Crunchyroll Looks Beyond Japanese Anime, Eyes European Collaborations Like ‘The Wolf,’ ‘Dreamland’

During a panel at the 2026 Annecy International Animation Film Festival, Crunchyroll EVP of Global Commerce and Head of Theatrical Mitchel Berger told an audience of enthusiastic fans, “There’s never been a better time to be an anime fan.” The biggest announcement at the panel was Crunchyroll’s commitment to collaborating with European animation studios to create new anime-inspired works.

The streamer recently announced that it has boarded Xilam’s upcoming adult animated feature The Wolf, acquiring worldwide subscription video-on-demand distribution rights (excluding Japan and China) for the adaptation of Jean-Marc Rochette’s graphic novel. Additionally, Crunchyroll is working with French studios La Chouette Compagnie and Ellipse Animation on Dreamland, an adaptation of the French manga of the same name.

Berger emphasized the importance of the French market, as well as the French animation industry, calling France “one of the highest-growth markets” for Crunchyroll. These two titles are a first step toward more European collaborations for the streamer, blurring the line of what makes an anime, well, anime.

This is nothing new, of course. Netflix has found great success in labeling virtually any adult animated show on its platform as anime, regardless of its country of origin. As Berger said during the presentation, anime has become so commonplace that it is influencing every type of media, whether music, games, or live-action film and television. If it looks like anime, sounds like anime, and is made by people whose biggest influences are anime, why not stream it on Crunchyroll alongside all the other anime?

Indeed, Crunchyroll is looking to do more production of its own titles in addition to licensing Japanese anime. Earlier this year, the streamer held a contest at AnimeJapan, awarding young animators and streaming their short-film entries on the platform. The goal is to help create the next generation of anime creators and, hopefully, plant the seeds for future Crunchyroll collaborations.

This diversification comes as Crunchyroll boasts impressive growth in 2026. According to Berger, the streamer now has 21 million subscribers worldwide, more than double its total from four years ago. It recently launched in Poland, opening a new avenue for subscriber growth. The company has also expanded localization on the platform, offering subtitles or dubs in 17 languages as of this year.

Anime fans are everywhere, Berger said, whether they are celebrities proudly proclaiming their fandom and influence or younger audiences flooding theaters to catch the latest anime blockbuster. According to a Crunchyroll survey, 54% of Gen Z and 60% of Gen Alpha viewers are anime fans who watch anime daily.

“We want to supercharge that fandom,” Berger said before presenting some of the major projects Crunchyroll is distributing in theaters and at home. At Annecy, the streamer is presenting Sekiro: No Defeat, an adaptation of the popular 2019 FromSoftware game. It is also distributing the much-anticipated follow-up to the record-breaking global phenomenon Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba The Movie: Infinity Castle. Though no details about the new film were shared, the mere mention of Demon Slayer elicited loud cheers from the crowd.

Anime is not going anywhere. Crunchyroll is growing, and with it, a possible new understanding of what constitutes anime and who gets to make it.