Two of animation’s most commercially reliable minds have officially found a new home. Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic, the creative duo behind some of the most beloved animated properties of the past decade, have entered into a wide-ranging partnership with Netflix that positions the streaming giant as the next chapter in their already formidable careers.
Horvath co-developed the animated series ‘Teen Titans Go!’ alongside Jelenic for Cartoon Network, a show that launched in 2013 and became one of the network’s biggest ongoing hits. The pair built a reputation for fast-paced, irreverent comedy that connected with younger audiences while hiding enough wit and pop culture savvy to keep older viewers engaged. That sensibility eventually carried them far beyond the small screen.
Jelenic and Horvath directed Illumination’s ‘Super Mario Bros.’ films, which grossed more than two billion dollars combined for Universal at the global box office. The sequel, ‘The Super Mario Galaxy Movie’, is currently the highest-grossing title of 2026, with a worldwide total approaching one billion dollars. That kind of commercial track record is exactly what makes their new deal so significant for Netflix.
As part of the overall deal, the duo will develop animated films and series exclusively for Netflix, alongside live-action projects covered under a first-look arrangement. The terms reflect the kind of partnership Netflix typically reserves for proven creative talent with demonstrated mass-market appeal, and Horvath and Jelenic have that in abundance. The ‘Super Mario Bros. Movie’ appeared in the Netflix global top 10 for 24 weeks and accumulated over 240 million views from December 2023 through the end of 2025, while ‘Teen Titans Go!’ seasons one through five and its theatrical spinoff drew over 80 million views on the platform over the same period.
Netflix’s enthusiasm for the deal was made clear by the words of the streamer’s own leadership. John Derderian, Netflix’s Vice President of Animation Series and Kids and Family TV, said the duo are visionary creators who remind the company why it fell in love with animation, adding that it’s clear the global audience craves their unique brand of storytelling. That quote, told to The Hollywood Reporter, underscores just how seriously Netflix is treating this partnership.
For their part, Horvath and Jelenic expressed equal excitement about the opportunity. The two said jointly that they are thrilled to partner with Netflix to create captivating and immersive series and films over the coming years, adding they are grateful for the chance to entertain the world’s largest audience. The language is deliberately broad, leaving plenty of room for speculation about what kinds of projects could emerge from the arrangement.
The filmmakers have previously spoken about the intentional difference in approach between their work on ‘Teen Titans Go!’ and the Mario films, with Horvath explaining that ‘Teen Titans’ was built around irreverence because a reverent version already existed, whereas Mario required delivering an authentic experience that audiences had never properly seen before. That kind of thoughtful creative philosophy suggests Netflix is getting more than just crowd-pleasers. It is getting storytellers who understand what their audiences actually want.
With a first-look deal also covering live-action projects, the scope of what Horvath and Jelenic could produce at Netflix is genuinely wide open, and the question of which beloved property or original world they might tackle next is one fans of both animation and blockbuster entertainment will be eager to answer.