Hollywood's Adult Animation Is Finally Catching Up to the World

Published Oct 28, 2026, 8:00 AM EDT

Waits’ more notable role this year is as Eyera (pronounced like "Ira"), the alien sidekick in Brad Bird’s noir sci-fi mashup Ray Gunn. However, he gets an equally important, if slightly lower-billed part in Laika studio’s new stop-motion fantasy epic, Wildwood, in which he plays Maksim, the ravenous, bipedal coyote leading an army of wild canines as part of the villain’s diabolical plan. (No spoilers for a film that’s still in theaters, but that plan involves murdering children.)

Wildwood and Ray Gunn also have one other thing in common: they’re animated films that tackle mature ideas and seem more aimed at adults than small children. Ray Gunn gestures at complex themes like sex, blackmail, and racism (that last one gets explored through the lens of a segregated future where humans and aliens inhabit a “separate but equal” society), although a PG rating keeps it from showing anything beyond a charged kiss or an aliens-only hospital.

Meanwhile, Wildwood tackles thorny topics like grief and trauma head-on, with a PG-13 rating that makes room for moments of genuine fear and violence. My eyes went wide in shock when the main antagonist charged into battle and immediately decapitated a human enemy in the midst of a massive set-piece that rivals The Lord of the Rings’ best moments. Small children might struggle with this one.

To be clear, neither of these movies are inappropriate for kids. Even Wildwood is probably safe for most young audience members compared to whatever horrors they’ve already passively scrolled on YouTube. But these are movies that seem made for adults first and foremost, which is surprisingly still a rare occurrence in Hollywood even more than two decades after Hayao Miyazaki won his first Oscar for Spirited Away. (Another fantasy movie with complex themes and storytelling wrapped in beautiful, hand-made visuals.)

Beyond animation, fantasy seems to be having a more adult moment in general. Wicker is a sex comedy with a fantastical twist (Olivia Coleman plays a lonely fisherwoman who falls in love with a magical man made of wicker built for her by a local basket weaver) that’s getting rave reviews. Even the public domain “Pinocchio-verse,” horror films, which seemingly began as a cash grab, have evolved into a popular dark-fantasy franchise — Pinocchio Unstrung arrived earlier this year. In 2027, Greta Gerwig will unveil her big-budget adaptation of Narnia, and if Barbie proved anything, it’s that Gerwig can turn a beloved IP into a thoughtful, entertaining story with broad appeal.

Next year is slightly less promising when it comes to animation in general. I’m excited for Gatto, Pixar’s next original film with a hand-painted aesthetic, and optimistic that Beyond the Spider-Verse will continue to push the boundaries of filmmaking while successfully closing out the trilogy. But nothing quite like Wildwood or Ray Gunn seems to be on the horizon any time soon.

That makes sense. Both movies were in the works for over a decade (or longer) and are clearly huge labors of love from their creators. I just hope these films inspire even more movie studios to bet big on animation for adults, fantasy or otherwise. And when in doubt, it never hurts to cast Tom Waits in a supporting role, either.

This story is part of Polygon's latest special issue, Happily Never After: A Week of Adult Fairy Tales, brought to you by The Wolf Among Us Remastered, out on Oct. 29.