^{Iron Boy (Sony Pictures Classics), Tangles (Independent Film Company), In Waves (Netflix)}

Nine animated features premiered at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival earlier this year, taking their first steps towards a potential Oscar campaign. The second step is finding a U.S. distributor that’ll give them a qualifying Oscar run. So far, three have made it to the next step. 

^{In Waves (Netflix)}

In Waves was the first of these films to find a home, with Netflix picking it up. Making its debut during Critics’ Week, In Waves is based on AJ Dungo’s autobiographical graphic novel about two young surfers whose time together is cut tragically short. The first animated feature to ever open Critics’ Week, Phuong Mai Nguyen’s film adaptation assembles an English-language cast that includes Stephanie Hsu and Will Sharp. This isn’t the first time that Netflix has acquired an animated film that played at Critics’ Week. In 2019, the streamer acquired the rights to Jérémy Clapin’s I Lost My Body, which went on to receive a Best Animated Feature nomination. 

^{Iron Boy (Sony Pictures Classics)}

Iron Boy, a French feature from Louis Clichy, was among the first animated projects announced for this year’s Cannes lineup as part of the Un Certain Regard. It ultimately received a Special Jury Prize. This coming-of-age story quickly found distribution with Sony Pictures Classics, which previously scored Oscar nominations with The Triplets of Belleville, Persepolis, The Illusionist, and The Red Turtle. In recent years, Sony Pictures Classics picked up a few other animated films, including The Peasants, They Shot the Piano Player, A Magnificent Life, and Scarlet, the latter two premiering last year. Yet, it’s been almost a decade since SPC has scored a Best Animated Feature nomination. Iron Boy could be their ticket to an overdue comeback, especially after winning three prizes at Annecy. 

^{Tangles (Independent Film Company)}

Tangles received one of the most glowing receptions out of Cannes, complete with a seven-minute standing ovation. Another adaptation of a graphic memoir - in this case, Sarah Leavitt’s - this deeply emotional drama centers on a daughter slowly watching her mother lose her life to Alzheimer's disease. Despite an all-star cast led by Abbi Jacobson, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, and Bryan Cranston, Leah Nelson’s film didn’t pick up U.S. distribution immediately out of Cannes. Tangles has now found a home with Independent Film Company (IFC Films) and Sapan Studio. 

IFC intends to give Tangles an Oscar-qualifying theatrical release before the end of 2026. Following a limited release, Tangles will expand to more theaters in early 2027. Tangles seems like an ideal fit for IFC, which previously distributed the Oscar-nominated Memoir of a Snail. That stop-motion film from Adam Elliot similarly balanced a tragic central figure with hope and humor. Between In Waves, Iron Boy, and now Tangles, the festival scene could give blockbusters like Toy Story 5 a run for their money in this year’s Best Animated Feature. There’s potential for the race to get even more crowded. 

In Waves, Iron Boy, and Tangles are all headed to TIFF next. They’ll be joined by six other animated features: Louise Bagnall’s Julián, Xu Zao’s Light Pillar, Kyu Bock Youm’s Long Long Night, Julien Chheng’s Muyi,  Ervin Han & Raúl García’s The Violinist, and Sébastien Laudenbach’s Viva Carmen. The Violinist notably won the Cristal for Best Feature Film at Annecy. Greenwich Entertainment nabbed Light Pillar, but it’s open season for the rest. Any of the above could still pick up U.S. distribution before the year is out. The same goes for Dimitri Planchon and Jean-Paul Guigue’s Blaise, Nicolas Athane & Marco Nguyen’s Jim Queen, Olivier Clert’s Lucy Lost, Quentin Dupieux’s Vertiginous (Le Vertige), and Kohei Kadowaki’s We Are Aliens, all of which played at Cannes earlier this year. 

The question is, “What other distributors will step up?” GKIDS may still have room on their roster for the final quarter of 2026. Despite their success with Best Animated Feature nominees like Robot Dreams and Arco, Neon hasn’t made any animated acquisitions this year. It’s also possible that some of the aforementioned titles won’t find U.S. distribution until next year (if at all). It’d be a shame to allow so many of these wonderful films to fall through the cracks. There’s a wider world of animation North American audiences deserve a chance to see as well.  

Nick Spake is the Author of Bright & Shiny: A History of Animation at Award Shows Volumes 1, 2, and 3. Available Now!