Thai-inspired Animated Movie Cancelled After Two Years By Sony, Deemed “not Commercial Enough”

A Thai-inspired animated characteristic successful improvement astatine Sony Pictures Animation has been softly shelved aft much than 2 years of work, pinch nan workplace reportedly deciding nan task was “not commercialized capable to produce.”

The cancellation was revealed by animator and writer Matt Braly successful a lengthy Instagram station shared earlier this year. While Braly did not sanction nan workplace directly, Sony Pictures Animation had announced successful 2023 that it was processing a characteristic from Braly alongside writer Rebecca Sugar.

“At nan very commencement of 2025 I received nan unfortunate news that nan movie I had been moving connected for 2+ years astatine a awesome animation workplace would not beryllium moving forward,” Braly wrote.

“I’m ace proud of nan beautiful book that Rebecca Sugar and I wrote together and americium disappointed that you will each apt ne'er get to spot nan film. I had a really supportive improvement team, but nan movie was yet judged arsenic not commercialized capable to produce. I understand these decisions are not made lightly and person thing but respect for nan studio, which continues to put retired astonishing films.”

According to Braly, nan cancelled movie followed a teenage boy who travels into nan world of Thai spirits successful a title against clip earlier a awesome aesculapian procedure. He described it arsenic “a teen boy walking to nan world of Thai spirits successful bid to cure himself conscionable earlier undergoing a very scary & life altering cognition basal to live.”

He added that it was “not a communicative astir uncovering a cure truthful overmuch arsenic it was astir learning to judge one’s unchangeable circumstances pinch grace, and realizing that a different life than expected tin still beryllium a awesome one.”

The task besides carried heavy individual meaning for Braly, who has spoken openly astir surviving pinch a chronic illness. “It was a profoundly individual communicative for maine arsenic I was diagnosed pinch an incurable chronic unwellness astatine a very young property that brought imperishable changes to my lifestyle,” he wrote. “Not only that but it would person been an grant to bring much Thai civilization to nan large screen, a torch I dream personification other picks up.”

While nan movie will not move forward, Braly shared artwork created during development, offering a glimpse into what mightiness person been. “Hopefully you tin adjacent your eyes and ideate really cool nan movie would person been if completed. I won’t dishonesty – this determination really knocked nan upwind retired of maine for a fewer months and I struggled to find enthusiasm to beryllium imaginative again,” he wrote. “With immoderate abstraction though I deliberation nan acquisition has strengthened my resoluteness astir what I’d for illustration to prosecute adjacent and really I’d for illustration to spell astir doing it.”

The cancellation adds to ongoing conversations astir risk, representation, and commercialized viability successful mainstream animation — peculiarly for stories rooted successful non-Western cultures that seldom make it to nan world large screen.

Read more: Netflix Unveils 2026 Southeast Asian Content Featuring Key Filipino, Thai, Indonesian Projects

Meanwhile, Netflix is leaning harder into Southeast Asia pinch a 2026–2027 slate, and nan Thai lineup successful peculiar signals a assured “cinematic renaissance” driven by large section stars and genre range,

Nadech Kugimiya leads Surapong Ploensang’s The Debt Collector as a erstwhile enforcer haunted by his past, while Pimchanok Luevisadpaibul anchors 2 contrasting vehicles—My Dearest Assassin (a young female raised by killers fighting for freedom) and Empress of Flames (a mythical-kingdom revenge drama)

The slate rounds retired pinch header titles for illustration The Evil Lawyer starring Rhatha Phongam and The Red Line by Sitisiri Mongkolsiri (due successful March), astir scam victims taking justness into their ain hands, collectively showcasing Thailand’s existent activity of storytelling crossed gritty thrillers, heightened period/mystical drama, and offbeat tonal swings.