‘Animation Mavericks’ Trailer Celebrates UPA’s Radical Reinvention Of American Animation

The highly anticipated trailer has dropped for Animation Mavericks: The Forgotten Story of UPA, a feature-length documentary exploring the origins, rise, fall, and lasting influence of one of American animation’s most innovative studios.

Dropped without a press release, marketing, or PR push, the trailer has already racked up more than 40,000 views in its first week on YouTube. This is clearly a film the animation community can’t wait to see.

Directed and produced by Kevin Schreck, Animation Mavericks combines archival material, interviews, and stylized animated reenactments to recount how United Productions of America challenged the dominant visual conventions of Hollywood animation. Founded in 1941, UPA became known for embracing modernist design and limited animation, offering a striking alternative to the realism associated with Disney and other major studios.

UPA earned widespread acclaim for shorts including the Oscar-winning Gerald McBoing-Boing and created one of its era’s most recognizable cartoon characters, Mr. Magoo. But the studio’s history was shaped by more than artistic experimentation.

The documentary’s core creative team includes animation director and producer Rachel Gitlevich, executive producer Tim Finn, and producer Sylvie BosRau, granddaughter of UPA co-founder Steve Bosustow. The film was produced in cooperation with the Bosustow Estate.

Animation Mavericks: The Forgotten Story of UPA is expected to premiere in early 2027. Festival and release details have not been announced yet.