Warner Bros. Pictures Animation has announced a new partnership with Hazbin Hotel creator Vivienne Medrano on an original animated musical film called Prehistoria, marking her feature directorial debut, alongside a full slate reveal of upcoming titles at the 2026 Annecy Animation Festival.
President of Warner Bros. Pictures Animation Bill Damaschke announced the Medrano partnership on stage at the studio’s Annecy showcase. Prehistoria is set outside the Hellaverse, the universe Medrano built across Hazbin Hotel and Helluva Boss, and is described as a fossil fantasy world built around an original musical story Medrano has held onto for years.
“To be creating an original story that I have been holding for years, and with Warner Bros. Pictures Animation, a studio whose characters and stories have been a huge part of my life, is truly a dream come true,” Medrano said. “I’m SO excited to share this fossil fantasy world with everyone!”
Fantasy Land News has followed Medrano’s rise closely, from Hazbin Hotel’s Season 2 premiere announcement at NYCC to the one-night-only Hazbin Hotel cast reunion on Broadway last October. Both moments showed just how far Medrano’s fanbase was willing to travel and how loud they were willing to be for her work, and a major studio directing deal is the natural next step in that trajectory.
The Annecy showcase also revealed additional voice cast for Bad Fairies, the studio’s collaboration with Locksmith Animation releasing May 21, 2027, joining previously cast Cynthia Erivo and Ncuti Gatwa with new additions including James Acaster, Serrana Su-Ling Bliss, and Dee Bradley Baker. Bad Fairies is directed by Megan Nicole Dong and co-directed by Olivier Staphylas.
Warner Bros. Pictures Animation’s full upcoming slate, revealed via the studio’s Annecy presentation graphic, includes The Cat in the Hat in 2026, Bad Fairies and Margie Claus in 2027, and Oh, the Places You’ll Go!, Dynamic Duo, Hello Kitty, and The Lunar Chronicles in 2028. The Lunar Chronicles, also from Locksmith Animation, was introduced on stage by Noëlle Raffaele and producer Christina Steinberg and releases worldwide November 3, 2028. The Cat in the Hat, the studio’s latest Dr. Seuss adaptation, was shown with extensive new footage by directors Erica Rivinoja and Alessandro Carloni alongside producer Daniela Mazzucato. Dynamic Duo, produced by Swaybox Studios in partnership with DC Studios, was also previewed, described as a fusion of puppetry, practical artistry, and modern technology built around a coming-of-age story featuring Red Hood and Batman.
Our Take: Medrano’s rise from a self-funded animated pilot to directing an original feature at a major studio is one of the more remarkable creator trajectories in recent animation history. The choice to build Prehistoria entirely outside the Hellaverse is smart. It gives her room to prove she can carry an original world on her own terms, rather than leaning on the built-in audience from Hazbin Hotel. The full slate Warner Bros. revealed alongside her, especially the DC-connected Dynamic Duo, suggests the studio is betting heavily on bold, voice-driven projects through the end of the decade.
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Warner Bros Pictures Animation Reveals Prehistoria From Hazbin Hotel Creator
