Netflix Plans to Release 6 Original Animated Projects a Year

Netflix is one of the biggest names in the entertainment business, and its sights are set on bigger goals than ever before. Over the years, the streaming platform has become the biggest worldwide thanks to its collection of titles both licensed and original. Now, a brand-new interview confirms Netflix plans to make even more original content, and it will be pushing forward a lot of those originals through animation.

It was Ted Sarandos, the co-CEO of Netlifx, who confirmed the company’s ambitious plans in a recent interview. Variety spoke with the executive, and it was there Sarandos admitted Netflix wants to take its animation schedule to a place no other studio has before.

“Our animation ambition right now is not just to step up and be as big as someone who’s doing it today,” he shared. “We’re on a path to be releasing six animated features a year, which no major studio has ever done, on top of the very healthy slate of animated series.”

Continuing, Sarandos said Netflix is moving into uncharted territory with its lean into animation. While major studios like Dreamworks and Pixar focus on the medium, they do not churn out features like Netflix plans to. That is why the co-CEO says the company’s plan to release six original animated features a year comes down to trust.

“The way we think about those things is not to say, ‘Well, how do we do it like someone else has done it?’ Because no one’s ever really done most of these functions at the scale that we’re doing, and the only way you could do that is to have a really trusted team, who will make decisions and take them seriously and own them,” Sarandos explained.

As you can imagine, this focus is an intriguing one that plays to fans of Western animation and anime. Netflix’s debut of Klaus last year won over skeptics in the stateside while TV shows such as Castlevania have received wide praise from anime lovers. Netflix has been testing the animation waters for years now, and Sarandos promises the company is ready to tackle projects with gusto now. The only question comes down to when Netflix will reach its goal of six features a year. Cartoon Brew suggests the goal could be reached as early as 2022, so all eyes are on Netflix as it works towards this lofty goal.

What do you think about this lofty announcement? Do you think Netflix is on the right track with its original animated projects? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section below or hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB.