‘If This Opens The Right Doors, I’m Stepping Through’: Genndy Tartakovsky On ‘Fixed’ And The Future

When Fixed screened in front of a packed house at Annecy earlier this summer, Genndy Tartakovsky knew he was rolling the dice, but that he was playing with house money. Few filmmakers seem quite as at home at the French festival.

But this time, Tartakovsky wasn’t there with Dexter’s Laboratory, Samurai Jack, Primal, or even Hotel Transylvania. This time, he was screening a 2D, R-rated, unapologetically raunchy hand-drawn comedy, the kind of project studios don’t just hesitate to make, but almost never greenlight.

And yet, the Annecy audience, heavy on animation students, professionals, and seasoned festival-goers, didn’t just laugh. They exploded.

“I literally felt like I had the audience in my hands,” Tartakovsky recently told Cartoon Brew. “I was thinking: ‘You’re going to be quiet here. You’re going to giggle here. You’re going to laugh here. You’re going to be in shock here.’ It felt like it all landed, and I did a good job. And I don’t get that feeling a lot. So it was a very unique experience.”

Ahead of the film’s August 13 Netflix release, Tartakovsky spoke to us about staying stubborn, leaning into an R rating, and what he’d do if he were getting into the industry today.

Seventeen Years in the Making

The film, a co-production with Sony Pictures Animation and New Line, follows Bull, a fast-talking mutt who learns he’s being neutered in the morning and sets out on a last, wild night with his neighborhood crew to win the heart of show dog Honey. It’s equal parts Lady and the Tramp and The Hangover, filtered through Tartakovsky’s signature eye for caricatured, hand-drawn animation.

The project gestated for nearly two decades. Tartakovsky first conceived it as a tribute to the kind of humor he shared with a group of friends from high school. “They’ll know exactly who’s who,” the director laughed, discussing his inspiration.

“Because it was based on my friends, I felt a responsibility to see it through,” he added. “Then, I wanted other people to see it come to life. I’m very stubborn when it comes to some things… and at this moment in my life, this was what I wanted to do.”

That said, it took the industry some time to catch up to exactly what it was that Tartakovsky wanted to do. “A lot of the time, unfortunately, I’m a bit ahead of the industry. Unicorn [Warriors Eternal] took 20 years to make. This took 17. The hardest thing is getting a green light on something original and unique.”

Going All-In on the R Rating

For Tartakovsky, the decision to make Fixed a full-on rated R feature wasn’t about shock for shock’s sake, but about committing to the premise.

“My pure sensibility is probably softer,” he admitted. “But if you’re doing R-rated, you need to push all the way. Still tastefully, I don’t think there’s anything distasteful here, but fully committed. I didn’t want the criticism of ‘It’s R-rated, but only a little.’ This is hard R, in the best way.”

The familiar warmth of 2D design makes the first minutes disarming, giving off an Oliver and Company vibe. But the humor hits fast, and some viewers may take a moment to adjust. “Once they settle in, there’s a whole movie there,” Tartakovsky said.

Assembling a Dream Team of Animators

Industry veterans will note that Fixed’s animation team reads like a who’s who of top-flight 2D talent. Tartakovsky had been keeping a personal list of animators for years, ready to pounce when the right project came along.

“We had a list of 12, got 10,” he said. “Some passed because of the subject matter, but those who came aboard brought more than I imagined. I expected TV-plus quality. What I got was legit, top-tier feature animation.”

Layouts were handled by Tartakovsky, Craig Kellman, Joe Moshier, Adam Polonian, and Stephen DeStefano, ensuring the design DNA stayed consistent. The animators could then pour their energy into performance and timing rather than wrestling with unclear boards.

The results sparked a kind of friendly arms race. “One animator would see another’s scene and want to top it,” Tartakovsky said. “Especially the younger ones — the quality just kept climbing.”

Timing Is Everything

Tartakovsky says that after a career built making animated series, his experience on Sony’s family-friendly Hotel Transylvania film franchise, where he directed the first three features, sharpened his instincts for theatrical comedy, where test screenings can make or break a gag.

“In TV, you wonder if you should leave time for a laugh, but what if they’re not laughing?” he said. “In features, you sit with an audience, see what works, and adjust. I love the process of fixing a joke that didn’t land, restaging it, retiming it, and then hearing the room roar.”

If He Had to Do It Over, And What’s Next

For all its filth and frenzy, Fixed might also be a bellwether. Tartakovsky sees recent independent success stories as signs that creators now have more ways to break into the industry and keep their creative control.

“If I were 21 now, I’d get a job to pay the bills and make my own content at night until something clicks,” he said. “Nothing’s guaranteed, but if you’ve got the drive, you can do it.”

If Fixed connects with audiences, Tartakovsky is open to more R-rated work, comedy or otherwise. “I have an adult dramatic animated action piece I’d love to do,” he teased. “If this opens the right doors, I’m stepping through.”

But whether it’s generation-defining kids content (Dexter’s Laboratory) prehistoric brutality (Primal), cosmic fantasy (Unicorn: Warriors Eternal), or dogs on a debauched bender, one constant remains: “The fun part is doing something different. Not sitting back. Pushing. That’s the only way forward.”