South East Asia's leading animation festival Cartoons Underground is back this year for its 15th Edition on 14 November 2026! The event will be returning to one of its favourite locations, which now called Filmhouse.
This year, there is a new programme launched at Cartoons Underground - a screening specially curated with younger film fans in mind. It is called Cartoons Playground and kicks off at 1:30 PM in the afternoon. With this new segment, Cartoons Underground hopes to inspire and nurture a new generation of young animators and directors in order to put Red Dot Island's talent and stories on the world stage.
“From its inception, Cartoons Underground has aimed to make space for upcoming Singaporean animators,” says Jerrold Chong, Programme Director of the festival. “Now, by opening the festival to children for the first time I’d like to think that by spreading its love of indie animation it’ll captivate young fans who maybe will be my future students and making films themselves five or ten years from now.”
LASALLE College of the Arts continues to be the festival's Education Partner. Their support and partnership provides a platform for young creatives to explore new ideas, refine their craft, and bring their stories to life.
Chris Shaw, Head of the Puttnam School of Film & Animation, LASALLE College of the Arts, University of the Arts Singapore says, “We are very happy to continue LASALLE's educational partnership with Cartoons Underground for the 10th year running. From its inception the festival has aimed to provide space for upcoming Singaporean animators, making it a fertile training ground and a great springboard for our students to showcase their work, as well as a valuable platform where they are exposed to a wide range of immensely creative international animated short films. We also welcome the inclusion of children's programming for the first time, which expands the learning opportunities even more for students.”
This year's audience can expect an eclectic and vibrant selection of 28 films from 17 countries at Cartoons Underground 2026. The list also includes seven animation shorts by emerging Singaporean student filmmakers.
“The more we’re bombarded with soulless Ai-generated content the more we’ll crave art that’s truly human” says festival co-founder Vicky Chen. “What I love about this year’s films is that each one is a reflection of its maker, a story direct from them to us, each the product of experience, imagination and the desire to connect. Animation has always been about pushing creative boundaries, and we want to champion the next generation of filmmakers who have something original to say.”
Highlights of the day's programme include:
* Silence by Yoona Hwang - a story about a deaf child’s enjoyment of a musical concert though vibration and hearing aids. This film will be screened during the family friendly Cartoons Playground.
* Five Orphans from Japanese animator Sarina Nihai - a group of five orphans wander along a ditch in the midst of rising protests and finds a dead body
* A Pint Of Bitter from Irishman Conor Kehelly, who was also Cartoons Underground's 2023 winner - a man trying to have a quiet drink when two other patrons start harassing him
* Drive on, Mr. Otter by California-based Singaporean Chun Kit - timid Mr. Otter gets his last chance to evict an elderly couple or risk losing his own home
* Everything’s Peachy, LASALLE College of the Arts graduate Nah Yee Chern's first stop-motion film, which will be screened at Cartoons Underground’s Singaporean student programme as well as at this year's the Singapore International Film Festival (SGIFF). The film is about a kitchen hand called Pipa who lands her dream job working for a head chef whom she greatly admires, but then discovers something grisly.
* White Carousel from local artist and animator Nadya Neo - a surreal animation sequence about a wooden doll trapped in a cuckoo clock
Nadya Neo is also the artist for Cartoons Underground 2026's key art, and designed the Official Poster ‘Velvet Parade’ which consists of old toys at a mini festival held in a whimsical landscape. Nadya, who is a graduate of ADM at NTU, is currently working at Finding Pictures. Outside of work, she enjoys watching familiar sitcoms, particularly Friends.
Cartoons Underground is an event that Red Dot Diva looks forward to every year. The sheer range of creativity and originality is like a buzzy dopamine trip. For someone who watches a lot of shows and movies regularly, Red Dot Diva can usually anticipate when the usual story tropes would occur. This does not happen often at Cartoons Underground. The animation shorts are usually full of surprises! So, if you desire to watch something different, do get a ticket to the festival for a wondrous audio-visual experience.
For a sneak peek of what you can expect at Cartoons Underground, check out the trailer below. You can explore the full programme at cartoonsunderground.com.
TICKET PRICES
Playground (NEW! Family friendly, for young audiences) : SGD 13
Held Breath - International & SG Student Films: SGD 18
Rip Tides - International & SG Student Films: SGD 25
Students get 10% off Standard tickets for Held Breath and Rip Tides.
If you're a CU Megafan, CU merch is included in your ticket.
Cartoons Underground 15th Edition
Date: 14 November 2026 (Saturday)
Venue: Filmhouse, 6001 Beach Rd, #05-00, Singapore 199589
Time: Programme C: Playground (All ages) – 1:30 PM, Programme A: Held Breath – 4:30 PM, Programme B: Rip Tides – 7 PM
Tickets: Buy them at https://filmhouse.sg/seasons-events/cu2026/
Website: www.cartoonsunderground.com
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