Walt Disney Animation Studios is preparing to take a major visual departure from its established animation style with its upcoming original film “Clay”, which is scheduled for a theatrical release in 2028.
According to Collider, directed by Fawn Veerasunthorn, the film follows Flip, a reluctant mentor voiced by Kieran Culkin, who must guide a young ball of clay named Mushy on an unexpected adventure through a magical forest.
Speaking to Collider’s Steve Weintraub at the SCAD Savannah Film Festival, Walt Disney Animation Studios chief creative officer Jared Bush confirmed that the film would draw on the look and texture of clay animation.
“I’d say “Clay” is, I think, going to be the first time that we’ve really taken a big swing in terms of a new art style,” Bush said.
He explained that Disney considers whether a change in visual style would strengthen a film’s story before adopting a different approach.
In “Clay”, the visual concept is closely tied to the story’s central idea. Characters are born as balls of clay and shaped by parental figures and mentors into who they are meant to become. Bush said the filmmakers want the world to feel tactile and tangible, making the clay-inspired aesthetic essential to the narrative.
Despite its claymation-like appearance, however, the film will not use stop-motion animation. Instead, the studio will use computer-generated (CG) animation to create the distinctive look.
“It will be CG animation, but it will look unlike anything we’ve ever done,” Bush said.
Disney announced “Clay” at D23, with the film set to bring a new visual approach to the studio’s animated features.
