Warrior Cats has been a fandom for about two decades now and fans of the series, if you meet any, are absolutely diehard. For years fans have imagined what the Clans would look like if they were animated in a television show. Some fans have gone so far as to animate scenes from the books and post it on YouTube, and some have made some really great music videos. Believe me, my daughter has shown me most of them. Now that we’ve gotten wind of a show actually happening many were left wondering if the animation would do the show justice. And I’m happy to say that fans are very excited with what they’ve seen so far.
We’re delighted to treat you to another taste of what’s going on behind the scenes of the official animation. Our lovely partners at Tencent Video have shared more images from the artists at El Guiri Studios and Original Force.
The exploratory images were presented at a fan event in China today, where Emmy-award winning director Rodrigo Blaas chatted passionately about the animation, and referenced the beautiful fan artwork that the Warrior Cats community has been sharing for decades.
“People and fans have been animating these books on their own time, in their bedrooms, at their desks, because they were not going to wait for somebody to make it official. Many of those works are beautiful. We have watched a lot of it.
“This is the first time these books are officially becoming an animated series. So we know we are not the first people who tried to bring this world to animated life. We are just the first ones who get to do it at this scale, and we do not take that lightly. The series is still two years away. But we’re not going to make the fans wait to see where it’s going because you, the fans, never waited for us. We want to be part of that sharing. So let us show you what our artists at our studios have been creating.”
Please note this is not final artwork.
On 10th August, 2026, Tencent held an event in Shenzhen, where they showed the live audience concept art and promotional video. Participants also received pins with promotional images. This video showcases some of it.
Why Fans Are Excited
Fans went crazy after they saw what Tencent had shown them at the presentation. For a couple reasons actually. One the world building looks fantastic. If you read the books it’s exactly what you might have imagined. If you read the graphic novels it’s very similar to what was drawn. The characters look amazing. My daughter said “They know their cats” which yeah, the artists do.
The sketches for the animals, the fight scenes especially are very promising. Not only that but the character models themselves look highly accurate to the descriptions, images in the graphic novels and finally, the toys which are already being released. I know this because my house is already filled with them. And much to my chagrin most of the toys being released are mystery boxes. So I can buy a ton and still not have them all. Lucky for me though I have two kids so if I get a double that’s where they go.
What the first show covers
Rusty’s beginning most likely. The first part of Warrior Cats is called “New Beginnings” and covers Rusty’s arc of the story. Rusty is a house cat who leaves his safe human home to join a wild group of cats in the woods. He learns to live by their rules, faces danger, and earns a new name and a high rank. This first animated show will cover that and we know this since we already have sketches of Sandpaw, Rusty and Graypaw. Who I want to see though is Yellowfang because honestly she’s my favorite. But I won’t spoil it for you.
When Does the Warrior Cats Animated Series Come Out?
Fans still have a little while to wait for Warrior Cats animated, but we finally have a confirmed release window. The series is currently in production and is scheduled to premiere sometime in 2028. An exact release date has not been announced.
The good news for U.S. fans is that Warrior Cats will be available on Disney+ and Disney Channel, giving the series a major international home. Tencent Video will carry the show in China and Southeast Asia.
The CG animation is being created by Original Force on behalf of Tencent Video, with Coolabi Group involved in the production. El Guiri Studios is also collaborating on the series.
The creative team is equally promising. A.C. Bradley, whose credits include What If…?, Ms. Marvel and Tales of Arcadia: Trollhunters, is serving as showrunner. Emmy-winning Rodrigo Blaas will direct. Blaas previously worked on projects including Finding Nemo, The Incredibles, Ratatouille and WALL-E.
Most importantly, the series will start at the beginning. Warrior Cats: The Prophecies Begin will provide the foundation for the show, introducing audiences to Rusty and his journey from ordinary housecat to warrior.
That makes 2028 a potentially huge year for the franchise. It will also mark the 25th anniversary of Into the Wild, which originally launched the series in 2003. Whether the premiere will intentionally coincide with that anniversary hasn’t been announced, but the timing couldn’t be more appropriate.
