes of Brilliant Animation But Lackluster Stories Star Wars: Tales of the Underworld — The Plot

Two of the best characters from...

Genndy Tartakovsky is a legend of the animation medium, having created some of the most popular Cartoon Network shows. During the early 2000s, Tartakovsky was fresh off the success of Samurai Jack when he was tapped to helm an animated series set in the Star Wars universe and focusing on the Clone Wars event.

The proposed animated series was created to explore the titular conflict in the space opera saga’s prequel trilogy. However, in an interview, Tartakovsky revealed the real reason he secured the gig. The animator explained how the franchise’s declining sales in one department were the reason for the animated show’s creation, and here is what Tartakovsky said.

Genndy Tartakovsky revealed he was offered Clone Wars to boost Star Wars sales

Before the beloved Dave Filoni version of The Clone Wars, filmmaker George Lucas sought to explore the titular conflict in a 2D animated series.

Ted Sarandos recently stated that “Netflix is saving Hollywood” and that theaters are “an outmoded idea” for audiences. As the big summer movie season begins for cinemas, which will feature future releases like The Fantastic Four: First Steps, Jurassic World Rebirth and Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning, Netflix is now running down their offerings for the summer movie season that will include Happy Gilmore 2, The Thursday Murder Club and The Old Guard 2.

May 9 Nonnas

After the loss of his mother, a man risks everything to honor her by opening an Italian restaurant with a group of local grandmothers as the chefs.

Director: Stephen Chbosky

Cast: Vince Vaughn, Susan Sarandon, Lorraine Bracco, Talia Shire, Brenda Vaccaro, Linda Cardellini, Drea de Matteo, Joe Manganiello, Michael Rispoli, Campbell Scott

May 23 Fear Street: Prom Queen

Welcome back to Shadyside High. In this installment of the blood-soaked Fear Street franchise, prom season is underway,...

It is undeniable that "Star Wars" is in a vastly different place than it was 15 or even just 10 years ago. Ever since George Lucas sold Lucasfilm to Disney in 2012, the franchise has expanded rapidly, with not just a new trilogy but also standalone feature films in-between the saga episodes and, more recently, several live-action TV shows and cartoon series -- plus a final season of "The Clone Wars" and a whole lot of announced "Star Wars" projects that have yet to see the light of day.

Though some of these titles have been wildly successful, be it commercially like "The Force Awakens" or critically like "Andor," there's no denying the franchise is far from cohesive. Not just in terms of the wildly different levels of quality of the projects made in the last decade but also the differences in tone, approach, and even the genre of these "Star Wars" titles.

The Annecy International Animation Film Festival (June 8-14), the world’s oldest and most prestigious animation festival, announced this year’s lineup, both in and out of competition, American studio presentations, special celebrations (including a tribute to Hungarian animation), and honorary awards.

This year’s highlights include Sylvain Chomet’s highly-anticipated 2D Marcel Pagnol biopic, “A Magnificent Life,” which will be a part of the official competition and released domestically this year through Sony Pictures Classics; sneaks of Andy Serkis’ “Animal Farm” and Genndy Tartakovsky’s R-rated, 2D “Fixed” (streaming on Netflix); and special previews of Disney’s “Zootopia 2,” Pixar’s “Elio,” DreamWorks’ “The Bad Guys 2,” Sony Picture Animation’s “Goat,” Paramount Animation’s “The SpongeBob Movie: Search for Squarepants,” and Netflix’s “In Your Dreams.”

Meanwhile, Annecy 2025 introduces a new short film program, Midnight Shorts, and launches the Annecy Dome, a new 32-seat venue for immersive works.

Each year, the Annecy International Animation Film Festival gives a preview of what will undoubtedly become the most acclaimed and popular animated titles in the year to come. Last year, the festival premiered Flow, which would go on to win the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature FIlm, along with another future Oscar nominee, Memoir of a Snail. They also featured a variety of what would become big Netflix titles, such as The Imaginary, Blue Eye Samurai, Pokémon Concierge, and Twilight of the Gods. This year, Netflix is returning to Annecy with a bold, genre-spanning line-up of films, series, and special events, including what may be the crown jewel of them all, an animated series from the Stranger Things universe, created by the Duffer brothers themselves.

The animated series was announced two years ago but now has the official title of Stranger Things: Tales From '85, and a release date of,...

After releasing stand-out animations like Nimona, Ultraman Rising, Spellbound, and Wallace & Gromit: A Vengeance Most Fowl, Netflix is ready to take this year’s Annecy International Animation Festival by storm with exciting new releases planned for 2025 and beyond. Netflix Animation returns to the Théâtre Bonlieu on Wednesday, June 11, for the fest, with exclusive previews for the animated fantasy adventure In Your Dreams and Stranger Things: Tales From ’85.

Executive producer Eric Robles will present a world-exclusive first look at the Stranger Things: Tales From ’85 series, while director Alex Woo, production designer Steven Pilcher, and VFX supervisor Nicola Lavender will debut never-before-seen footage from their upcoming film In Your Dreams during a special panel. Additionally, Netflix will bring Genndy Tartakovsky’s Fixed to the Annecy stage for its world premiere on Wednesday, June 11.

Other must-see events include A masterclass with Raphael Bob-Waksberg, the creator of BoJack Horseman, which follows on Thursday, June...

Netflix will debut a world exclusive first-look at “Stranger Things: Tales From ’85” at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival in June.

The new animated series – set in the “Stranger Things” universe – will be presented by executive producer Eric Robles during the “Next on Netflix Animation” showcase on June 11.

“Your Saturday morning cartoons are getting turned upside down,” teased the organizers.

It won’t be the only title getting the spotlight, however, with director Alex Woo, production designer Steven Pilcher and VFX supervisor Nicola Lavender presenting never-before-seen footage from upcoming film “In Your Dreams,” handled by Kuku Studios.

Set for fall release, “In Your Dreams” is a comedy adventure that follows Stevie and her brother Elliot as they journey into the absurd landscape of their own dreams. “If the siblings can withstand a snarky stuffed giraffe, zombie breakfast foods and the queen of nightmares, the Sandman will grant them their ultimate...

The Annecy International Animation Festival has unveiled the line-up for its 2025 edition, running from June 8 to 14. (scroll down for full list of Official Selection titles)

Having previously announced Michel Gondry as an honorary guest, the festival will also celebrate UK Oscar nominee Joanna Quinn (Affairs of the Art) and The Simpsons creator Matt Groening with honorary Cristal awards.

Twenty-one feature films will be showcased in the festival’s Main Competition and Contrechamp Competition, selected from 130 submissions.

Main competition titles include Sylvain Chomet’s Marcel Pagnol tribute A Magnificent Life as well as Félix Dufour-Laperrière’s Death Does Not Exist, and Dandelion’s Odyssey by Momoko Seto, and Ugo Bienvenu’s Arco.

In a break with tradition, the opening night will world premiere a selection of five shorts rather than a single feature animation.

“After a historic 2024 edition, with a record attendance of 17,400 badge-holders, and all this despite a difficult context for the industry,...

Warner Bros. Animation will unveil upcoming series “Get Jiro” and “Bat-Fam” at France’s Annecy Intl. Animation Film Festival during its Behind-the-Scenes panels.

In further news, Hanna-Barbera Studios Europe will also present this year’s official Annecy Festival trailer, overseen by executive producer Ben Bocquelet and director Grant Orchard. Directed by Grant Orchard with Ben Bocquelet as executive producer, it features Bugs Bunny and other Warner Bros. iconic characters making their way to the festival.

“Get Jiro” is based on the New York Times bestselling DC/Vertigo graphic novel and set in a not-too-distant future Los Angeles, where master chefs rule the town and “people literally kill for a seat at the best restaurants. A mysterious sushi master named Jiro enters a bloody culinary war to craft his recipe for revenge,” promised the team.

“Bat-Fam” will follow the events of “Merry Little Batman,” and Batman, Alfred and young Damian...

Annecy, the world’s leading animation film festival, unveiled its official program on Wednesday, with a line-up that includes features from some 20 countries across Europe, Asia and the Americas and a range of styles, from the big-budget 3D computer animated feature Into the Mortal World from Chinese director Zhong Ding; to the hand-drawn title Balentes by Italian filmmaker Giovanni Columbu, and the digital cut out animation of Mexican filmmaker Aria Covamonas: The Great History of Western Philosophy.

Covamonas’ debut premiered at the Rotterdam festival, and Annecy’s 2025 lineup features a best-of selection of recent fests, including Berlinale highlights Lesbian Space Princess and Tales from the Magic Garden, and several features premiering in Cannes next month, including The Magnificent Life of Marcel Pagnol from The Triplets of Belleville director Sylvain Chomet; Dandelion’s Odyssey from Japanese director Momoko Seto; and Death Does Not Exist from Canadian filmmaker Felix Dufour-Laperrière.

‘Lesbian Space...

The Annecy International Animation Film Festival is nearly here. The annual film festival and market takes place from June 8 to June 14, in a gorgeous town that served as the inspiration for Belle’s village in Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast”. This year’s slate is overflowing with must-see screenings and panels.

Among the special screenings this year are Andy Serkis’ long-awaited take on George Orwell’s “Animal Farm,” Michel Gondry’s “Maya, Give Me Another Title” (he’ll also be receiving an Honorary Cristal Award this year “in recognition of his exceptional contribution to the vitality of animation”), Genndy Tartakovsky’s R-rated “Fixed” and “The SpongeBob Movie: Search for Squarepants,” the new feature from Paramount Animation. Additionally, Pixar will screen their new feature “Elio.”

There will be exciting presentations from Disney, who will reveal a first-look at footage from “Zootopia 2,” courtesy of director (and Walt Disney Animation Studios Cco) Jared Bush,...

"Andor" is arguably the greatest thing to happen to "Star Wars." It's a show that pushes the franchise forward with a unique vision that brings the galaxy far, far away much closer to our reality. And, franchise aside, it's a masterpiece of television that uses the sci-fi genre to tell a very human story about rebellion and the cost of standing up against tyranny.

It's not just a fantastic standalone TV show, but one of the best examples of how to connect the dots in a franchise like this. It's not just that "Andor" is showing the big picture story of the birth of the Rebellion and how smaller cells came together to form the Alliance; it's also telling individual stories like how Saw Gerrera got his breathing apparatus, how Mon Mothma became a Rebel leader, and more. Rather than explaining unnecessary things in a forced way (like Han Solo...

Teen Titans was intended to run for only four seasons, but the immense popularity of the series led the network to come up with a fifth season. While fans enjoyed this fifth season, the network ended the series on a vague note. The thirteenth episode of Season 5, titled Things Change, brought back one character from Season 2 who we thought was dead.

The character of Terra joined the Teen Titans after displaying her geo-kinetic abilities in Season 2. However, we saw her switch her loyalty and become an apprentice to Slade, the enemy of the Titans. She essentially betrayed her friends and Beast Boy, who took an interest in her. She later had a change of heart and helped the Titans beat Slade. In the process, she sacrifices herself.

In the episode, Things Change, Terra appears as a normal school girl, shocking Beast Boy. However, the episode left us all wondering what...

One of the pleasures of Tony Gilroy’s “Andor” is how standalone it feels within the “Star Wars” universe. It is a rare prequel that manages to make you afraid for characters you know damn well survive until the end — of the series, anyway — and employs a distinct, sophisticated tone that uncovers wholly new facets of its galaxy far, far away. It is inherently “Star Wars,” but also unlike anything in the franchise.

Except that last part is not entirely true. Because there is another “Star Wars” title that covers much of the same ground in a way that is in constant conversation with “Andor” — a show that gave us our first look at the birth of the Rebel Alliance, that portrayed infighting between nascent rebel cells, the rivalry between Saw Gerrera (Forest Whitaker) and Mon Mothma (Genevieve O’Reilly), and much more.

That show is “Star Wars Rebels,” and it...

The adult animated comedy Fixed, shelved by Warner Bros, has been rehomed at Netflix and will stream in August.

Warner Bros is beginning to build a reputation as a studio that makes films for other companies to release. Following The Day The Earth Blew Up and Coyote Vs Acme, the animated comedy Fixed is the latest Warner movie about to be rescued from the void.

Directed by Hotel Transylvania's Genndy Tartakovsky, Fixed is a 2D-animated adventure about a bloodhound who makes a bid for escape when he learns he’s about to be neutered. Celebrity voices include Idris Elba, Kathryn Hahn and Fred Armisen, all playing dogs of one genre or another, and work on the film was completed in 2023 – it was even submitted to the MPAA for certification, and was given an R-rating for its saucy humour.

Fixed was always something of a risk, though, both for its adult tone and its animation style,...

Just when you thought the cast for David O. Russell’s John Madden-centered movie, Madden, couldn’t get any more star-studded, Deadline jumped in and said — oh, but it could. The film, which previously cast Nicolas Cage (The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent) as the late sportscaster and iconic coach, has added three new names to its call sheet. Ready to tackle the tale of one of sports’ most legendary figures is Kathryn Hahn (Agatha All Along), Sienna Miller (Anatomy of a Scandal), and John Mulaney (The Jim Gaffigan Show). In addition, Christian Bale (American Psycho) was also previously announced to be playing the late Raiders owner, Al Davis.

As far as the group's casting is concerned, Mulaney is on deck to play EA Sports founder, Trip Hawkins. In addition to creating one of the biggest names in sports-based video games, Hawkins was the main pusher when it came...

Gold Derby's top news stories for April 16, 2025.

Lindsay Lohan to star in Hulu drama from This Is Us showrunners

Lindsay Lohan, the once-embattled Mean Girls star, is continuing her comeback with her first starring TV role. She'll star in and executive-produce Count My Lies, a Hulu drama series from former This Is Us showrunners Isaac Aptaker and Elizabeth Berger based on a novel by Sophie Stava. Lohan will play Violet, a woman with a seemingly perfect life and a lot of secrets. Here's the logline: “When compulsive liar Sloane Caraway fibs her way into a nanny position for the gorgeous and charismatic Violet and Jay Lockhart, it seems she’s finally landed her dream job. But little does Sloane know, she’s just entered a household brimming with secrets that are about to explode — with potentially catastrophic consequences for all.”

Olivia Colman and Benedict Cumberbatch go to war in...

A sneak peek of a new 2D animated “raunchy” comedy starring Agatha All Along’s Kathryn Hahn and The Righteous Gemstones’ Adam Devine has been released by Netflix.

Although Fixed won’t hit the platform until August, Tudum by Netflix shared two photos from the adult animated movie from Dexter’s Laboratory creator Genndy Tartakovsky. The series features Bull, a “quick-witted mutt” (Devine) who finds out his owner is planning to neuter him after he's caught mounting grandma's leg. When Bull discovers this, he scrambles to find his pals in the neighborhood so they can have one last “untamed all-night adventure” with the end goal of telling the dog next door, Honey (Hahn) that he loves her.

Image via Netflix

Tartakovsky, who co-wrote, directed, and produced Fixed, is also behind such shows as Samurai Jack, Primal, and Unicorn: Warriors Eternal. However, his inspiration for for the film came from his...

Genndy Tartakovsky is headed to Netflix this summer with another animated project made for adults, this time a raunchy R-rated comedy titled Fixed about a dog's last day before getting neutered. After Warner Bros. scrapped a theatrical release for the film (due to their infamous "cost-saving" strategy), the streaming platform picked up the comedy for a 2025 release date.

According to Netflix, Fixed will be available on the streaming service starting Aug. 13. The film stars Adam Devine, Kathryn Hahn, Idris Elba, Bobby Moynihan, and Fred Armisen. Hailing from the creative voice behind Samurai Jack and Primal, Tartakovsky's Fixed is a slight departure from his most famous work, but one that will surely entice audiences all the same. The film follows a dog that sets out for one last wild night out with his pals before he is set to get neutered for humping his owner too often. As with most of Tartakovsky's work,...

Netflix has shared a first look at Genndy Tartakovsky’s new adult animated comedy film, Fixed. The film will be available to stream on August 13, 2025.

Fixed is an adult animated comedy about Bull, an average, all-around good dog who discovers he’s going to be neutered in the morning!

As the gravity of this life-altering event sets in, Bull realizes he needs one last adventure with his pack of best friends, as these are the last 24 hours with his balls! What could go wrong…?

The voice cast includes Adam Devine, Idris Elba, Kathryn Hahn, Fred Armisen, Bobby Moynihan, Beck Bennett, Michelle Buteau, and River Gallo.

Genndy Tartakovsky, the creator and director behind Samurai Jack, Dexter’s Laboratory, Primal, and Unicorn: Warriors Eternal, told the Netflix blog Tudum, “I have been friends with the same group of four guys since high school. These guys make me laugh like nothing else, so I was thinking,...

Genndy Tartakovsky is one of Cartoon Network’s premiere contributors, with hits like Dexter’s Laboratory, Samurai Jack, Star Wars: Clone Wars, and Primal to his name. Tartakovsky is also one of the driving forces behind the Hotel Transylvania film series, which has done well for Sony with four films of varying success in the franchise. It was reported months ago that Tartakovsky’s newest mature audience fare, Fixed, fell victim to David Zaslav’s project jettison practice at Warner Bros. in order to save money at the studio. Sony regained the rights and Netflix has now picked it up to stream on August 13.

The official synopsis reads,

“From visionary director Genndy Tartakovsky comes Fixed, an adult animated comedy about Bull, an average, all-around good dog who discovers he’s going to be neutered in the morning! As the gravity of this life-altering event sets in, Bull realizes he needs one...

Netflix has come to the rescue of Genndy Tartakovsky’s 2D adult-animated “Fixed,” which was dropped by New Line in 2023 via Warner Bros. Discovery in a cost-cutting measure similar to the “Coyote vs Acme” hybrid and “The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie,” which were picked up by Ketchup Entertainment. The R-rated co-production with Sony Pictures Animation was picked up by the streamer and will premiere on August 13.

“Fixed,” from a story by Tartakovsky, Steve Greenberg, Rich Lufrano, and Jon Vitti, follows Bull (Adam Devine), an average blue bloodhound who discovers that he’s going to be neutered in the morning. As the gravity of this life-altering event sets in, Bull realizes he needs one last adventure with his pack of best friends as these are the last 24 hours with his balls. He also has a crush on the dog next door (Kathryn Hahn). The pals includes characters voiced by Idris Elba,...

Netflix has unveiled a trio of first-look stills from Fixed, its new adult animated comedy from renowned filmmaker Genndy Tartakovsky (Primal), announcing that it will premiere on the service on Wednesday, August 13.

Starring Adam Devine, Idris Elba, Kathryn Hahn, and more, Fixed tells the story of Bull, an average, all-around good dog who discovers he’s going to be neutered in the morning. As the gravity of this life-altering event sets in, Bull realizes he needs one last adventure with his pack of best friends as these are the last 24 hours with his balls! What could go wrong…?

In a statement explaining the style of animation chosen for Fixed, and how the project evolved over time, Emmy winner Tartakovsky said, “I love caricatured and exaggerated animation, so I knew the sensibility that I like to do and it was a matter of dialing the amount of exaggeration. I think it...

After most recently directing episodes of Unicorn: Warriors Eternal and Primal, the next project from director Genndy Tartakovsky just got a major update. Netflix has released the first images from Fixed, the upcoming adult animated comedy starring Idris Elba and Kathryn Hahn. The streamer has also announced that the film will be released on August 23. Fixed follows Bull, an all-around good dog, who discovers he will be neutered the next morning. As the gravity of the situation sets in, he realizes he needs one last adventure with his group of best friends. In addition to Elba and Hahn, Fixed also stars Adam Devine (Pitch Perfect), Fred Armisen (Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy), Bobby Moynihan (Inside Out 2), Beck Bennett (Sing), Michelle Buteau (Happiest Season), and River Gallo (Ponyboi).

Tartakovsky is a five-time Emmy Award winner for his work on projects like Primal, Samurai Jack, and Star Wars: Clone Wars,...

For a while there, it seemed like Genndy Tartakovsky’s “Fixed” was going to be stuck in the pound forever.

The R-rated animated comedy, about a dog who goes on a rollicking adventure on the eve of getting neutered (think “25th Hour” meets “Lady and the Tramp”), was previewed at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival, where Tartakovsky broke down the big beats of the story, to a rapturous crowd. And now, almost two years later, it’s finally coming out.

TheWrap can exclusively reveal that “Fixed” will be released by Netflix globally on Aug. 13, 2025 in 190 countries and over 300 million households. We spoke with Tartakovsky exclusively about what happened with “Fixed” now that it has finally been adopted.

“Fixed” had an interesting production and distribution set-up, where it was technically a Sony Pictures Animation film, but it was to be released by New Line Cinema, a division of Warner Bros. Discovery.

Hotel Transylvania Box Office(Photo Credit –Prime Video)

Sony Pictures Animation’s Hotel Transylvania franchise has become a spooky-silly staple of animated cinema, grossing more than $1 billion globally across four feature films. With its monster-packed ensemble cast, heartfelt storytelling, and slapstick humor, the series has earned a loyal fanbase and solidified its place as one of the most successful animated franchises of the 2010s and early 2020s.

The franchise also expanded into short films, TV specials, a wide range of merchandise, and a video game, and it even inspired a spinoff animated series that aired on Disney Channel. The first movie in the franchise was released in 2012. Genndy Tartakovsky directed the first three films, and Derek Drymon and Jennifer Kluska directed the fourth one. The four films have the same characters, but the stories are not connected; they are like stand-alone sequels in the franchise.

The main characters in the...

What happens when man’s best friend is subject to losing his manhood? Inthe new adult animation film Fixed, a slick and quick-witted mutt named Bull (voiced by The Out-Laws’ Adam Devine) discovers that his owners plan to neuter him after he’s caught mounting grandma one too many times. Upon this alarming revelation, Bull enlists his loyal neighborhood pals to accompany him on one last untamed all-night adventure, with the mission of proclaiming his love for the show dog next door, Honey (Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery’s Kathryn Hahn).

The raunchy-yet-heartwarming animated comedycomes from five-time Emmy Award–winning filmmaker Genndy Tartakovsky, the creator and director behind Samurai Jack, Dexter’s Laboratory, Primal, and Unicorn: Warriors Eternal. “I have been friends with the same group of four guys since high school. These guys make me laugh like nothing else, so I was thinking, ‘Can I translate this humor to animation?...

"Primal" is many things. For starters, it's a thoughtful look at the unifying experiences of loss and grief, as well as one of the most accurate (and sensitive) depictions of what it's like to live with an animal companion put to screen. It's also the gnarliest animated "Conan the Barbarian" adaptation that's never been made and often plays like a Robert E. Howard fever dream. 

Case in point: Over the course of Genndy Tartakovsky's rip-roaring blend of prehistoric fantasy, action-adventure, and horror, the show's heroes are forced to survive scraps with flash floods of blood-thirsty snakes, colossal bats, and even a dinosaur infected with what seems to be a nastier strain of the Rage virus from "28 Days Later." And that's before they cross paths with the human tribes residing in this extremely anachronistic (not to mention gleefully pulpy) vision of Earth's very distant past.

To put it another way,...

Only one cartoon is on the list of the five best TV shows of all time, according to IMDb. On Metacritic, however, things are different. Rather than being based on user scores (which are notoriously vulnerable and prone to review bombing and other forms of bias), Metacritic bases its ratings mostly on review scores — but not just an arbitrary fresh/rotten, an actual score. This means these are actually the cartoons that have the highest review scores, the ones considered close to perfect.

Granted, there are still many problems with any sort of list coming from a review aggregator, starting with the limited number of reviews for older titles from before the era of movie and TV blogs. If there are only a handful of reviews, but they are all rated highly, does that weigh more than a modern show with a slightly lower score but exponentially more reviews?

In any case,...

Fans will be able to celebrate 'May the Fourth' with the return of Asajj Ventress and Cad Bane in the animated short series, Star Wars: Tales of the Underworld. Starting in 2022, Star Wars started to embrace the short form animation to expand many side characters with Tales of the Jedi, which focused on the origins of Count Dooku and Ahsoka Tano. In 2024, the follow-up Tales of the Empire brought back the long-dangling thread of Barriss Offee from The Clone Wars and Morgan Elsbeth from The Mandalorian and Ahsoka. Now, fans will get to see the bounty hunter side of the Star Wars Universe with Tales of the Underworld.

Disney released an official trailer for Tales of the Underworld, which reveals the series will put the spotlight on two fan-favorite bounty hunters from the Clone Wars era, Asajj Ventress (Nika Futterman) and Cad Bane (voiced by Corey Burton). Both storylines will...

Dave Filoni currently serves as the Chief Creative Officer at Lucasfilm, having worked on several Star Wars projects. Filoni started his directorial career by working on one of the most popular Nickelodeon animated shows of the 2000s.

He was later personally picked by Star Wars creator George Lucas to help craft The Clone Wars animated series, which bridged the gap between the second and third installments of his prequel trilogy.

A still from Star Wars: The Clone Wars (Credit: Lucasfilm).

However, Filoni almost turned down the gig, primarily because he thought it was too good to be true. Being a lifelong Star Wars fan, Filoni thought someone from the Nickelodeon team was pranking him. He almost shot himself in the foot with the opportunity, and here’s why.

Dave Filoni almost turned down the Star Wars: The Clone Wars gig

Dave Filoni started his career as a storyboard artist, working on several animated shows,...

It is absolutely true that Star Wars: The Clone Wars expanded and enriched the fandom's understanding of and appreciation for the titular conflict. It might be hard to find someone who doesn't know something about the 2008 series that brought us Ahsoka Tano, fleshed out the Skywalkers' secret marriage, and made us genuinely mourn the clones' turn against their Jedi friends.

Five years before that, Genndy Tartakovsky developed and directed Star Wars: Clone Wars. The miniseries of animated shorts was released by Cartoon Network and got fans through the wait for Revenge of the Sith with 25 tension-building episodes. It's been 20 years since the series finale aired in March 2005, so let's celebrate the series for what it was.

Genndy Tartakovksy's Star Wars: Clone Wars was an instant classic

In an undeniably iconic opening, we saw a cloaked warrior riding a mount across a barren landscape. The next shot revealed it to be...

Quick LinksAsajj Ventress Returned in Star Wars: The Bad BatchThe Bad Batch Debuted in Star Wars: The Clone Wars’ Final Season Before Their Spin-OffLucasfilm Teased More Details About Asajj Ventress’ Return Will Come in the Future

Star Wars animation continues to be a place where the franchise thrives, and The Bad Batch served as the latest series to live up to that high standard. The Bad Batch took place throughout three seasons and filled in some gaps after the events of Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith. Before The Bad Batch, Lucasfilm finally put a bow on the groundbreaking Clone Wars series and launched Star Wars Rebels, which added many beloved characters to the canon. Star Wars animation has become incredibly vital to the franchise, and in recent years, it has expanded with projects like Visions and the Tales shorts.

At the moment, Visions Season 3 and Young...

The NBC sitcom, Young Sheldon, quickly became a hit, offering a fresh look at the early life of Sheldon Cooper from The Big Bang Theory. But here’s a fun twist: while we’re all familiar with Sheldon’s world, there’s one detail that often slips through the cracks. Who directed the pilot episode?

It’s none other than Jon Favreau. Best known for launching the MCU with Iron Man, Favreau’s involvement in Young Sheldon is often overlooked. Yes, the same director responsible for creating some of the most iconic moments in pop culture also helped shape the origin story of the Big Bang Theory’s most fabulous character.

Jon Favreau as Happy Hogan in Deadpool & Wolverine | Marvel Studios Marvel star Jon Favreau directed Young Sheldon‘s pilot episode

In 2017, Young Sheldon was given a straight-to-series order by CBS, with Jon Favreau tapped to direct the highly anticipated pilot.

“Star Wars” thrives in animation. Even if the earliest animated efforts like the Boba Fett short in the “Holiday Special” or the “Ewoks” cartoon weren’t exactly good, the past 20 years has seen the franchise produce some astonishing animated visuals and storytelling on TV. Whether it’s the cultural and visual variety of the “Star Wars Visions” shorts that reimagine what’s possible in the galaxy far, far away, or “Star Wars Rebels” delivering a mature and thematically complex story, animation is a medium perfectly suited for the endless imagination and creativity of “Star Wars.” And yet, no show has quite exploited that potential quite like Genndy Tartakovsky’s “Clone Wars.”

The show was developed and directed by Tartakovsky as a way of filling in the gap between Episodes II and III, showing the events of the eponymous Clone Wars and how it forever changed the Republic and the breakaway Separatists.

Quick LinksStar Wars Already Has Its Versions of What If…?What If…? Stories Would Cause More Backlash for a Fragile FranchiseProjects Like Star Wars: Visions Are Far More Interesting Anyway

In 2021, Marvel Studios launched its first animated series, What If...? on Disney+. The series borrowed the concept from Marvel Comics and put a twist on the lore by exploring alternate realities based on the events that have occurred in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. While some parts of What If...? soared, overall, the series left many disappointed. Despite What If...? being a hit-and-miss series, that has not kept some Star Wars fans from wanting to see the same concept played out in a galaxy far, far away.

On top of the desire from fans to see a What If...? version of Star Wars on Disney+, there have also been rumors to accompany it. Under the ownership of Disney, Lucasfilm has taken...

While it looks like there may yet be some justice in the case of “Coyote Vs. Acme” — if it indeed finds a new home and a theatrical release with Ketchup Entertainment — fans of the “Looney Tunes” still find themselves at the mercy of far greater forces than Bugs Bunny behind an animator’s desk.

Warner Bros. Discovery pulled its catalog of the original “Looney Tunes” cartoons, a collection of animated shorts that stretch from 1930 to 1969, beginning on March 16 as part of a wider effort to rebrand the streaming platform as a place much more for adult and family content as opposed to children’s programming. One consolation is that there are some iterations of “Looney Tunes” made between 1995 and 2022 that are still available. Another is that this isn’t the first time Warner Brothers has decided to vanish “Looney Tunes” content.

Back in the early 2000s, Warner Bros. pulled “Looney Tunes” off of Cartoon Network.

It’s another year of high-profile animated sequels, led by Disney’s “Zootopia 2,” DreamWorks’ “The Bad Guys 2,” and Nickelodeon/Paramount’s “The SpongeBob Movie: Search for Square Pants” and the “Smurfs” film.

But there are plenty of attention-grabbing non-sequels in 2025: “Pixar’s sci-fi “Elio,” DreamWorks’ “Dog Man,” and Sony Pictures Classics’ “A Magnificent Life,” Sylvain Chomet’s biopic about French author-filmmaker Marcel Pagnol, and Sony Picture’s “Scarlet,” the latest anime from Mamoru Hosoda (“Belle”). In addition, Netflix delivers another diverse slate: “In Your Dreams,” “KPop Demon Hunters” (with Sony Pictures), Genndy Tartakovsky’s R-rated, 2D “Fixed,” “Lost in Starlight” (the streamer’s first Korean-language animated film), “Plankton: The Movie” (with Nickelodeon), “Pookoo” (with Skydance Animation), and “The Twits” from Roald Dahl.

Additionally, there are three Oscar-qualifying holdovers from 2024: “Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl,” “The Colors Within,” and “The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie.

Live-action adaptations of beloved animated shows are becoming another hot commodity, following the success of shows like Netflix's Avatar: The Last Airbender and Cowboy Bebop. The CW was also looking to capitalize on that popularity with a live-action adaptation of Cartoon Network's beloved The Powerpuff Girls. However, any attempts at transforming sugar, spice, and everything nice into live-action were halted in 2023 when the show was officially canceled. Two years later, a trailer for the CW's canceled Powerpuff Girls show has leaked online...and it's probably a good thing it was axed.

The new trailer, which comes to us via a post on Reddit, reveals the drastic changes made to the original show in the CW's version. The new series planned to age-up Blossom, Buttercup, and Bubbles into young adults who quit being superheroes after accidentally killing Mojo. Blossom ran away, Buttercup became a firefighter, and Bubbles became an...

Jon Favreau never sugarcoated his thoughts, and Star Wars was no exception. Long before he became a powerhouse in the galaxy far, far away, he had plenty to say about George Lucas’ original trilogy, whether fans liked it or not.

Jon Favreau as Happy Hogan in Deadpool & Wolverine | Credits: Marvel Studios

His brutally honest take didn’t just ruffle feathers; it practically set hyperspace on fire. But did he care? Not a chance.

Jon Favreau questions the hype over original Star Wars cuts Jon Favreau as Happy Hogan | Credits: Marvel Studios

Jon Favreau didn’t mince words when asked about George Lucas’ original Star Wars cuts. When Moovy TV pressed him on whether he had the clout to get the theatrical versions released, he shot back by saying,

Do you think anybody but us, like, the people who grew up with it, like anybody would care? Because I know to younger people…...

The 1990s was a golden age for cartoons. Following the creatively bankrupt string of toy commercials disguised as TV shows of the '80s, we got one phenomenally written, visually inventive, boundary-pushing cartoon after the other in the 1990s. One of the best shows of that decade was "Dexter's Laboratory." Created by maestro Genndy Tartakovsky, the show was the very first Cartoon Cartoons show to be made into a series. It follows the titular Dexter, a boy genius with a skill for engineering who is at constant odds with his older sister Dee Dee, who keeps entering Dexter's secret lab without his permission and interfering with his experiments.

The show was a huge hit, responsible for starting the careers of plenty of veteran animators like Craig McCracken, Rob Renzetti, Seth MacFarlane, and Butch Hartman, who each went on to create successful animated shows of their own. You can see the...

"Star Wars: The Clone Wars" is one of the best things to happen to "Star Wars" since George Lucas tapped Irvin Kershner to direct "The Empire Strikes Back" and Lawrence Kasdan to write it. Coming off the success of the still visually stunning "Clone Wars" micro-series by maestro Genndy Tartakovsky, "The Clone Wars" took all the good ideas and concepts Lucas introduced in the prequel trilogy — yes, there are some great ideas here, even in "Attack of the Clones" — and gave them enough time to properly breathe and develop over time.

The result remains some of the best storytelling in all of "Star Wars." It's a show that gave us one of the best characters in "Star Wars" in the form of Ahsoka Tano, turned the faceless clone army into a group of dozens of fleshed-out and complex characters, and even expanded upon the politics of the Separatists and the titular conflict,...

"Star Wars" is full of fascinating, enigmatic villains, most of them get barely any dialogue, let alone their background or backstory explained — in the movies at least. Whether it's Darth Vader being introduced as just a tall, menacing guy clad in dark, robotic armor, or Boba Fett's silent, striking suit of armor, these antagonists work because of how little we know of them, and how memorable their designs are.

This is especially true in the prequel trilogy, where we get characters like Darth Maul, who is just evil incarnate, a perfect design. Though perhaps not as well-liked, General Grievous' own character design is just as effective. He's a villain who's instantly memorable and striking, his cybernetic exterior and biological organs making him rather mysterious and alluring.

Grievous, like most things "Star Wars," went through many changes before making his debut, with George Lucas even briefly considering making the character Darth Maul in disguise.

Actor and comedian Adam Devine is known for his work in the comedy genre with films like 2012's Pitch Perfect, 2016's Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates, and series like Workaholics and The Righteous Gemstones. However, he does not rule out switching to superhero roles.

Although there is an ongoing conversation about superhero fatigue, more actors are joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe and DC Universe. Devine hasn't had a role in the superhero genre, but he's not ruling it out. In a new interview with People, the actor joked that joked that his recent weight loss was inspired by the possibility of getting a role in a superhero movie.

Related Daredevil Actor Reveals He Was 'Very Close' to Being Cast as the McU's Captain America

Instead of playing Bullseye in Netflix's Daredevil, Wilson Bethel could have been Captain America in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

"I feel like this year,...

"He's one tough Gazookus, which hates all Palookas wot ain't on the up and square..."

We're used to seeing Popeye let his fists do the talking, but the iconic Sailor Man will be doling out more than a few spinach-fuelled ass-kickings in a new slasher movie from ITN Studios.

Following a recent first look via some promo stills, the first trailer for Popeye horror parody - which is officially titled Popeye's Revenge - has been released online (via Bloody Disgusting).

The success of the recent low-budget Winnie-The-Pooh: Blood and Honey has led to a number of classic animated tales being given a horror makeover, and the spinach-chomping comic strip hero is the latest beloved character to be turned into a bloodthirsty killer for an upcoming indie project.

This will be the first of two (so far) Popeye horror flicks to be released this year, the other being Popeye The Slayer Man.