Adult Swim made an appearance at Annecy International Animation Film Festival 2025 and announced its upcoming projects. It also gave exclusive looks of its features and returning shows.
Adult Swim has revealed plans for an upcoming animated special that will reportedly bring some of the most influential voices in the industry. Details are still scarce, but the network’s announcement has generated significant buzz among the fans.
“Annecy, with its unique and global mix of industry professionals and passionate fans, is the perfect place for us to share what we are up to and most excited about. We’re not just announcing new series, but also new ways of creating – from Adult Swim Smalls to a special done in an unconventional way – all that hopefully help push the boundaries of animation. As always, we will be creator-driven and chance-taking until such time someone puts us in handcuffs. Literal ones.” said Adult Swim president Michael Ouweleen.
Adult Swim also announced an ambitious new animated special, The Elephant, featuring a stunning lineup of creators. The project brings together four acclaimed animators- Rebecca Sugar, Ian Jones-Quartey, Patrick McHale, and Pendleton Ward. WIth these creators on board, this project seeks to be one of the famous titles of the network’s programming slate.
By dividing the creators into separate teams and keeping the narrative a secret until the end, Adult Swim aims to deliver this project in a manner that will unfold in unexpected ways. To capture the creative process, a behind-the-scenes documentary will also be produced. Produced by Titmouse for Adult Swim, The Elephant is set to air on Adult Swim, offering audiences a glimpse into the innovative and often unpredictable world of animation production.
The next in the line up of Adult Swim is Keeping Up With The Joneses by the creators Hugh Davidson, Rachel Ramras, and Larry Dorf. It will be a half hour adult animated comedy.
The trio previously co-created and executive produced the Netflix series The Woman in the House Across the Street from the Girl in the Window. Davidson also wrote for Adult Swim’s Mike Tyson Mysteries and Robot Chicken, earning an Emmy Award for the latter. Keeping Up with the Joneses is produced for Adult Swim by Warner Bros. Animation.
It narrates a story of a Newberry family who are desperately trying to keep up with the lavish neighbours in Dallas including the ones in the next door, Jerry Jones, who is the owner of the Dallas Cowboys.
Adult Swim and Cartoon Network Studios are also developing Heist_Safari that will be created and developed by Genndy Tartakovsky. This series was pitched live on stage in 2024 Annecy International Animation Film Festival, to Adult Swim president Michael Ouweleen at the network’s studio focus panel. This action comedy is about three frog brothers who rob a bank. It may seem like a regular heist show, but it’s set in a straightforward setting with three Frog brothers robbing a bank.
Adult Swim also announced the renewal of its series Smiling Friends with an additional two seasons. Adult Swim development vice president Cameron Tang alongside series’ co-creators Michael Cusack and Zach Hadel made the announcement and gave an exclusive look from the upcoming season. It was also confirmed that the fourth and fifth seasons of the series are currently in production at Williams Street and that season three of the series will be premiering in the fall of 2025.
Adult Swim has also officially renewed the anime Ninja Kamui for two additional seasons.This series was a hit when it debuted on Adult Swim’s anime/action block Toonami and was critically acclaimed claiming the best original title at the 2025 Crunchyroll Anime Awards. The next season, Ninja Kamui Season Two: Red Vendetta, will follow Higan as he uncovers a new conspiracy of cataclysmic proportions. Ninja Kamui is produced for Adult Swim by Sola Entertainment.
Adult Swim also added the new quarter-hour comedy Women Wearing Shoulder Pads to its lineup which premiered globally beginning on 17 August 2025 at midnight ET/PT.
This anime is created by Gonzalo Cordova whose known work include Tuca & Bertie, and Adam Ruins Everything. It will be produced in a collaboration with Mexico city-based studio Cinema Fantasma. This stop-motion series follows Marioneta, a proud wealthy Spaniard living in 1980s Quito, Ecuador. She comes across a diverse group of ambitious women who are navigating through the complicated worlds of love, family, and cuys. It boasts an all-woman cast and is solely produced in Spanish with English subtitles.
The announcement was made at Annecy’s Work in Progress panel, where the team behind the series, led by director Ana Coronilla and series executive producers Roy Ambriz and Arturo Ambriz of Cinema Fantasma, gave a first look at new footage.
