Lilly (film)

Lilly is a 2026 American computer-animated action comedy science fiction film produced by Sony Pictures Animation and written and directed by Genndy Tartakovsky. It stars Kimiko Glenn as the title character, a girl who discovers she is actually a non-player character in a massively multiplayer online video game and becomes the hero of the story, trying to save her friends from deletion by the game's owner. Anya Taylor-Joy, Tom Holland, Liza Koshy, Danny Pudi and Kevin Hart also star. The film received universal acclaim from critics, who praised the concept, humor, voice acting, action sequences, themes, musical score and compared it favorably to science fiction films and action video games such as Ready Player One, The Truman Show, The Matrix, Grand Theft Auto, and Fortnite. The film won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature, and was nominated for Best Original Score and Best Original Screenplay.

Cast
Kimiko Glenn as Lilly (Pink-Haired Girl), a little girl who is a non-player character (NPC) who is initially unaware that she is a video game character.

Anya Taylor-Joy as Chloe Smith / Nuke Girl, a player looking for source codes to her original game, Real, inside the game.

Tom Holland as Michael McSamson, an employee of Sand Studios who previously helped Chloe develop her game Real.

Liza Koshy as Laura, Lilly's best friend.

Danny Pudi as Deepak, Michael's co-worker.

Kevin Hart as Gary Marsden, the ruthless and narcissistic CEO of Sand Studios.

Release
The film was released on May 15, 2026.

Music
The film's score was composed by Christophe Beck.

Opening logos






Critical reception
The film has an approval rating of 98% on Rotten Tomatoes. The website's critics consensus reads, "Combining a clever concept, sweet, self-aware humor, striking animation, and a charming cast, Lilly is frivolous fun."

Trivia

 * It is the fifth Sony Pictures Animation film to win the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature
 * It is the sixth animated film and first non-Disney/Pixar film to be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture
 * The film won Genndy Tartakovsky his first Academy Award, in addition to being nominated for Best Original Screenplay and Best Director, becoming the first animator to be nominated for the latter
 * The film was inspired by Free Guy