Animator Matt Braly says that Sony Pictures Animation scrapped his Thai-inspired animated movie after two years of development because the studio deemed it “not commercial enough to produce.”
Braly, a writer on Cartoon Network’s “Steven Universe” and storyboard artist on “The Mitchells vs the Machines,” doesn’t specify the studio in his lengthy Instagram post detailing the situation. However, Sony Pictures Animation announced in 2023 the development of a feature from Braly and writer Rebecca Sugar.
“At the very start of 2025 I received the unfortunate news that the movie I had been working on for 2+ years at a major animation studio would not be moving forward,” Braly wrote on Instagram. “I’m super proud of the lovely script that Rebecca Sugar and I wrote together and am disappointed that you will all likely never get to see the film. I had a really supportive development team, but the film was ultimately judged as not commercial enough to produce. I understand these decisions are not made lightly and have nothing but respect for the studio, which continues to put out amazing films.”
Sony Pictures Animation didn’t respond to Variety’s request for comment.
Braly described the film as an adventure about a “a teen boy traveling to the world of Thai spirits in order to cure himself just before undergoing a very scary & life altering operation necessary to live.” He added that this was “not a story about finding a cure so much as it was about learning to accept one’s unchangeable circumstances with grace, and realizing that a different life than expected can still be a wonderful one.”
“It was a deeply personal story for me as I was diagnosed with an incurable chronic illness at a very young age that brought permanent changes to my lifestyle,” Braly continued. “Not only that but it would have been an honor to bring more Thai culture to the big screen, a torch I hope someone else picks up.
Braly also shared some of the artwork that was created during the development process. “Hopefully you can close your eyes and imagine how cool the film would have been if completed. I won’t lie – this decision really knocked the wind out of me for a few months and I struggled to find enthusiasm to be creative again,” he concluded. “With some space though I think the experience has strengthened my resolve about what I’d like to pursue next and how I’d like to go about doing it.”
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