Introduction
Hello, fellow adventurers! Blaziker has returned to begin the first adventure for the second half of 2026, so after the mid-year recap, it is time we set sail once again!
The first movie, Lydia and the Mist Rider, is another Canadian family-friendly animated movie, focuses on a girl in search of her missing brother with the help of powerful constellations she can create from her memories. This is not my first time dealing with the animation studio involved in this movie, 10th Ave Studios, as I covered Katak: The Brave Beluga back in 2024, which is surprisingly decent. Now that I covered another one of their movies, will it be as good?
The second movie, Papa Zola: The Movie, is the newest movie from the spin-off of the popular BoBoBoi animated series about a former secret operative turned delivery rider, who is on a hunt to find his missing daughter who was kidnapped by aliens. Even as someone who has travelled to Malaysia many, many times, I am behind the times when it comes to popular Malaysian animated franchises, especially BoBoBoi and its spinoffs, so this will be my first foray into one of their series. Will this movie win me over?
The third movie, Bouchra, centres on a queer Moroccan jackal having a series of phone conversations with her mother as she deals with writer’s block while working on her first film. This was a movie released last year as part of the Singapore International Film Festival, but I held off watching it as a few of my friends who had seen it did not like it. Fast forward to now, and considering its high 3.8 Letterboxd score and a few more of my friends ended up liking it, and I have an online copy of it, well, I guess it is worth covering it then. Will this end up becoming a surprise?
The fourth movie, Master Zhong, is a new Chinese animated movie focusing a deity who is a demon vanquisher by trade. Given there is a lack of Chinese animated movies this year (with the only notable one being Tana, which I covered at Annecy earlier), it was about damn time I returned to covering Chinese animated movies. Despite being released in China 3 years after its festival debut, is this going to be a dud?
The fifth movie, Rally – From Paris to the Pyramids, is based on the legendary Norweigan stop-motion flick “The Pinchcliffe Grand Prix” with inventor Reodor Felgen and his animal friends competing in a legendary rally race with their legendary car at their disposal. While I am new to the Pinchcliffee Grand Prix franchise, I am no stranger to Qvisten Animation, the animation studio that produced one of my biggest favourites of last year with Spermageddon. Will this movie rise up to the challenge?
The sixth and final movie, Paw Patrol: The Dino Movie, is the third instalment in the Paw Patrol movie series and this time, the Paw Patrol ended up in a faraway island populated by dinosaurs. Well, considering how much I did not mind the two Paw Patrol movies I saw in theatres, and that the third one seems different compared to the usual formula, maybe there is a chance I like this movie more. Is this the case?
Alright then, let’s begin our first adventure of the 2nd half of 2026!
Lydia and the Mist Rider
Key Information
- Directors: Nancy Florence Savard, Emille Rosas and Philippe Arseneau Bussieres
- Animation Studio: 10th Ave
- Country of Origin: Canada
- Rating: PG
- Release date: 20 February 2026 (in Canada)
Trailer
The Review
I got to be honest, I was curious about this movie considering this was by the same studio behind Katak: The Brave Beluga, but after seeing Lydia and the Mist Rider, I just did not feel that same level of passion with it.
Perhaps it was because there are so many great family-friendly animated movies that are more than just entertainment filler that I was tired out with the overall experience. The writing is solid and technically competent, even if I feel the world-building and character development felt shallow. It may be too insulting, but there were not enough standouts within this movie for me to care about regarding the writing.
The same can be said for the animation. Sure, this is the typical family-friendly foreign CG animated movie style that I am very familiar with, but if the likes of Chickenhare and the Secret of the Groundhog earlier this year and Brave Cat last month at Annecy show, even family-friendly foreign CG animated movies can end up being very memorable thanks to having different feeling animation styles that stand out among the sea of that sub-category, that I feel the animation style in Lydia not vibing much with me.
You could say the same thing for the movie’s minor elements, and as for my level of enjoyment, perhaps it was because I saw a lot of fantastic family-friendly animated movies this year that I think my expectation for these have been set much higher. Given the lack of standouts of these types of animated movies prior to 2026, and that I covered way, way too many family-friendly foreign CG animated movies to know how to spot a good one from a mostly bad one, I felt indifferent towards this movie. This is 2026, and even this otherwise mediocre sub-category cannot be using the mistakes of the past to produce these types of animated movies, hence my overall indifference.
Overall, I don’t think you are missing out too much on Lydia and the Mist Rider, especially given its extremely limited distribution. Perhaps it was because of how amazing a good number of the family-friendly animated movies I covered in the Annecy Film Festival are that the bar for these types of animated movies has been set, that I felt left out over this movie. It is fine and competent, but in 2026, just being a technically competent animated movie is not good enough to attract potential moviegoers to go see your movie. Harsh, but it is the truth, sadly.
Blaziker’s Hot Sauce Rating
Papa Zola: The Movie
Key Information
- Directors: Raja Nukman Raja Mohd Noordin, Nizam Razak and Dzubie Mohamed Zaharia
- Animation Studio: Monsta Studios
- Country of Origin: Malaysia
- Rating: PG
- Release Date: 11 December 2025 (in Malaysia)
Trailer
The Review
I got to say, while I still stand by my guard that Dongeng Sang Kancil remains the best animated movie from Malaysia ever, but that does not mean I do not like the other Malaysian animated movies, because Papa Zola is the type of animated movie I am hoping to see more!
While the writing is nothing special when it comes to concept, beneath this fun video-game inspired sci-fi animated movie is a serious and well-realised family drama between Zola and his family that provided the emotional element needed to carry the movie’s quirky concept forward. This BoBoBoi spin-off movie also does not take itself too seriously, and embraced its concept to provide much-needed entertainment, and it also helped that the characters are mostly decently developed.
I will say, however, that the animation is what makes Papa Zola work. You can tell this movie goes hard on its video game-inspired 8-bit style because the animators managed to incorporate that style into its 3D CG environment seamlessly. Also, I liked how the movie animates the action sequences, as it felt more like an over-exaggerated and exciting Bollywood action movie than your typical family-friendly foreign CG animated movie with those action sequences. As someone specialising in covering family-friendly foreign CG animated movies, which I am planning to move away from, at least Papa Zola’s animation style is the main highlight.
The minor elements are on point and as great, but as for my level of enjoyment, while I loved Dongneg Sang Kancil way more than Papa Zola: The Movie, that does not take away from it being another good family-friendly foreign CG animated movie worth checking out, especially if you are a huge fan of the BoBoBoi animated series.
In conclusion, I am quite happy with what I saw for Papa Zola: The Movie, even if it is not as impactful as Dongeng Sang Kancil when comparing other Malaysian animated movies. Not worth seeing in theatres, but definitely worth covering on Netflix, which is where you can cover this movie.
Blaziker’s Hot Sauce Rating
Bouchra
Key Information
- Directors: Orion Barki and Meriem Bennani
- Animation Studio: 2 Lizards Productions and Fondazione Prada
- Country of Origin: United States, Italy and Morocco
- Rating: PG
- Release date: 1 December 2025 (in Singapore as part of the Singapore International Film Festival)
Trailer
The Review
Well, I made the mistake… Of not watching Bouchra at the Singapore International Film Festival, because, yeah, this is something different altogether.
Let’s get the big elephant out of the room, the animation style is quite weird, with clear rendering issues that made the animation quite ugly at times. However, I would argue that this deliberately dark and moody style add a layer of complexity to this movie. Considering how much I liked last year’s Mahavatar Narsimha despite its bizarre animation, I felt the same way regarding Bouchra’s industrial animation style that is more akin to Spycies than any typical talking animal animated movie, but in a good way.
However, what actually makes the animation work is the writing, as their queer story about a lesbian Moroccan jackal having serious conversations with her queer friends and her family provides an emotional punch that I am certain people who identify themselves differently despite such practices being frowned upon in their home country can understand. The pacing is on point, and the characters are well-developed and believable, with solid voice acting to boot.
The soundtrack is also quite interesting. There is a mixture of different genres that on paper, would not go well together, but thanks to the deliberate choices of the tracks throughout the movie, they ended up creating a different type of atmosphere altogether. As for my level of enjoyment, I was initially hesitant to see this movie, but after taking the chance to see Bouchra, I appreciate how bold this movie is, and how well-executed most of its elements were.
In conclusion, I find myself being pleasantly surprised over how much Bouchra left an impact on me, and it goes to show you should never judge a book by its cover. Despite its bizarre animation style, this adds to a level of complexity and charm that few talking animal animated movies can match, and I am glad I took the plunge to see what Bouchra was made of. Well done!
Blaziker’s Hot Sauce Rating
Master Zhong
Key Information
- Directors: Wang Yuxi, Huang Shanchuang
- Animation Studio: Beijing Buxi Animation
- Country of Origin: China
- Rating: PG
- Release date: 30 May 2026 (in China)
Trailer
The Review
Considering I covered a whole lot of top-tier animated movies from China, I had an idea of how to differentiate the great ones worth recommending and those that are not, and after seeing Master Zhong, unfortunately it falls into the latter.
I personally feel that while the writing is at least cohesive enough and the animation is decent, what kills it was that Master Zhong’s story felt more like a box-ticking exercise rather than being a pure passion piece that you would find in other Chinese animated movies that faithfully adapts Chinese folklore into their own, such as Ne Zha 2 last year. You feel the familiar story concept and beats, but not without anything that would make Master Zhong stand out compared to other animated movies that executed the concept better. Most of the characters are not that interesting either.
The animation, while competent, is pretty much what you expect from Chinese animated movies, but the thing is, that is all there is to it. If you had seen amazing Chinese animated movies based on classic Chinese folklore that have this grandiose style that goes hard, the animation in Master Zhong is a lesser version of that. Some of the texturing on the characters felt off too, and even the action sequences do not have the needed punch to get me excited about them.
The minor elements are not worth going into in depth, and as for my level of enjoyment, considering I covered a lot of Chinese animated movies, Master Zhong did not excite me a lot. I can see why this only got a theatrical release 3 years after its festival debut, and why it has a middling Douban score. There is not much to get excited about.
In conclusion, after seeing this movie, I can understand the negative scores and reviews Master Zhong is getting, because I just do not feel the same level of excitement that makes Chinese animated movies amazing in the first place. This is a movie that felt soul-sucking, but at the very least, it could have been worse…
Blaziker’s Hot Sauce Rating
Rally – From Paris to the Pyramids
Key Information
- Director: Rasmus A. Sivertsen
- Animation Studio: Qvisten Animation
- Country of Origin: Norway
- Rating: PG
- Release Date: 14 December 2025 (in Norway)
Trailer
The Review
It may be a mistake on m part to cover this movie without seeing the 1975 original, but regardless, Rally – From Paris to the Pyramids is a good one from one of my new favourite animation studios in Qvisten Animation.
While this movie is not a huge standout when we compare to the other foreign CG animated movies that I covered this year, even within Qvisten considering Spermageddon and The Brothers Gruff Go to Splash World are leagues above this movie, Rally – From Paris to Pyramids is a good re-interpretation of the 1975 classic since it is quite entertaining, the jokes are quite good and the overall writing quality and pacing is spot on. It also has good enough character development from the main cast, and the voice acting is solid. It just felt like a well-oiled machine which you can also describe to the timeless Il Tempo Gigante race car from the series: a well-built car that can compete with a few quirks and gimmicks in between for some whimsy.
The animation is also solid from my perspective. Despite the shift from stop-motion animation in the 1975 classic to CG animation, I say that the animation feels closer to what the 1975 movie offers rather than yet another generic foreign CG nothing-burger animation that I am unfortunately quite used to. The animation quality is very solid throughout with good character and background designs, some exciting racing sequences that made the ones in Grand Prix of Europe last year quite amateurish (which is saying a lot considering Grand Prix of Europe is my guilty pleasure movie of 2025) including the final race, and it was quite an enjoyable time when it comes to the overall animation quality.
The minor elements, while as solid, are nothing home to write about, and as for my level of enjoyment, despite seeing it without covering the 1975 original, I say I liked Rally – From Paris to the Pyramids. While not a standout by any means, especially given I covered the very highs of Qvisten Animation before, it is nevertheless a good-quality animated movie that fans of the original will appreciate despite the difference in animation techniques involved.
Overall, Rally – From Paris to the Pyramids is a good foreign CG animated movie that avoids the usual clichés and tropes that doom most foreign CG animated movies while keeping it close to the 1975 original classic. I need to see the original someday, because this 2025 remake makes me curious about it, and that says something about my overall positive experience with it.
(Update: I ended up watching the original movie and yeah, that movie is a triumph)
Blaziker’s Hot Sauce Rating
Paw Patrol: The Dino Movie
Key Information
- Director: Cal Brunker
- Animation Studio: Paramount Animation
- Country of Origin: Canada, France and United States
- Rating: G
- Release Date: 6 August 2026 (in Singapore)
Trailer
The Review
When I purchased my tickets to see this movie, I knew what I was going to expect as someone that covered the first two Paw Patrol theatrical animated movies, and that whatever happens in the third movie, it will do enough to satisfy the Paw Patrol fan base. Well, after seeing this movie, Paw Patrol: The Dino Movie plays out exactly as I expected, but with dinosaurs, of course.
As expected, the writing is definitely on the underdeveloped side with more noticeable plot holes compared to other family-friendly animated movies, and certain characters felt underdeveloped. However, considering that the Paw Patrol movies are easily digestible in terms of writing, I kind of expected that, and regardless, it succeeds in proving an all-rounder fun experience that is entertaining enough for even adults to not mind. If you are especially a Marshall or Rex fan, you will be happy to know that they are the main stars of the third movie, but it helped that most of the main Paw Patrol cast got their moments throughout the movie, even despite how unnecessarily stacked the voice cast are.
As for the animation, I never had doubts on Mikros Animation to deliver pretty much the same Paw Patrol style that they had perfected in the last two Paw Patrol movies, and that is exactly what I got. Considering this is a dinosaur-centric animated movie, the dinosaur designs are actually more on a scientific accurate side, and the colouring in this movie is surprisingly on par with some of the top-tier animated movies this year. Overall, the animation quality justifies its theatrical release, so I am happy with that.
The soundtrack, marketing, and minor elements are exactly what you would expect from a Paw Patrol movie, and as for my level of enjoyment, I am satisfied with what this movie was aiming for. Sure, this is a clear low hanging fruit type of animated movie, but Paw Patrol: The Dino Movie succeeds in doing that.
Overall, for what it was aiming to do, Paw Patrol: The Dino Movie succeeds in proving some easy entertainment for the family audience and Paw Patrol fanatics, but other than that, if you prefer something more challenging and exciting, there are other family-friendly animated movies that do just that, including another dinosaur-centric animated movie that came out this year in Kiri and Lou Go Raaa. For now, Paw Patrol: The Dino Movie is good for what it is.
Blaziker’s Hot Sauce Rating
Conclusion
Well, my first 2026 Animated Movies Rundown of the second half of 2026 was not as top-tier compared to most of my Rundowns, but considering that this is after my Annecy Film Festival adventure, it was to be expected.
Speaking of my Annecy Film Festival adventure, I am very excited to finally begin sharing my experience at the festival in greater detail, from the planning to getting to Annecy and the festival itself. Tune in next time as I begin part 1 of my Annecy Film Festival adventure. Until next time, see you on the next adventure!
Leave a Reply