Picture Credit: Netflix
Netflix’s awards push for In Waves is now fully underway. The streamer has released the first trailer for the animated romance, along with a set of new stills, ahead of a limited theatrical run later next month and its Netflix debut in December.
We’ve followed In Waves closely since Netflix picked it up out of Cannes back in May. It was Netflix’s first significant acquisition of the 2026 festival. We later reviewed the movie at Annecy and spoke to director Phuong Mai Nguyen at TIFF. Now everyone else gets their first proper look at it.
We gave the movie a 4-star out of 5 rating, writing, “In Waves is about releasing your grip and embracing the chaos of life; it’s about riding the wave.”
The movie has also picked up close to two dozen other glowing reviews, with it currently sitting at 94% on Rotten Tomatoes, with THR saying, “An Eloquent Rendering of First Love” and Next Best Picture writing, ““A gorgeously animated depiction of how grief, love, and art are so deeply intertwined.”
Netflix is positioning In Waves as a Best Animated Feature contender. It joins a crowded Netflix animation slate this awards season that also includes Steps and the big gun, Ray Gunn.
What is In Waves about?
In Waves is based on AJ Dungo’s best-selling 2019 graphic memoir, which tells the true story of his relationship with his high school sweetheart, Kristen.
Here’s Netflix’s official synopsis:
Set against the sun-soaked surf culture of Southern California, IN WAVES, based on a true story, explores the joy of finding your soulmate, the courage it takes to live life to the fullest, and the enduring power of love to shape who we become and what we leave behind.
The story follows AJ, a shy teenager in Los Angeles who loves skateboarding and drawing. At a high school dance, he meets Kristen, a passionate surfer. She introduces him to the ocean despite his fear of the water, and the two fall hard for each other. Their future together is upended when Kristen is struck by a sudden illness. As our review from Annecy put it, this is a film about letting go and embracing the chaos of life. Bring the tissues.
Who is in the cast and crew of In Waves?
Will Sharpe (The White Lotus, Too Much) voices AJ in the English-language version. Stephanie Hsu (Everything Everywhere All at Once, The Wild Robot) voices Kristen. Both also serve as executive producers.
Note that the film was made in France and also has a French voice cast. Rio Vega and Lyna Khoudri voice AJ and Kristen in that version, alongside Paul Kircher and Birane Ba.
In Waves is the feature directorial debut of Franco-Vietnamese filmmaker Phuong Mai Nguyen. Fanny Burdino and Samuel Doux wrote the screenplay. The original music comes from Oklou and Rob.
Priscilla Bertin and Judith Nora produced for Silex Films, alongside Nick Shumaker for Anonymous Content. Executive producers include Yohann Comte, Carole Baraton, Pierre Mazars, and Anonymous Content’s David Levine.
When we spoke to Mai Nguyen at TIFF, she told us the water and surfing sequences were the production’s biggest hurdle from day one. That was especially true on an indie budget that ruled out realistic CGI waves. The team did extensive drawing work up front to find the film’s look. The ocean also does a lot of storytelling work, mirroring what the characters are feeling.
The animation style is where we were a little more mixed in our Annecy review. The film pairs fully 2D painted backgrounds with CG character models. Still, we’d much rather see a swing like this than something safe, and the trailer shows off the film’s best painterly moments.
Picture Credit: Netflix
Picture Credit: Netflix
Picture Credit: Netflix
Picture Credit: Netflix
Picture Credit: Netflix
Picture Credit: Netflix
Picture Credit: Netflix
When is In Waves coming to Netflix?
In Waves opens in select theaters on November 27, 2026. It then streams on Netflix globally on December 11, 2026. The one exception is France. Netflix’s deal covers everywhere outside France, where the film already had a theatrical release on July 1.
The film has had quite the festival run before reaching Netflix. It became the first animated film ever to open Cannes Critics’ Week, then played in the main feature competition at Annecy. Since then, it has screened at Biarritz, TIFF, Busan, and Mill Valley. It also has more stops ahead of its theatrical release, including Film Festival Cologne and the San Diego Asian Film Festival, where it’s the opening night film. It will also open the 30th edition of The American French Film Festival on November 3, the first animated feature to do so.
Are you going to be checking out In Waves when it hits Netflix in December? Let us know in the comments below.