Of all the many genres, cult classics, and mediums to explore at the annual Fantasia International Film Festival (commonly shortened to Fantasia Fest), animation undoubtedly gets a much-deserved spotlight. This is hardly the norm across the film industry. Animation, despite the plentiful, expressive ways in which the medium can craft peculiar or heartwarming delights, is often overlooked. Overlooked or seen as simply a children’s medium. Disney’s trend of devaluing its own legacy by sacrificing the goodwill earned through a century-plus of animated films for shoddy, parody-adjacent live-action adaptations is proof enough.
It’s (part of) what makes the Fantasia Fest so interesting for fans of the medium. The festival shines a light on animation across all continents and genres, from more traditional, anime-style works to experimental works from small, independent studios and flicks destined for underground classic fame. For instance, the 2025 festival showed All You Need is Kill, ChaO, and I Am Frankelda, films that have garnered critical acclaim.
The 20206 Fantasia Fest has no shortage of ambitious works that eager fans can discover. With a diverse range of stories and a nice emphasis on some queer narratives, here are just a handful of the most exciting animated works to check out this year.
Cherry and Virgin, directed by Masanao Kawajiri
Synopsis: Ami and Ryo have a lot in common. They’re both around 30, and they both draw. Ami is a commercial illustrator, and Ryo creates erotic manga. Smart but socially uneasy, neither of them has ever had sex. Each feeling compelled to correct that, they’ve connected via a dating app. The similarities continue, as each indulges in oversharing and brutal self-criticism, from their first date forward. Awkward, uncertain, confused—in their own weird way, the pair have great chemistry. But will it lead them to the bedroom—and beyond?
Sometimes it’s as simple as a cool stylistic flourish that draws you in. Cherry and Virgin, directed by Masanao Kawajiri and written by Misato Kaga, plays within the format of its two leads, manga and anime, to craft a visual design at odds with one another. Perfectly suited for a story about two individuals seeking a more physical form of connection, with their lifestyles are both similar and different. The shifts in style, from more painterly effects to the broad, inked lines of manga pages, lend themselves to a romantic comedy about the realities of dating and the trials of finding love.
Cocoon: One Summer of Girlhood, directed by Yukimitsu Ina
Synopsis: On a tiny, balmy island at the very southern tip of the Japanese archipelago, life for wide-eyed San, her cool friend Mayu, and the other girls of the group brought here by the Army could almost be mistaken for paradise. The weather is perfect, the scenery serene, and through laughter, squabbles, and quiet confidences, bonds of friendship forming. But the awful truth is not far away. The enemy is coming, bringing devastation, and some things will be lost forever.
With all of the markings and aesthetic of a Ghibli film, it’s worth remembering that while the studio is responsible for the childlike wonders of My Neighbor Totoro and Spirited Away, it’s also always been fearless when depicting the horrors of war. Essentially, don’t let the look of the film fool you. Cocoon: One Summer of Girlhood is the directorial debut of Yukimitsu Ina and, by all accounts, looks to be a bruiser. At just over an hour, the film, based on the miniseries by Machiko Ky, takes an honest look at the cost of war through the perspective of walked-over innocents.
Grotesqqque, directed by Atsushi Nishigori
Synopsis: Aliens, gyarus (gals), vampires… the girls race through a GROTESQQQUE night. A pop and edgy fusion of imagery and sound creates their unique world pulsing at the seams. GROTESQQQUE is a sensational collection of works from the brilliant mind behind THE IDOLM@STER, DARLING IN THE FRANXX’s Director and Chief Animation Director of EVANGELION: 3.0+1.0 THRICE UPON A TIME, Atsushi Nishigori.
The involvement of anyone who worked on Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time is enough of a sell. Ultimately, Grotesqqque looks fun and vibrant, compromised of three installments, “A(E)LIENS”, “YOROSHIKU Girl”, and “NOCTURNE: NUIT GROTESQUE,” that look to blend styles and influences into something wholly expressive and singular.
Jim Queen, directed by Nicolas Athane, Marco Nguyen
Synopsis: Thriving, fit, and fabulous. Jim Parfait is the center of the Gay universe in Paris, with adoring fans, lovers, and rivals looking up to him to set trends and vernacular, and establish the ideal male physique. That is, until a new STI hits the clubs and gyms of Paris, infecting only Gay men. Symptoms? Infected men begin to turn heterosexual, losing their muscles, beginning to care about sports, and having a newfound interest in breeding.
The STI Heterosis is the worst thing that could ever happen to Jim. What follows is a raunchy, campy, and unapologetically queer quest to find the cure for this disease. Through infection, Jim Parfait begins to slip from his throne, and the insular politics of highly categorized, exclusive Gay communities in Paris is tackled as the real challenge facing LGBTQIA+ liberation.
Truly, how do you say no to that logline? The feature film debut from Bobbypills, Europe’s original animation studio dedicated exclusively to adult animation, the film embraces an abrasive approach to storytelling, refusing to default to subtext. Wonderfully queer and blending the raunchy sensibilities of Big Mouth with the gentle animation of Adventure Time, Jim Queen has already generated a steady rise of critical acclaim.
Joyeuse Jungle!, directed by Edmunds Jansons
Synopsis: During summer holidays in 1950s Venezuela, nine-year-old Elisabeth joins her family deep in the rainforest, where they live with the Pemon tribe, near Devil’s Mountain. When her four-year-old brother Leo goes missing in the forest, she must do everything in her power to find him deep in the rainforest. But her troubles are far from over, as she must also save a mystical creature and bring it back to Mount Tepui. A summer worthy of a junior Indiana Jones.
Inspired by Luize Pastore’s book with the visuals by Elina Braslina, a notable illustrator from Latvia, Joyeuse Jungle! is an ode to artistry and exploration. The striking imagery comes alive in deceptively simple designs that evoke a sense of childlike adventure.
A New Dawn, directed by Yoshitoshi Shinomiya
Synopsis: For over three centuries, the Obinata family, descended from pirates, have manufactured fireworks in the small, coastal town of Ajiro. Tomorrow, their factory will be shuttered and demolished to make way for modern progress. Today, the two Obinata brothers—sensible Sentaro and impulsive, reclusive Keitaro—and their childhood friend Kaoru are reunited after several years apart. Sentaro has asked Kaoru to return from Tokyo to help him get his stubborn sibling to leave the house as ordered. However, Keitaro has other plans, very spectacular plans.
With stunning artwork that evokes both the washed-out, post-storm aesthetic of Little Amélie or the Character of Rain, and the hyperrealism of Makoto Shinkai, A New Dawn looks gorgeous. Blending styles to create something fresh and new while staying anchored in traditional beats, the emotional story mirrors the expressive artwork. It is Yoshitoshi Shinomiya’s debut film.
Zsazsa Zaturnnah, directed by Avid Liongoren
Synopsis: Ada is a shy, gay hairdresser living in a small village, running a salon with the help of his boisterous assistant Didi. A history of heartbreak and harsh judgment has left Ada resigned to a life without love—despite a powerful crush on Dodong, the handsome storekeeper across the street. Everything changes for Ada when a pink meteorite punches a hole in his roof one night. At Didi’s insistence, Ada consumes the space rock and utters the mystical word inscribed on it—Zaturnnah! Didi’s ludicrous conviction that Ada can transform into a superhero proves to be correct.
Ada now has incredible strength, speed, resilience—and a spectacular, Olympian woman’s body! These new powers prove immediately necessary. The village is beset by giant mutant animals, wretched zombies from the local graveyard, and anything else that can be thrown at her by the militantly misandrist extraterrestrial invader Queen Feminah Suarestellar Baroux and the Amazonistas from Planet X. Can Zsazsa win against these fearsome foes? And, can Ada win Dodong’s heart?
Bold and unapologetically queer will always be two elements that draw us in. It’s giving adult She-Ra and the Princesses of Power, and we’re loving it. This is just one of two films from filmmaker Avid Liongoren premiering at the festival, with 2020’s Hayop Ka! part of the revival screenings.
There’s plenty more to explore. From short films that promise the start of burgeoning careers to screenings of anime favorites, this years festival is brimming with exciting new and returning titles.
Fantasia Fest 2026 begins July 16th and continues through August 2nd. The full program and tickets to in-person and virtual screenings can be found here.
Based in New England, Allyson is co-founder and Editor-in-Chief of InBetweenDrafts. Former Editor-in-Chief at TheYoungFolks, she is a member of the Boston Society of Film Critics and the Boston Online Film Critics Association. Her writing has also appeared at CambridgeDay, ThePlaylist, Pajiba, VagueVisages, RogerEbert, TheBostonGlobe, Inverse, Bustle, her Substack, and every scrap of paper within her reach.
