Photos via Sony Pictures Animation/Netflix
At Netflix’s Headline Animation Annecy Showcase, we got a chance to take a deeper look at the highly anticipated new animated series, officially titled Ghostbusters: Night Shift. Executive producers Jason Reitman and Gil Cannon (creative manager) rebirth And frozen kingdom) took the stage with showrunners Ben Hibon and Elliot Cullen (who are infinitely entertaining) to raise the curtain on this Sony Pictures Animation and Netflix collaboration.
As Reitman said, Night Shift is “unlike any story we’ve told. It’s a story that can only be told with animation. It’s more in terms of comedy and more importantly, scares.”
If you’re wondering what happened to New York’s leading paranormal exterminators between the classic films of the 1980s and the recent Afterlife era, you’re in luck. Here’s a more in-depth look at what we learned:
The Lost Decade: A “Stinky” 1994 New York
Night Shift is an official, in-canon chapter of the Ghostbusters saga entirely established in 1994. The original Spengler, Stantz, Venkman and Zeddemore crew has disbanded, leaving New York City vulnerable to a new spectral cataclysm and the legacy of the OG four a distant memory.
The showrunners emphasized that they wanted to capture the “real” New York of the ’90s. As Kalan said: “We’ll be experiencing his street-level view of the New York of 24-hour diners and corner store bodegas. To put it bluntly, this is a New York that smells. And somehow, Ben and his amazing team… have managed to create an animated New York that smells like real New York.”
Our new heroes will move into the iconic Tribeca firehouse, although it has seen better days. Hibon explained that he wanted to “create a palpable sense of the passage of time. History was spilling out all over the walls, as if the city had merged into the lobby of the firehouse.” (And yes, the holy crypt has apparently been condemned by the FDA!)
The “Junkie” Aesthetic: Delving Deeper into the Show’s Fabric
One of the most fascinating segments of the presentation was the deep dive into the show’s unique design and art direction. To accurately reflect 1990s NYC, the team used a tactile, dirty, “DIY punk” visual filter.
Hibon explained his careful approach to the surface of the animation: “We approached each prop design with the lack of a broad, colorful and vibrant palette. Our process went through uneven base colors, with accents of primary tones picked up. It’s almost like trying to cut through the more muted tones of the city and give our sets a more vibrant, in-world kind of noise.” The result is an environment composed of “uneven surfaces, organic textures” that “feels more alive and lifelike rather than artificial and staged.”
Kalan elaborated on why this textured, rough-edged look was so important to that era: “In the 1990s, the punk scene was all about the authenticity that came with homemade stuff. It was a badge of honor when stuff you saw looked a little weird, a little no good, because you made it instead of buying it somewhere else. And that do-it-yourself philosophy is one of the guiding principles of Night Shift’s style.”
Meet the New Team (and Terrorist Pup!)
Because our original Ghostbusters are adult men who “had a certain confidence”, the showrunners wanted a team in the “early, dirtiest stages of their lives”. Kalan proudly introduced the 1994 lineup: belladonna (Goth), Mitzi (punk), zoe (Child), travis (thief man), and mike (Scientist).
Despite their one-word labels, the showrunners emphasized that these characters have deeply three-dimensional personalities, which heavily influenced their visual designs:
- Zoe: Described by Kalan as “Our sweet baby who is also really intelligent really annoys me.”
- Travis: “A charming, petty criminal who has to be charismatic and cool, but he also has to be a loser.”
- Jack Quaid is the voice artist here!
- Mike: “Our engineer and technical wizard, he needs to be a scientific genius who also displays warmth and emotional inner strength.”
- Mitzi: “A badass riotous girl who leaps into action without thinking, but is also fiercely protective of her sister Zephyr.”
The animation team focused a lot on the eyes of these characters to make them believable. “The eyes are the connective tissue between the performance and the audience,” Hibon said, adding that deep, complex eyes give performers a more natural presence on screen.
But the real scene stealer? Terrified puppy. Designed to look like the classic, demonic Terror Dogs from the original film, this little guy is playful, fierce, and adorable. Kalan joked, “When he pees on things, they catch fire. A puppy, you know.”
Ghostbusters: Night Shift – Visual Development Art. CR: Sony Pictures Animation ©2026
Upgraded (and Downgraded) Gear
In 1994, our broken heroes are using an abandoned, half-functioning prototype left by the original crew. Hibon said that they “wholeheartedly embrace the Ghostbusters’ more DIY, makeshift approach to technology. So think recycled, used parts, taped, glued together parts.”
Some incredible technical highlights include:
- Proton Pack: It has a low-tech energy beam that is “random and angular in shape, unsteady on its feet.”
- A DIY PKE meter: Built using Sony PlayStation 1 spare parts!
- Ghost Drive: Modified with recycled skateboard wheels, a rotating mirror mechanism and bass/guitar pedals.
- Ecto-94: Operating without permission to use Ecto-1, the team runs a pre-owned van customized with spray paint and a “rotating roof turret for some precarious ghostbusting on the go”.
An awesome tone and special clip
While the series will fully retain the distinctive humor of the 1984 classic, Cullen made a bold promise: “This show is legitimately scary. When you’re not laughing at Ghostbusters Night Shift, you’ll be pooping your pants.”
The animation medium allows the team to push the boundaries of horror, keeping the violence “more graphical and abstract, and creating a sense of dread, tension, and fear in the design of the world itself.” Some of the threats removed include a “Poison Demon” inhabiting the Hopscotch Hellhole, a Class IV malicious slime known as the “Rot Monster”, and a “Grabby Hands” Reflector Ghost.
To conclude the segment, viewers were treated to an exclusive work-in-progress clip from Episode 2, where Travis drives an thrilled Zoe to Grand Central Station. Things quickly go sideways as they are attacked by a terrifying semi-corporeal anchored spirit of Class III – a demonic “ticket taker” ghost who tries to kidnap Zoe for a mysterious entity called the “Nightwalker”.
first impressions
The show’s attention to detail through concept art, early animation tests, and footage shown was second to none. This is clearly a team that loves the world Ghost BustersBut they’re also giving it their own twist. We didn’t get a chance to spend too much time with the main cast of characters, but they easily play a part and hint at the fact that the series is aimed more towards a younger audience than I expected, but the tone definitely suggests it might be leaning towards something more adult, somewhere in the vicinity. of difference And scott pilgrim flew.
The sequence we got to see was massive in scale, spanning the entirety of Central Station, and the signature comedic commentary and character designs were fantastic.
As it stands, this is the second (or third) best thing Netflix showed off for the streamer all week in Annecy, behind only Ray Gunn.
Ghostbusters: Night Shift appears to be a loving, wildly creative expansion of the franchise that leans heavily on the ’90s punk-rock vibe. Ultimately, as Kalan summarized the show’s guiding philosophy: “Busting makes you feel good. Even when you’re working night shift.”
While we wait for the official release date, keep your eyes on what’s on Netflix!
