Manchester Animation Festival 2026 Sets Full Lineup

Manchester Animation Festival has announced its full program for 2026, with the event set to run November 8–12 at HOME and other venues across Manchester. The lineup includes major studio previews, international competition titles, and a centenary screening.

Laika will attend MAF for the first time, presenting a special screening of Wildwood alongside a making-of session. The festival will also host an advance preview of Brad Bird's Ray Gunn ahead of its December Netflix launch, and DreamWorks Animation will present an out-of-competition preview of Forgotten Island.

Other highlights include Lupus Films' U.K. international premiere of Mog's Bad Thing, Cartoon Saloon's hand-drawn mermaid tale Julián, and a rare centenary screening of Lotte Reiniger's 1926 The Adventures of Prince Achmed. The international feature competition lineup features In Waves, Blaise, We Are Aliens, Viva Carmen, and Brave Cat.

Mexico in Motion is this year's animation focus, presented with the British Council. Angélica Lares of El Taller del Chucho will present a behind-the-scenes session. Peter Lord, Will Becher, and Nat McKay will hold a conversation on Aardman's next 50 years, following the studio's recent 50th anniversary milestone. Industrial Light & Magic will return for a session on the future of video content, and BBC Studios Kids & Family will present a making-of session for Vanishing Point. Krygon Studios' Bradley Harris will lead an Epic Games-supported session on real-time filmmaking and animation.

Laika's most recent feature before Wildwood was 2019's Missing Link. The full program was reported by cartoonbrew.com.