At this year’s Anime Expo, Production I.G and WIT Studio panel delivered a grab bag of updates and unexpected surprises. From colossal kaiju to wool-felt warriors, the creative powerhouses behind some of anime’s most iconic titles offered a peek into what’s coming next—and trust us, it’s a lot more than just Spy missions and bookworms this time around.

Here’s a quick rundown of what was announced during the panel:

• Production I.G is developing a new project featuring Rilakkuma, the ultra-chill San-X character.
• Spy x Family Season 3 officially drops this October, exclusively on Crunchyroll.
• A new anime called Agents of the Four Seasons, based on a story by Violet Evergarden creator Kana Akatsuki, is in the works.
• Ascendance of a Bookworm Part 3: Adopted Daughter of an Archduke is set to premiere in Spring 2026.

My Melody & Kuromi: WIT Studio Goes Stop-Motion

WIT Studio put its new stop-motion division, Toruku, and its flagship project, My Melody & Kuromi, at the forefront of the panel. The series is a collaboration between director Tomoki Misato—known for his heartfelt, handmade aesthetic—and producer Kenta Yamada, whose journey from 2D production manager to stop-motion champion is just as charming as the characters they’re bringing to life.

Misato’s passion for stop-motion animation was sparked by LAIKA’s Coraline. Still, financial limitations during college led him to discover the artistic potential of felt. He poured everything into his animated short and submitted it to as many film festivals as possible, hoping that the awards would lead to opportunities. And they did—one gallery exhibition later, Yamada happened to walk in and the seed for Toruku was planted.

Yamada, already working at WIT Studio on traditional 2D animation, saw Misato’s work and recognized the potential of stop-motion. After bringing the idea to producer George Wada, the Toruku department was born. And from there, My Melody & Kuromi started to take shape.

The animation is crafted using wool felt and silicone. For context: at most, it takes a full day to animate four seconds—and that’s on a good day. If the scene features multiple characters or any real action, animators are lucky to complete one second of animation.

Also, in the early stages of production, there weren’t many artists on the project. Hence, Misato drew all the image boards himself, giving him the rare opportunity to define the show’s entire visual tone. His goal? Capture the cute chaos of My Melody & Kuromi through expressive character animation and a lovingly tangible aesthetic.

If you’re wondering how this all plays out on screen…

My Melody & Kuromi hits Netflix on July 24th.