Wafflehead (2027)

Wafflehead is a 2027 American animated fantasy comedy film directed by Chris Sanders, marking his return to directing after the success of The Croods. Produced by DreamWorks Animation and distributed by Universal Pictures, the movie follows Barnaby, a young, anxious waffle-maker in a bustling culinary kingdom who discovers he has the magical ability to turn breakfast foods into living creatures. As an ancient evil threatens to freeze the world's flavors forever, Barnaby must embark on a chaotic quest with a rogue cinnamon roll and a cynical coffee mug to restore sweetness to the land.

The film features a star-studded voice cast including Paul Rudd as Barnaby, Tiffany Haddish as the fiery chili pepper warrior Peppa, and John Mulaney as the sarcastic syrup bottle Sir Glaze. Critics have praised the film's vibrant animation style, which blends traditional hand-drawn aesthetics with modern 3D rendering, creating a visually delicious experience that appeals to both children and adults.

• Chris Sanders drew inspiration for the character designs from various global breakfast traditions, incorporating elements from Japanese dorayaki and French croissants into the creature designs.
• The voice recording process involved the cast tasting different breakfast items to better understand the personality traits assigned to each character, such as eating actual waffles to capture Barnaby's warm demeanor.
• This marks the first DreamWorks Animation feature to utilize a new proprietary lighting engine specifically designed to render translucent and glossy food textures realistically.
• The musical score was composed by Rupert Gregson-Williams, featuring instruments like xylophones and chimes to mimic the sounds of kitchen utensils and sizzling pans.