If day one opened the conversation, day two got down to business. From the perennial question of who will fund India’s original animation IP to the global ambitions of Baahubali, the craft of anime, the promise of AI and the talent crunch, Animation and More Summit 2026 packed its second day with big questions and bigger ambitions.
An initiative by AnimationXpress, the summit brought together creators, studios, broadcasters, educators, artists and business leaders at Nesco Exhibition Centre, Goregaon, Mumbai, for a day that moved briskly between boardroom economics and creative sparks.
The morning opened with a welcome address by AnimationXpress founder & editor-in-chief, Anil NM Wanvari, setting the tone for a day that would examine where Indian animation stands today, and where it could go next.
Capital first, creativity next
The first major session, Panel discussion: capital, co-productions and beyond, tackled the elephant in the room: money. With original IP development being capital-intensive and risky, the discussion explored venture capital, international co-productions, government incentives and financing models that could help India build a more sustainable IP ecosystem.
The session was held by 88 Pictures co-founder and COO Aby John; Kynzo Media Group founder and chief executive officer Jayakumar Prabhakaran Nair; and Bhooshan’s Junior founder and CEO Sarath Bhooshan, in conversation with Cosmos Maya India chief operating officer Adi Shayan.
The conversation underlined a simple truth: great ideas need more than creative firepower. They need financial fuel.
Fireside chat: Assemblage building India’s next generation of global animation, where Assemblage Entertainment CEO Arjun Madhavan spoke with Anime India co-founder Mishaal Wanvari about the evolution of Assemblage and the changing global animation landscape.
The discussion explored talent, technology and the growing opportunity for Indian studios to move beyond servicing international productions towards creating stories and IP that can travel globally.
The spotlight then moved to distribution with Fireside Chat: The Future of Animation Broadcasting. Sony Yay business head, SPNI (Kids & Animation) Ambesh Tiwari joined Powerkids Entertainment CEO and managing director Manoj Mishra to discuss how television, streaming and emerging platforms are reshaping the way animated content reaches audiences.
Changing viewing habits, new distribution models and evolving content strategies formed the core of the conversation. The message: the screen may be changing, but animation’s appetite is not.
AI gets a seat at the artist’s desk
Technology took centre stage with Presentation: AI that an Artist controls.
Senior solution engineer, media & entertainment India & Saarc, Samit Shetty showcased how artists can use AI within a creative workflow to create characters, build worlds and frame cinematic shots through 3D editor & canvas and flow studio. The emphasis was not on AI replacing the artist, but on putting more creative control into the artist’s hands, a distinction that is becoming increasingly important as generative tools race into animation pipelines.
Next came Presentation: Building IP that sells: From comic validation to animation franchise, a deep dive into how Maayan has used comics, audience testing, D2C distribution, marketing and commercial validation to build an original entertainment property.
The presentation was conducted by Carmond Infinity founder and CEO and Maayan co-creator and project designer Ananthakrishnan T.U; Carmond Infinity creative director and partner and Maayan creator and writer Visakh PK; Carmond Infinity animation director and Maayan co-writer Visakh VM; Maayan Publications associate producer and operations Ruksana CA; and Maayan Publications growth marketing and e-commerce associate Aadidev R shared the journey.
The session went beyond theory, culminating in the official announcement of Maayan’s next phase as an animation franchise. The Maayan animation teaser premiered on stage, followed by the physical unveiling of the animation movie poster by the producer of Crayon Shin-chan, Takahiro Kishimoto. From comic validation to animation ambition, Maayan was ready to turn the page.
Baahubali enters a new frame
Few Indian properties have the global recognition of Baahubali. The franchise’s next chapter took centre stage in the panel discussion: Baahubali’s new animated chapter- India, anime & the world of animation.
The panel unpacked the creative and production journey behind Baahubali: The Eternal War, exploring what it takes to transform a cinematic universe into a global animation property. The project also brings together international creative expertise, including a special traditional Japanese 2D sequence by Studio Khara. Baahubali: The Eternal War writer-director Ishan Shukla, 88 Pictures founder and CEO Milind D. Shinde, and Arka Mediaworks CEO and co-founder Shobu Yarlagadda joined AnimationXpress founder and editor-in-chief Anil NM Wanvari for the conversation. The session offered a glimpse into how Indian mythology, global production capabilities and anime aesthetics can collide, and perhaps create something rather spectacular.
Then came a name guaranteed to get anime fans sitting up straighter!
Naruto’s man takes the stage
Session: Chat with the Legendary Date San brought Hayato Date, the iconic director behind Naruto and Naruto Shippuden, into conversation with Anime India co-founder Mishaal Wanvari. The session offered insights from one of anime’s most recognisable directors, covering his creative journey and the world behind two of the medium’s most influential titles.
From one anime giant to another, the summit then turned towards the business of collaboration with Producer’s Panel Discussion: Inside Animation- India × Japan.
Avex Animation Labels producer Tomohiko Iwase, producer Hiroko Nishi, and associate producer Rika Cho; 88 Pictures co-founder and COO Aby John; and Powerkids Entertainment CEO and managing director Manoj Mishra joined Anime India co-founder Mishaal Wanvari to explore the production ecosystem across India and Japan.
The panel looked at production processes, industry trends, audience preferences and the opportunities for future collaboration. In an industry where borders are becoming increasingly porous, India and Japan appear to have plenty of creative ground to cover together.
Can animation become the next box-office heavyweight?
The afternoon brought perhaps the day’s biggest commercial question with Panel Discussion: Animated Feature Films-Theatrical Opportunity or Capital Risk?
With Demon Slayer crossing more than Rs 6,000 crore globally and earning over Rs 100 crore in India, while Narsimha crossed the Rs 300 crore mark domestically, animation’s theatrical potential is looking harder to ignore.
IICT founding director Ashish Kulkarni; Ele Animations director Durga Prasad Dalai; Digikore Studios executive producer and director Satyajeet Kumar; and Vaibhav Studios founder and creative director Vaibhav Kumaresh joined Astra Studios founder and CBO RK Chand to examine the economics behind animated features.
The discussion covered theatrical distribution, adult-targeted animation, hyper-stylised regional films, production budgets of Rs 50-100 crore, OTT pre-sales and international dubbing markets. With more than 30 Indian animated features slated for 2027 and 2028, the opportunity is considerable, but so is the capital at risk.
The question is no longer whether Indian animation can sell tickets. It is whether the industry can build a repeatable theatrical model around it.
A special Speech by Consul-General of Japan in Mumbai followed, with Consul-General of Japan in Mumbai Sato Hitomi addressing the gathering and further underlining the growing India-Japan creative connection.
New voices, fresh IP
The spotlight then shifted to emerging creators with Studio Showcase plus Chat: New voices-Indian IPs in development.
4861 Inc. anime director Kushagra Kushwaha; RedGod Studios director Rajesh PK; and Vaibhavi Studios writer/director Sourav Roychoudhury presented their original IPs through short showcases before opening up about their studios, creative processes and recent and upcoming projects. The session was moderated by Blink Pictures founder and I.N.K. Pictures executive director Indrajit Nattoji.
It was a reminder that the next big Indian animation property could be sitting inside a small studio today, waiting for the right audience, and the right backer.
But fresh IP needs fresh talent, and that led directly into one of the industry’s most persistent problems.
Education meets the talent crunch
Panel Discussion: The talent crisis- Skills Vs education took a hard look at the gap between what animation education teaches and what production floors actually demand.
Aptech executive vice president Abir Aich; Zica national academic head Kasinath Patro; CCA India chief business officer Prashant Purohit; Anant National University professor and programme lead, School of Design, Centre for Moving Image Sekhar Mukherjee; Whistling Woods International head of department – animation Vivek Nag; and Frameboxx vice president – technical operations Kalpesh Kheradia held the insightful conversation with Plexus Motion, co-founder and director Yashoda Parthasarthy.
The discussion examined the shortage of experienced animation directors, technical directors and rigging artists, while asking what studios, educational institutions and government bodies must do differently. More students, the panel suggested, do not automatically mean more industry-ready talent. The missing ingredient is often the bridge between education and actual production.
Grandma, gangsters and the magic behind the frame
The pace barely slowed with IP & Teaser Launch: The Action G.A.N.G – Grandma & Next Gen by Bhooshan’s Junior.
Bhooshan’s Junior founder and CEO Sarath Bhooshan; co-founder and chief creative officer Joseph Panikulam; and head of animation Vivek Mangalath took the stage for the IP and teaser launch.
The summit then went behind the scenes with the Making of Session: Exploring the world of 666: Operation Dream Theatre.
IBK Productions founder and creative director Kartik Mahajan walked the audience through the creative and technical journey behind the Kannada film 666: Operation Dream Theatre, from concept and design to bringing its visuals alive on screen.
When art takes the microphone
Creativity got a more intimate platform with Artwork Showcase: Ink and Imagination.
Illustrator artist Bajro Narayan Dutta, animator and independent illustrator Manuvrat Nair, and animator Shruti Ganesh showcased their work and discussed the inspiration, evolution and creative processes behind their art.
It was a useful reminder that behind every pipeline, render and business model is an artist trying to make something worth looking at.
The day’s final industry debate asked a provocative question: Panel Discussion: Has Monetisation Stolen the Magic?
Carmond Infinity founder and CEO Ananthakrishnan T.U.; Artha Animation CEO Gaurav Malhotra; and Ssoftoons Entertainment Media co-founder and CEO Sourav Mondal joined Vaibhav More Films founder/director Vaibhav More to debate whether the relentless focus on analytics, merchandising and monetisation is making animation too formulaic.
The conversation examined how studios can protect creative risk-taking, build longer monetisation lifecycles through emotionally resonant storytelling and balance the priorities of commercial producers with those of creative leaders.
The day concluded with Anime Times presents Anime Idea Contest, putting fresh anime-inspired ideas in the spotlight, before the stage transitioned into the ANN Awards from 7 pm onwards.
And that was day two: a day when capital met creativity, comics met animation, India met Japan and established giants shared the stage with emerging voices. The industry may still be wrestling with money, talent and the eternal tug-of-war between art and commerce. But if the conversations at Animation and More Summit 2026 are anything to go by, India’s animation story is moving from potential to production, and the next frame could be its biggest yet.
