We caught the first trailer for the upcoming Netflix animated film in September and were charmed by director Brad Bird’s blend of a Jetsons-like future with classic 1930s noir detective thrillers. Bird has described it as a mashup of and , and the latest trailer definitely gives off that energy.

As previously reported, Bird has directed some of our all-time favorite animated films: (1999), (2004), and (2007), with the latter two snagging well-deserved Oscar wins. He’s been kicking around the idea for for the last 30 years, working on his many other film projects while the script—co-written by Matthew Robbins, who also co-wrote 1987’s with Bird—“stayed in a filing cabinet at Warner Brothers,” the director said earlier this year.

The film’s inspiration came when Bird heard the opening of the B-52s’ “Planet Claire” (a personal favorite that also provides the soundtrack to the new trailer) and initially thought it was a cover of Henry Mancini’s theme music from the classic TV show . Bird is a longtime fan of film noir and hard-boiled detectives, and he came up with the idea of a futuristic detective named Ray Gunn (a play on “raygun,” of course). “It’s film noir and a hard-boiled detective story, but it’s got a lot more comedy and a lot more action than the average film noir,” said Bird.

Per the official premise: “In Metropia, a gigantic city in an alternate future as seen from 1939, private eye Raymond Gunn (voiced by Sam Rockwell) is drawn into a case involving aliens, murder, and a multimedia star named Venus Nova (voiced by Scarlett Johansson).”

Unlike Bird’s Pixar fare, targets a slightly older demographic with more mature themes.

In addition to Rockwell and Johansson, the all-star voice cast includes Tom Waits as Ray’s one-eyed alien colleague, Eyera (pronounced Ira); Matt Berry as alien mob boss Francis “Sluggy” Xavier; Bobby Cannavale as Venus’ husband, who hires Ray to spy on his wife; Alan Tudyk as Venus’ manager, Barry Vogel; Michael Chernus as a studio fixer named Sam; and Patton Oswalt as a hologram. Bird provides the voices for Xavier’s alien henchmen, Gunsol and Musker. Kathryn Hunter, John Ratzenberger, and Jamie Costa will also voice as-yet-undisclosed characters.

releases on Netflix on December 18, 2026—the same day both and hit theaters, so it will be alternative family fare for those disinclined to brave the holiday theatrical crowds. The film will also screen in select theaters on December 4, 2026.