Skybound Entertainment and Regal Cinemas are resurrecting one of animation’s most legendary showcases: Spike & Mike’s Animation Extravaganza. The iconic festival, which helped launch the careers of countless animators from the 1970s through the early 2000s, returns for a three-day nationwide theatrical event October 31 – November 2.
Hosted by YouTube personalities Jaiden Animations and Ross O’Donovan (RubberRoss), the 90-minute program mixes retro classics, live-action skits, and new shorts that continue the Spike & Mike’s tradition of championing the weird, wild, and experimental.
Skybound, producers of Prime Video’s Invincible, says it received hundreds of submissions before selecting 24 new shorts for this year’s program, complemented by fan-favorite deep cuts from the Spike & Mike vault. The lineup spans stop-motion balloon aliens, body-horror comedy, surreal fantasy, and video-game chaos.
Chelsea Harfoush, executive producer of Spike & Mike’s Animation Extravaganza, said in a release:
Spike and Mike was my crash course in just how weird and wonderful animation could be. This lineup captures the irreverent and delightfully offbeat spirit that made the festival legendary. Being part of the team to help bring it back to theatres feels surreal in the best way, as we can’t wait for audiences to relive the nostalgia, experience these films in theatres, and discover the next generation of animation visionaries.
2025 Festival Lineup So Far, More To Come Soon
New Shorts
Baloney Beacon — Max Landman
Beautiful Day — Max Johnson
Danse Macabre — Dawn Brown
Debt & Misgivings — Conor Cole, DJ Garcia & Maya Ash Buttmaggot
Detektive Thumb and the Infinity House — Preston King
Doodlepops — Loserville Animation Studios
Heart-Ache — Sam Grinberg
Ludo — Mélissa Navarro
Overnight — Chenglin Xie
Sarge Unboxes a Flamethrower — Matt Somma
Sharkbaby — Steven Shea (Abyssmal Entertainment)
The Scramble — Angelina Retodo
What the Heck? — Del Agnew
Vault Favorites (Newly Unearthed)
Boby Le Zombie — Loïc Guetat
Cox + Combes’ Washington — Brad Neely