How Matt Braly’s ‘Afterworld’ Animated Film Was Revived After Sony Shelved It

When we last spoke to Matt Braly, he had moved on from his shelved debut animated feature, ‘Afterworld’. The creator of Disney’s hit fantasy series ‘Amphibia’ had shared production art on social media, calling the project’s cancellation a “public trauma dump.” Instead of dwelling on the loss, Braly shifted his focus to ‘Clara and the Below’, his Gothic horror take on ‘The Nutcracker’, produced by his new studio, Fantasy Project. The film’s fundraiser raised $443,000, and its first installment is set for a YouTube release ahead of Christmas.

But while Braly was working on new projects, ‘Afterworld’ began gaining unexpected momentum. The film, which follows a disabled Thai child’s journey to the spirit world, went viral in Thailand. Social media buzz highlighted Hollywood’s rejection of a Thai-infused cultural story—a narrative many in Thailand felt was long overdue, especially after films like ‘Moana’.

Braly explained,

“In this instance, we actually went viral in Thailand. It was all over Thai social media that Hollywood had passed on a Thai-infused cultural story, which I think is something that you know people over there, when they see films like ‘Moana’ or whatever, everyone’s thinking, Oh, do Thailand next.”

The revival of ‘Afterworld’ coincides with a strong year for original animation, with films like Pixar’s ‘Hoppers’ and Sony’s ‘Goat’ among the highest-grossing releases of 2024, and ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ achieving massive success the previous summer.

Braly revealed that three Thai animation studios reached out, expressing interest in either reviving ‘Afterworld’ or collaborating on a new project. Initially, Braly was hesitant.

“I’d spend a lot of time developing this idea and these characters, and I just wasn’t willing to dance anymore,”

MONK has since acquired the rights to ‘Afterworld’ and will begin fundraising at the Annecy International Film Festival next month. The studio aims to secure a modest but far from low-budget sum to bring the film to life.