Meadowlight (film)
| Meadowlight | |
|---|---|
| File:Meadowlight 2026 poster.png Teaser poster | |
| Directed by | Lena Darrow |
| Written by |
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| Produced by | Keaton Rymer |
| Starring |
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| Cinematography | (animation) |
| Edited by | Sera Hollis |
| Music by | TBA |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Lighthouse Pictures |
Release date |
|
Running time | TBA |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $145 million |
Meadowlight is an upcoming American animated fantasy adventure film produced by Aurora Animation Studios and distributed by Lighthouse Pictures. Directed by Lena Darrow from a screenplay by Felix Wren, the film follows Liora, a young mapmaker whose drawings can stabilize fading landscapes in a world slowly losing its color and memory. The film stars Florence Pugh, Jacob Tremblay, Mahershala Ali, and Kelly Marie Tran.
The film is scheduled to be released in the United States on March 6, 2026. It is the eleventh feature film produced by Aurora Animation Studios.
Premise
In the fading land of Aralen, color, emotion, and memory are disappearing as a mysterious force known as the Gloam spreads across the world. Liora, a young mapmaker living in the remote village of Evershade, discovers that her hand-drawn charts can temporarily preserve regions on the brink of collapse.
After a rupture reveals a cavern beneath the last living meadow, she awakens Koryn, a shapeshifting guardian who explains that Aralen’s magic was once sustained by ancient reservoirs called the Luminar Wells. With the Wells failing, Liora sets out with a wandering storyteller and a disgraced knight to restore them before the world fades completely.
Voice cast
- Florence Pugh as Liora, a mapmaker whose drawings can anchor collapsing landscapes.
- Jacob Tremblay as Taren, a wandering storyteller immune to memory decay.
- Mahershala Ali as Sir Vaelen, a disgraced knight seeking redemption.
- Kelly Marie Tran as Koryn, a shapeshifting guardian of the Meadowlight.
- Shohreh Aghdashloo as the Archivist.
- Brian Tyree Henry as the Gloam, a corrupted force consuming the Luminar Wells.
Production
Development
On July 9, 2024, Aurora Animation Studios announced that director Lena Darrow would helm a new original fantasy project under the working title Project Greenfall. Darrow stated the story would explore themes of memory, identity, and cultural preservation. Screenwriter Felix Wren joined the project later that year.
Visual development began in early 2025, drawing inspiration from Scandinavian meadowlands, Mongolian folklore, and traditional cartography. According to Darrow, the film’s artistic direction emphasizes “color as emotion” and the gradual decay of memory.
Casting
In April 2025, Florence Pugh was announced as the voice of Liora. Jacob Tremblay, Mahershala Ali, and Kelly Marie Tran were confirmed in subsequent casting announcements throughout mid-2025.
Animation
Animation is being produced using Aurora’s ARIA pipeline, capable of rendering advanced bioluminescent lighting, color-loss simulations, and volumetric fog. Over 400 unique plant species were designed for the film’s environments. According to Aurora, Meadowlight contains the studio’s most ambitious landscape animation to date.
Music
As of November 2025, the composer has not been publicly announced. Early footage screened internally has included temporary choral and analog-synth placeholder tracks.
Release
Meadowlight is scheduled for theatrical release in the United States on March 6, 2026, by Lighthouse Pictures. International release dates are expected to be announced in early 2026.
Marketing
A teaser poster was released on August 17, 2025, featuring an illuminated meadow beneath a darkened sky. A short 45-second teaser premiered at the 2025 Lighthouse Animation Showcase on October 29, highlighting the film’s color-loss visual motif.