In May 2024, Netflix unveiled its plans for a new animated series set in the enchanting universe of Minecraft, a franchise originally crafted by Mojang and now under the umbrella of Microsoft. The intellectual property has continued to flourish, particularly following the release of a live-action film by Warner Bros. featuring Jack Black. Recent updates from the Annecy Film Festival 2025 have shed light on the series’ development.
To recap, the project is being developed by WildBrain, which mentioned it in their Q1 2025 fiscal report as “the Minecraft development project with Netflix.” Netflix officially confirmed the series on May 30, 2024, aligning with the 15th anniversary of the game’s launch. However, details surrounding the show have been sparse since that announcement.
Insights from the Annecy Animation Film Festival
The silence was broken during the Netflix Series Animation presentation at the Annecy Animation Film Festival, where Dominique Bazay took the stage to discuss Netflix’s family spectacle offerings. This initiative is one of four key pillars in Netflix’s animated content strategy, alongside Kids + Pre-School, Adult Comedy, and Adult Spectacle.
“We’re very excited to bring an animated series in the Minecraft world to Netflix,” Bazay expressed to an enthusiastic audience. “We’re deep in collaboration with our friends at Mojang Studios, the creators of Minecraft, on the development of this brand new animated series. The love for this game is undeniable, as you’ve seen in the last few months. There are fans of all ages, and I’m very proud that our creative team on this show are huge fans as well. They play the game all the time and have really developed a love for the self-expression it inspires.”
The creative helm of the series will be led by Kevin Adams and Joe Ksander, who will serve as executive producers and showrunners. This duo, represented by Kinetic Media, previously collaborated with Netflix on the animated feature film NEXT GEN, released in September 2018. Their past projects also include TMNT: We Strike Hard and Fade Away Into the Night and the animated film 9.
Speaking about their vision, Bazay noted, “Obviously, they want to make something authentic and familiar to Minecraft, but also create a universe that is a new experience for fans. We want to delight those long-time fans, but we want new fans also to come in through this series.”
Joining the creative team is A.C. Bradley, known for her work on Marvel’s What If…? animation series and her collaboration with Guillermo del Toro on the Tales of Arcadia franchise for Netflix. Bradley will lead the writing team for the series.
Additionally, Netflix confirmed that Flying Bark, an Australian animation studio, is a key partner in the project. This studio has previously contributed to notable titles such as Stranger Things: Tales from ’85, the Ghostbusters animated series, and the Clash of Clans series.
During the presentation, Netflix also showcased several pieces of artwork and concepts for the new series, providing a glimpse into its visual style. While remaining true to the iconic blocky aesthetic of the video game, the visuals appear to be a significant upgrade, reminiscent of Minecraft with enhanced graphics, akin to having RTX enabled. One still depicted an interior scene with light rays filtering through, while another featured a close-up of a leaf adorned with blocky water droplets. However, no character designs were revealed at this stage.
For those eager to stay updated on all the announcements from the Annecy Film Festival, a comprehensive recap is available, and further insights can be found on What’s on Netflix in the days to come.
