Disney has spent decades perfecting a signature animation style that audiences instantly recognize. But every so often, the studio takes a bold detour, and its upcoming 2028 feature, Clay, is shaping up to be one of the most visually distinctive projects yet. Directed by Fawn Veerasunthorn, the film stars Kieran Culkin as Flip, a reluctant mentor who gets stuck guiding a young ball of clay named Mushy through a magical forest. The premise alone invites a fresh aesthetic, and now we know exactly how far Disney is willing to go.
At the SCAD Savannah Film Festival, Walt Disney Animation Studios Chief Creative Officer Jared Bush confirmed to Collider that Clay will indeed embrace a claymation-inspired look—but with a modern twist. “It won't be stop-motion. It will be CG animation, but it will look unlike anything we've ever done,” Bush said. The goal is to make the world feel tactile and touchable, as if you could reach out and squish the characters. That's a deliberate choice, because the story revolves around characters literally being shaped by their mentors.
In Clay's world, everyone is born as a shapeless ball of clay, and a parental figure or mentor molds them into who they're meant to become. That concept demanded a visual style that feels handmade and organic, even if the technology behind it is cutting-edge. “The fact that this is going to feel tactile, it's going to feel like claymation in terms of making it feel like this very real, touchable place is important to us,” Bush explained. It's a departure from Disney's usual polished CG look, and it's one of the biggest artistic swings the studio has taken in years.
So why take such a risk? For Bush, it all comes down to director Fawn Veerasunthorn's passion. “She pitched me this very original world that’s centered on this parental mentor dynamic, with a character that doesn't want to be a role model to anybody,” he said. Veerasunthorn drew from her own experience becoming a mother, wrestling with doubts about whether she could be a good parent. That universal anxiety—whether you're raising a child or mentoring a coworker—became the emotional core of the film. “It was the emotion of that story that, to me, grabbed me the most,” Bush added.
The visual experimentation isn't just for show. Bush noted that Clay is a perfect example of why a new art style should serve the story. “Something that we talk about a lot in our films is, 'Should we change the look of our movies, and why does it make sense? Is it something that will add to the story?'” he said. In this case, the answer is a resounding yes. The claymation-like aesthetic isn't just a gimmick—it's a direct reflection of the film's themes of shaping and being shaped.
While Clay won't be a musical, Bush hinted that it could follow in the footsteps of Hexed, another upcoming Disney project that's breaking conventions. “Hexed is not a musical, but I think for the first time, we have six needle drops in it. We don't ever do that. So, I'd say that the approach to Clay could be many things,” he said. That openness to experimentation is part of what makes Disney Animation so exciting right now.
Production is still in its early stages, with Bush revealing that the team is “about to have a screening” and still “building characters, building out the world, but still very much experimenting.” He emphasized that this exploratory phase is one of the most special parts of the Disney Animation process. “You have this luxury of taking big swings, which is, I think, what Fawn’s been able to do,” he said.
With a 2028 theatrical release on the horizon, Clay is already generating buzz as one of Disney's most anticipated projects. It's a reminder that even after a century of animation, the studio isn't afraid to get its hands dirty—literally. For more on Disney's evolving animation slate, check out our update on Frozen 4 and our list of Disney's flawless films.
