Big Stories, Bold Genres: How Toonz is Shaping It’s Feature Film Future
Toonz has always been known for its deep roots in animation, growing steadily from a service studio into a global content creator with strong IPs, distribution networks, and digital platforms. Today, as the company enters its 26th year, feature films represent the next natural chapter in that evolution. At the centre of this journey is Gulshan David, Head of Feature Films at Toonz, whose career spans over 15 years across sales, distribution, and international studio operations. Based in Spain, Gulshan plays a key role in shaping Toonz’s feature film slate, deciding what stories get greenlit, how they are positioned globally, and why Toonz increasingly backs projects that go beyond traditional animation boundaries.
An Organic Evolution into Feature Films
While the feature film division may seem new, the philosophy behind it isn’t. Toonz’s growth into features has been deliberate and organic.
“We started as a service studio, then moved into co-productions, built our own IPs, and eventually created our own distribution ecosystem,” Gulshan explains. “Feature films is just another natural step in that journey and it made complete sense for us.”
Having in-house control over distribution has been a game changer. It allows Toonz to stay closer to the market, read trends early, and align creative ambition with commercial strategy, something that wasn’t always possible when sales were handled externally.
“When you control sales, you control the narrative,” he says. “More importantly, you have your ear to the ground. You know what’s coming.”
Exploring New Genres: The Banquet for Hungry Ghosts
One of the most distinctive projects in Toonz’s current slate is The Banquet for Hungry Ghosts, a horror anthology adapted from a book and rooted deeply in Asian folklore and cultural memory.
Horror, Gulshan believes, is timeless, but it becomes powerful when treated with nuance.
The anthology draws from traditions across South and Southeast Asia, stories where the supernatural is subtle, emotional, and metaphorical rather than reliant on jump scares. Each chapter is set in a different city, produced by studios across Singapore, Indonesia, and other regions, before being brought together through a unified
narrative and post-production pipeline involving Toonz’s international partners.
“For me, a ghost can also be memory,” Gulshan reflects. “You’re tasting something, and suddenly you remember someone you’ve lost. That feeling can become supernatural.”
Pierre the Pigeon Hawk: A Milestone Feature
On the other end of the tonal spectrum is Pierre the Pigeon Hawk, Toonz’s highly anticipated animated feature scheduled for release in 2026. After nearly three years of production, the film represents a major milestone for the studio.
“This is the year,” Gulshan says confidently. “We’re in the final stretch.”
With a strong voice cast, high-quality animation, and a story that blends comedy and heart, the film has already been showcased at multiple festivals and markets, receiving encouraging feedback, especially given its scale and production origin.
“It’s never a smooth journey,” he admits. “Animation takes patience. There are always ups and downs. But this film sets the tone for who we are becoming as a feature film studio.”
Building a Bold, Diverse Slate
What sets Toonz apart in the feature space is the intention behind its slate. Rather than focusing solely on CGI kids’ films, the studio is actively exploring a wide range of formats and genres.
“We want a slate that respects the boundaries of animation and also pushes them,” Gulshan says. “Animation isn’t one genre. It’s a medium.”
This diversity is central to Toonz’s long-term vision: telling meaningful stories with strong filmmakers, across cultures, and across formats.
Why Filmmakers Choose Toonz
For Gulshan, success in feature films comes down to partnerships.
“Animation is a long process,” he says. “You must like the people you work with. You’re going to spend years together.”
Toonz’s strength lies not just in experience, but in its global infrastructure, production in India, post-production in Ireland, creative hubs in Europe and beyond, allowing filmmakers to bring together talent, technology, and investment under one umbrella.
“We’re strategically placed to help stories come to life,” he says simply.
Looking Ahead
As global audiences become more open to regional cinema, anime, and unconventional storytelling, Toonz is positioning itself at the intersection of creativity and strategy. From culturally rooted horror to heartfelt animated features, the studio’s
feature film slate reflects confidence, curiosity, and ambition.
“We want to make great stories,” Gulshan says. “For kids, for families, and for anyone who loves movies.”
And with projects like Pierre the Pigeon Hawk and The Banquet for Hungry Ghosts, that vision is already taking shape.