Two days removed from the President Curtis world‑premiere news, Adult Swim kept the momentum going at Annecy with a fresh batch of reveals — the kind of follow‑up slate that makes it clear the network didn’t fly to France with just one headline in its suitcase. Annecy has become Adult Swim’s preferred stage for creator‑driven chaos, and this year they’re treating the festival like a multi‑day rollout: premieres, panels, first looks, and surprises stacked on top of each other. If Curtis was the opening shot, today’s announcements are the reminder that Adult Swim’s pipeline is wide, weird, and very much alive.
Heist Brothers led the second wave — Genndy Tartakovsky’s newest high‑octane animated action comedy, officially greenlit after last year’s live onstage pitch that felt like watching a heist movie unfold in real time. Now fully ordered for ten quarter‑hours at Cartoon Network Studios, the series follows three Frog brothers robbing a bank with execution described only as “special as !#&$??!!!!” It’s pure Genndy energy: loud, stylish, and proudly unhinged. Annecy was the perfect place to confirm it’s happening.
Adult Swim also announced two new Robot Chicken specials, including one celebrating the network’s 25‑year milestone — and in true Robot Chicken fashion, they’re not just hitting the obvious Adult Swim icons. Sure, Smiling Friends, Aqua Teen, Metalocalypse, and Venture Bros. are all onboard the cruise‑ship‑from‑hell, but the special also digs deep into the vault with appearances from Saul of the Molemen, Black Jesus, Eagleheart, Assy McGee and other shows only long‑time Adult Swim lifers remember at 2AM. It’s a full‑network disaster parody, the kind of “we remembered everything you forgot” energy Robot Chicken excels at. A second special is already in production for Cartoon Network’s 35th anniversary, proving the stop‑motion institution is still firing off sketches faster than anyone can count.
Speaking of the Cartoon Network side, the upcoming 35th anniversary docuseries got its first spotlight — a five‑part deep dive into the channel’s evolution from a library of classic animation to a creator‑driven powerhouse. Archival footage, new interviews, and a full historical sweep from Burbank to Atlanta. It’s the kind of retrospective that’s going to hit every generation differently, depending on whether your childhood was Dexter’s Lab, Adventure Time, or the era where CN decided chaos was a programming strategy. Certainly not the first documentary about Cartoon Network or Adult Swim (oh, hey blonde and skinnier John).
The festival also hosted a work‑in‑progress panel for Common Side Effects Season 2, with Joe Bennett, Steve Hely, Benjy Brooke, and Camille Bozec offering an early look at the next chapter of the Peabody‑winning series. The footage leans even harder into the show’s grounded‑surreal “pure cinema” vibe — quiet intensity, sharp writing, and visuals that feel unlike anything else on Adult Swim’s slate.
Finally, Annecy delivered the first‑look screening of My Two Cars, the upcoming animated series from Joe Pera and Dan Licata. The pilot screened exclusively at the festival, followed by Adult Swim revealing the show’s opening credits. Pera’s tone translates surprisingly well into animation — gentle, odd, and deeply specific — and the crowd responded exactly how you’d expect an Annecy audience to respond to a show about a man and his two cars.
Plenty more to come as Adult Swim’s Annecy slate continues to roll out. Below, you’ll find images, trailers, and the full press materials for each project.
ADULT SWIM ANNOUNCES
HEIST BROTHERS, NEW ROBOT CHICKEN SPECIALS, AND EXPANDED SLATE AT ANNECY INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVALFestival Programming Included the World Premiere of President Curtis, a First Look at My Two Cars, and a Preview of Season Two of Common Side Effects
BURBANK (June 26, 2026) – Adult Swim returned to the Annecy International Animation Film Festival with a broad slate of announcements and first looks, underscoring its continued commitment to bold, creator‑driven animation. Highlights include the greenlight of Heist Brothers, a new series from Genndy Tartakovsky, new Robot Chicken specials celebrating the network’s legacy, a forthcoming Cartoon Network documentary event marking its 35th anniversary, and updates across upcoming original programming.
“Annecy is always a great reminder of what happens when you give talented people the space to take big risks.” said Michael Ouweleen, President, Adult Swim. “That’s what we like to think we are doing at Adult Swim – whether it’s working with Genndy on the absolute bonkers Heist Brothers, to working with Joe Pera and Dan Licata on their first animated series, or showcasing the pure cinema which is the upcoming season Common Side Effects, we’re continuing our 25-year legacy of giving creators space to make something great and surprising. We love where we’ve come from, we love even more where we are going”
Adult Swim has greenlit Heist Brothers, a new high-octane animated action comedy from Emmy® Award–winning creator Genndy Tartakovsky. The visionary behind groundbreaking series including Dexter’s Laboratory, Samurai Jack, Star Wars: Clone Wars, Sym-Bionic Titan, and Genndy Tartakovsky’s Primal, Tartakovsky originally pitched Heist Brothers live onstage to Adult Swim President Michael Ouweleen during the network’s Studio Focus Panel in 2024. The presentation gave attendees a rare opportunity to witness firsthand the process of a creator unveiling a brand-new series concept in real time. Announced as in development as Heist_Safari at last year’s Annecy, that pitch has now come to fruition with Heist Brothers officially receiving a full-season order for Adult Swim.
Currently in production at Cartoon Network Studios, Heist Brothers consists of ten quarter-hour episodes.
Heist Brothers tells the story of three Frog brothers robbing a bank. Seems simple enough, but the execution is special as !#&$??!!!!
Adult Swim’s Emmy® Award–winning stop‑motion comedy series Robot Chicken, from co‑creators Seth Green and Matthew Senreich, will return with two new specials—this time turning the spotlight on its own network.
The fan‑favorite parody series will celebrate Adult Swim’s 25‑year milestone with Robot Chicken Adult Swim Special, premiering Sunday, August 30 ET/PT on Adult Swim. Available to stream the next day on HBO Max, the special skewers the network’s legacy with the show’s signature rapid‑fire sketches, taking on some of Adult Swim’s most iconic series, characters, and moments.
Every iconic character in Adult Swim’s history is aboard a cruise ship celebrating a quarter century on the air, but toasts turn to screams as it develops into a disaster of titanic proportions! Will the stars of Smiling Friends, Aqua Teen Hunger Force, Metalocalypse, Assy McGee, Venture Bros., and dozens more survive? Or meet a watery doom? This half-hour Robot Chicken special commemorating 25 years of TV’s most groundbreaking and perplexing programming!
Additionally, the celebrated stop‑motion series is also in production on a second special, this one setting its sights on Cartoon Network’s legendary series and characters. The special will commemorate Cartoon Networks’ 35th anniversary with a debut planned for 2027.
For more than 20 years, Robot Chicken has delivered lightning‑fast sketches, earning 23 Emmy® nominations and six wins, most recently in 2022 for Outstanding Short Form Animated Program. Robot Chicken is produced for Adult Swim by Stoopid Buddy Stoodios.
In 2027, Cartoon Network will celebrate its 35th birthday! The mid-30s tend to be a time of nostalgic reflection—so what better way to celebrate this milestone than with a deep-dive, five-part docuseries? Be transported to your childhood (or early adulthood) with an exploration of the network and its many eras—from its beginnings, built on a library of classic animation, to its emergence as a risk-taking, creator-driven home for original storytelling.
Adult Swim also highlighted its ongoing slate of creator‑driven programming through a series of special presentations at this year’s Annecy International Animation Film Festival. The network hosted a work‑in‑progress panel for season two of Common Side Effects, offering attendees an exclusive early look at the next chapter of the acclaimed series. Featuring co-creators Joe Bennett and Steve Hely, Supervising Director Benjy Brooke and Director Camille Bozec, the panel gave a first look of the upcoming season of the Peabody and Annie Award-winning series.
Annecy also set the stage for a first‑look screening of My Two Cars. Co-creators Joe Pera and Dan Licata, Supervising Director Joe Bennett, Director Chase Trotto and Adult Swim’s Head of Development Cameron Tang debuted the pilot episode exclusively at the festival. Later, Adult Swim revealed the opening credits to the forthcoming show, now in production.
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New York-based John J. is the Creator/EiC for [adult swim] central and founder of the Art Comedy Pop-Culture Network. He has hosted podcasts like The Swimcast and Pop-Culture Anonymous, among others.
