{"slug": "saga-of-rex-trailer-disney-health-cuts-toxic-fandoms", "title": "‘Saga Of Rex’ Trailer; Disney Health Cuts; Toxic Fandoms", "summary": "Michel Gagné, a veteran of 'The Iron Giant,' 'Ratatouille,' and 'Spider-Verse,' unveiled the first trailer for 'The Saga of Rex,' a 60-minute hand-drawn feature he created, directed, and animated almost entirely by himself over 14 years. Meanwhile, Disney announced it will end health coverage for thousands of employees' spouses in 2027 while committing at least $9 billion this year to stock buybacks, and WildBrain acquired Personality AI, the generative AI company behind 'Hey Peppa Pig,' in a deal with $11 million in upfront cash and shares plus up to $58 million in additional payments.", "body_md": "[Newsletter](https://www.cartoonbrew.com/newsletter)\n\n# ‘Saga Of Rex’ Trailer; Disney Health Cuts; Toxic Fandoms\n\n### Stay informed with free updates\n\nSign up to get our news digest — delivered directly to your inbox twice a week.\n\nOver the weekend, Michel Gagné unveiled the first trailer for *The Saga of Rex*, an hour-long hand-drawn feature he spent 14 years creating and animating almost entirely by himself. We’ll revisit the nearly-finished film soon with a more expansive feature article, but the trailer alone is well worth watching several times.\n\nLess uplifting news hit this week when Disney decided to end health coverage for thousands of employees’ spouses. North of the border, WildBrain purchased the kids’ generative AI company behind *Hey Peppa Pig *in a deal that could approach nearly $70 million. We also took a look at the ugly and inorganic backlash surrounding *Lesbian Space Princess*, which represents online fandom at its worst.\n\nIt’s been a particularly big week so far for anime. Toei announced two new *One Piece* films, *God Valley* and *Bāad*, for 2027 and 2029; Science Saru shared a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at the production of *Jaadugar: A Witch in Mongolia*; and GKIDS picked up Yoshiaki Kawajiri’s gothic classic *Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust* for a new North American theatrical and home entertainment release, and the Crunchyroll Anime Forum scored a high-profile list of speakers including Guillermo del Toro, James Gunn, and *Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse* directors Bob Persichetti and Justin K. Thompson.\n\nCheck out these stories and more at [cartoonbrew.com](http://cartoonbrew.com).\n\n-\nMichel Gagné Unveils The First Trailer For ‘The Saga Of Rex,’ A Solo Hand-Drawn Feature 14 Years In The Making'The Iron Giant,' 'Ratatouille,' and 'Spider-Verse' veteran Michel Gagné created, directed, and animated the 60-minute feature almost entirely by himself.\n-\nThe ‘Lesbian Space Princess’ Backlash Shows Online Fandom At Its WorstCriticism of 'Lesbian Space Princess' is fair game, but the ugly online campaign against the film and its creators feels feels cruel, targeted, and inorganic.\n-\nDisney To End Health Coverage For Thousands Of Employees’ SpousesDisney will limit spousal health coverage in 2027 while committing at least $9 billion this year to stock buybacks intended to support shareholder value.\n-\n‘Peanuts’ Studio WildBrain Acquires ‘Hey Peppa Pig’ GenAI Company Personality AIThe company behind 'Hey Peppa Pig' joins WildBrain in a deal with $11 million in upfront cash, shares, and up to $58 million in additional payments.\n-\nScience Saru Has Posted A Brilliant BTS Video For One Of The Year’s Best New Series, ‘Jaadugar: A Witch in Mongolia’Naoko Yamada, Abel Góngora, and Kenichi Yoshida reveal how the studio translated Tomato Soup’s singular manga artwork and pacing into animation.\n\n-\nTwo New ‘One Piece’ Movies Announced For 2027 And 2029Toei Animation will release 'One Piece Film God Valley' in summer 2027, followed by the mysterious Oda-designed 'One Piece Film Baad' in 2029.\n-\nGuillermo Del Toro, James Gunn, Bob Persichetti, And Justin K. Thompson To Headline Crunchyroll Anime ForumThe inaugural Anime Future Forum will bring leading filmmakers and Japanese animation executives to New York on October 7.\n-\nMiyu, Les Films Du Préau Will Bring Joeri Christiaen’s Modern-Day Fable ‘The Wolf’s Dinner’ To TheatersThe 30-minute Blender-made special follows a courageous young lamb whose encounter with a mysterious wolf challenges her clan’s inherited fears and prejudices.\n-\nPixar’s ‘Cars’ Will Return To Theaters For Its 20th Anniversary This FallThe 2006 Pixar fan-favorite will race back into theaters on September 4 as Disney continues its year-long anniversary celebration.\n-\nGKIDS Acquires Yoshiaki Kawajiri’s Gothic Anime Classic ‘Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust’GKIDS will bring Yoshiaki Kawajiri’s gothic anime classic back to North American theaters in a new HD master, followed by a home entertainment release.", "url": "https://wpnews.pro/news/saga-of-rex-trailer-disney-health-cuts-toxic-fandoms", "canonical_source": "https://www.cartoonbrew.com/newsletter/saga-of-rex-trailer-disney-health-cuts-toxic-fandoms-265948.html", "published_at": "2026-08-25 16:43:51+00:00", "updated_at": "2026-08-25 17:43:26.489739+00:00", "lang": "en", "topics": ["generative-ai"], "entities": ["Michel Gagné", "The Saga of Rex", "Disney", "WildBrain", "Personality AI", "Hey Peppa Pig"], "alternates": {"html": "https://wpnews.pro/news/saga-of-rex-trailer-disney-health-cuts-toxic-fandoms", "markdown": "https://wpnews.pro/news/saga-of-rex-trailer-disney-health-cuts-toxic-fandoms.md", "text": "https://wpnews.pro/news/saga-of-rex-trailer-disney-health-cuts-toxic-fandoms.txt", "jsonld": "https://wpnews.pro/news/saga-of-rex-trailer-disney-health-cuts-toxic-fandoms.jsonld"}}