World Animation Summit 2026 Announces New Speakers and Hall of Fame Honorees
The 14th annual World Animation Summit has expanded its 2026 speaker lineup to include more than 120 industry professionals, featuring high-profile creators such as Stephen Curry, voice star Bill Hader, and Simpsons executive producer Tim Long, animationmagazine.net reported.
Temperatures are cooling, but plans for the three-day event are heating up with additions to the schedule running from November 16 to 18 at North Hollywood’s historic The Garland hotel, animationmagazine.net reported. Animation World Network noted that the summit features panels, keynotes, and a Hall of Fame Awards ceremony opening the program on November 16.
Who is opening the official programming?
The panels on Monday, November 16 open with a creative keynote titled Animated Family Tale, animationmagazine.net reported. The session focuses on how the producers adapted Sarah Leavitt’s autobiographical graphic novel about a family facing an Alzheimer’s diagnosis into the animated feature Tangles.
Which special guests and honorees fill out the schedule?
Monday afternoon features Bill Hader discussing the making of Warner Bros. Pictures Animation’s Dr. Seuss adaptation during The Cat’s Meow at 3 p.m., animationmagazine.net reported. The opening day closes with a gala celebration honoring Animation Magazine’s 2026 Hall of Fame Award recipients, which include Brad Bird for Ray Gunn, Joel Crawford and Januel Mercado for Forgotten Island, Marge Dean of Skybound Entertainment, Tyree Dillihay for GOAT, Raúl García and Ervin Han for The Violinist, LAIKA as Studio of the Year, Candi Milo for Coyote vs. Acme, and Sam Register of Warner Bros. Animation, according to animationmagazine.net and Animation World Network.
Animation World Network reported that additional speakers across the three days include Dana Terrace, Kristine Belson, Peter Ramsey, Yvett Merino, and Jorge R. Gutierrez. Presenters for the awards include Stephen Curry, Khary Payton, Tara Strong, producer and new WIA president Jinko Gotoh, animator and historian Tom Sito, and Wildwood voice star Jacob Tremblay, animationmagazine.net stated.
What panels are scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday?
Tim Long joins the Tuesday lineup at 9:30 a.m. to discuss FOX’s long-running series in a session titled Springfield Confidential, animationmagazine.net reported. Later on Tuesday, Titmouse executive creative director Alexei Shay appears on the Your 2026 Animation Survival Package panel alongside Frank Falcone, Bob Higgins, and Karen Miller, with moderation by Athena Georgaklis.
Wednesday’s schedule introduces a 1 p.m. panel titled How We Made Our Show without an Official Greenlight, animationmagazine.net reported. Independent creators including Happy Tree Friends creator John Evershed, MetaBull’s Aaron Simpson, The Wingfeather Saga executive producer Chris Wall, Stoopid Buddy Stoodios co-founder Eric Towner, and Blank Stare Productions’ John Derevlany discuss alternative financing and agile production pipelines.
Closing out the summit on Wednesday evening, the 6:15 p.m. session titled The Year’s Top Shorts in the Spotlight adds The View director Alli Sadegiani and Addicted to It director Nigel Tierney to a panel moderated by Toby Cochran, animationmagazine.net reported. Animation World Network noted that an awards-season shorts screening and a shorts contenders panel also close the program on November 18.
Passes and the complete schedule for the 14th World Animation Summit at The Garland hotel are available at animationmagazine.net, with the event trailer produced by Salil Bhayani, composer and founder of cAMP Studio.
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