Witchy

Witchy would be a 2026 American computer-animated fantasy film directed by Steve Martino and produced by Cornelius Uliano, Michael J. Travers, and Lori Forte, while the screenplay would be written by Daniel Shere and Matt Ember. Produced by Blue Sky Studios and 20th Century Animation, and based on the webcmic of the same name by Airel Slmate Ries, the film would star the voices of Gihana Khan, Jin Xing, Celina Jaitly, and Jason Scott Lee. Ries and Chris Wedge would serve as executive producers, while David Newman would compose the score for the film.

A film adaptation of the webcomic Witchy would start development on early 2023, with Martino set to direct, Travers set to produce, and Ries set to executive-produce the film. Uliano and Forte would join as producers in mid-2023, alongside Shere and Ember as screenwriters. Khan would be cast in the lead role in late 2023, while Xing and Li would join in mid-2024, and Lee would join in late 2024. The filmmakers would watch Japanese anime as inspiration for the film's animation. Ries would also work closely with the writers during production, with her giving suggestions on how to alter the story based on what she feels went wrong with the original version. The film would mark the first animated film in Hollywood to star an Afghan-Indian actress, as well as Blue Sky Studios' first film to feature LGBTQ+ characters. The writers would investigate how both closeted homosexuals and people with dead parents live, for the film's story. The film would also have a somewhat darker tone than most Blue Sky Studios films.

Witchy would be released on February 27, 2026, by 20th Century Studios, and would become a critical and commercial success, Critical praise would be directed towards the film's plot, theme direction, faithfulness to the source material, vocal performances, score, and animation, with several critics calling it one of Blue Sky Studios' best films to date. The film would also earn 970 million dollars at the worldwide box office, becoming the studio's hightest-grossing film. Witchy would earn an Academy Award nomination for Best Animated Feature, as well as an Academy Award for Best Original Score and an Annie Award for Best Film.

Synopsis
Set in a world where magic is real and society judges everything according to length of the hair, Witchy centers on a young woman named Nyneve, who became embittered towards the "Witch Guard" after they killed her father because his hair was so long he was considered an enemy of society. Having long hair herself, Nyneve chooses to hide it with an illusion to avoid being ostracized. However, during a conscription at her school, Nyneve's hair is exposed, causing her to be ridiculed and mocked by her classmates. Nyneve then cuts her hair out of desesperation, but this causes her to be targeted by the Witch Guard. On the run and with her life on the line, Nyneve must make a choice: Survive and join the organization that killed her father, or stand-up for her own beliefs, even if it means death?

Voice cast
Additionally, Wanda Sykes would voice Idra, the teacher in Nyneve's class. Grey Griffin, Nikita Futterman, and Jessica DiCicco would voice Nyneve's classmates.
 * Gihana Khan as Nyneve, a young witch who secretly has long-hair, and who had to deal with the loss of her father ever since he was killed by "Witch Guard" when she was a child.
 * Jin Xing as Prill, a transgender woman who initially bullies Nyneve, but slowly begins to warm up to her.
 * Celina Jaitly as Venda, Nyneve's mother, who withdraw into herself after losing her husband.
 * Jason Scott Lee as Viceroy Jung, Captain Regent of Hyaun, who is hunting down Nyneve for draft dodging.

Trivia

 * The film's opening would be one of Blue Sky Studios' darkest opening sequences, as it would be a near shot-for-shot recreation of the webcomic's first chapter.
 * According to director Steve Martino, the scene would be mostly mute because he would feel a "show-not-tell" approach would make the scene even darker.
 * This would be David Newman's second time scoring for a Blue Sky Studios production, after Ice Age (2005).