Highlights
- Crunchyroll is expanding beyond Japanese source material by supporting French adaptations of The Wolf and Dreamland.
- The initiative reflects the growing importance of France and other European regions in the global anime market.
- Crunchyroll continues to strengthen its presence through localization efforts, including multilingual dubbing.
Crunchyroll is expanding into regional anime adaptations, backing two French animated projects as part of a deliberate push into European content. With French graphic novels The Wolf and Dreamland adaptation set as examples, the streamer detailed its plans during a panel at the 2026 Annecy International Animation Film Festival.
Crunchyroll has acquired worldwide subscription video-on-demand rights (except japan and china) to Xilam’s animated feature The Wolf, an adaptation of Snowpiercer-famed Jean-Marc Rochette’s graphic novel. The film is co-directed and co-written by Benjamin Massoubre and Fursy Teyssier.
Additionally, the streamer is also partnering with French studios La Chouette Compagnie and Ellipse Animation on the upcoming adaptation Dreamland. The animated series, based on Reno Lemaire’s French manga, was announced earlier in May 2026.
The move reflects a notable shift for the Sony-owned streamer, which has been increasingly looking beyond Japanese source materials for a global anime audience. Crunchyroll has previously simulcasted another French manga adaptation, Radiant, as well.
Crunchyroll EVP of Global Commerce and Head of Theatrical Mitchel Berger called France “one of the highest-growth markets” for the company, framing the two titles as a first step toward broader European collaborations for anime-inspired works. The strategy also aligns with recent comments from Crunchyroll President Rahul Purini, who emphasized that the company is focusing on adapting stories beyond Japanese manga.
Importance of Europe to Crunchyroll’s Anime Strategy
Berger argued that anime’s influence now extends across music, games, and live-action films, blurring the line on what qualifies as anime in the first place. If an animated project looks, sounds, and is made like anime, Berger suggested it belongs on Crunchyroll regardless of origin and source material.
The strategy is relevant as the global and European anime and manga market grows strongly. France, in particular, has long been one of the largest consumers of Japanese anime and manga. The country recorded the second-largest market outside Japan in 2023.
On the other hand, the U.K. holds the 24% anime market share across European regions, as the leading consumer market, as per IMRAC. The entire European anime market is growing at a CAGR of 6.82% from 2026 to 2034, projected to reach $16.4 billion USD.
At Annecy, Berger’s statements highlighted that adapting European stories presents an opportunity to leverage existing fan communities while creating content that feels culturally familiar to local audiences. The upcoming projects, The Wolf and Dreamland, represent Crunchyroll’s effort to bridge European storytelling traditions with anime production.
Crunchyroll’s Anime Localization Push in Europe and Beyond
Sony-backed Crunchyroll has used localization across high-value and emerging markets to scale and increase audience engagement. The streamer already provides multi-lingual sub and dub versions of anime, including European regional languages such as German, French, Italian, and Spanish.
The company recently expanded its service in Poland, bringing over 4000 Polish localized anime episodes to the country. A similar effort also brought Crunchyroll Stores across key European anime markets in 2024. It was localized in French and German, including English, for more regional penetration.
During Crunchyroll’s Ani-May celebration, the company brought localized activations, screenings, and celebrations across EMEA regions, along with broader Asia and America-targeted initiatives. That European push mirrors the streamer’s localization measures across Asia.
Over the past few years, the company has expanded its presence in most of the key Asian markets, including India, Vietnam, and Thailand. In 2026, Crunchyroll announced expansion into Taiwan and South Korea through localized marketing, regional partnerships, and language-specific content initiatives.
