‘Toy Story 5’ Hits $1B; China’s Boom Continues; Famous Cartoon Detectives Revisited

Animation made all kids of box office headlines over the weekend, with Toy Story 5 becoming 2026’s highest-grossing film after passing $1 billion worldwide, Pearl Studio’s All Wishes Come True! climbing to number one in China, and the first Chiikawa film topping Japan’s charts with the seventh-best opening day in history.

Several upcoming features are also taking shape. Amazon MGM and Aniventure are developing an animated Mad Hatter film with The Grinch co-director Scott Mosier, while anime legend Rintaro is working on a new Galaxy Express 999 story at Toei Animation nearly half a century after directing the franchise’s first theatrical feature.

In the U.K., Manchester Animation Festival provided one of the most exciting stories of the week when it launched the country’s first feature animation market accelerator, which will pay six emerging producers to develop projects for international financing.

Back in the U.S., Comic-Con brought new footage from Common Side Effects and Regular Show, three extended Futurama specials, and several early renewals. We also exclusively premiered the trailer for Virginia Mori’s Venice-bound short Rock, Paper, Scissors, and marked the 40th anniversary of The Great Mouse Detective with a look back at animation’s greatest investigators.

1. 
   ‘Toy Story 5’ Passes $1 Billion At Global Box Office, 2026’s Highest-Grossing Film So Far

   Pixar’s sequel is 2026’s highest-grossing film so far and is closing in on the worldwide totals of 'Toy Story 3' and 'Toy Story 4.'
2. 
   Venice-Bound Short ‘Rock, Paper, Scissors’ Turns An Amusement Park Into A Coming-Of-Age Nightmare (EXCLUSIVE TRAILER)

   Virginia Mori's dialogue-free 2D short uses pastel amusement park imagery and dark humor to explore childhood’s first encounter with violence.
3. 
   Manchester Animation Festival Launches U.K.’s First Feature Animation Market Accelerator

   Six U.K. projects will receive paid mentorship, market training, and international access for animated features in development.
4. 
   ‘The Great Mouse Detective’ Turns 40: A History Of Animation’s Best Investigators

   For The Great Mouse Detective’s 40th anniversary, Vincent Alexander investigates animated sleuths from silent shorts to modern anime.
5. 
   ‘All Wishes Come True!’ Tops China’s Box Office As Local Animation Boom Continues

   Pearl Studio’s animated fantasy had a $43.8 million weekend as locally produced animation continues its historic run at China’s box office.

6. 
   ‘Chiikawa’ Movie Scores Japan’s No. 1 Opening, Outpaces ‘Detective Conan’

   The manga franchise’s first feature sold 1.51 million tickets and earned $13.7 million across its first three days in Japanese theaters.
7. 
   Amazon MGM Developing Animated Mad Hatter Feature Based On Lewis Carroll’s Character

   The all-new adaptation will be directed by 'The Grinch' co-director Scott Mosier and produced by London's 'Animal Farm' and 'Hitpig!' studio Aniventure.
8. 
   Rintaro Working On New ‘Galaxy Express 999’ Feature At Toei Animation

   Toei Animation will produce the new film, based on an original story concept by the director of the franchise’s classic 1979 original feature.
9. 
   SDCC 2026 Weekend Roundup: ‘Futurama’ Specials, Fan-Favorite Holiday Episodes, And ‘American Dad!’ No. 400

   Three new 'Futurama' specials, holiday episodes from 'Family Guy' and 'Bob’s Burgers,' and 'American Dad!’s' 400th led SDCC’s weekend animation news.
10. 
    SDCC 2026: New Looks At ‘Common Side Effects’ S2 And ‘Regular Show,’ Plus Three Early Renewals

    Adult Swim offered fresh footage while Cartoon Network, Hasbro, and Warner Bros. revealed renewals, new episodes, and series plans.