California just scored a blockbuster win for film production.
Governor Newsom today announced that 38 new film projects have been conditionally approved for tax credits in the latest round of the expanded Film & Television Tax Credit Program 4.0.
This slate is especially exciting! It’s the first round to include animated feature films (now newly eligible) alongside a powerful mix of big-budget studio features and independent productions.
By the numbers:
• Total economic activity: $796 million (nearly $800M) across California
• Qualified spending: $554 million (including $373 million in qualified wages)
• Jobs supported: 5,316 cast & crew hires + 20,845 background performer days
• Filming days: 1,019 total shooting days statewide, including 463 days outside the 30-mile studio zone (Humboldt, Inyo, Kern, Mendocino, Nevada, San Francisco, San Diego, Marin, Ventura, and more)
Since the July 2025 expansion:
• Applications in the first window jumped >400%
• 147 total projects approved to date — a 53% increase vs. the same period last year
• Combined economic impact: $5.5 billion, supporting 21,504 cast & crew jobs and 5,928 filming days
Project Breakdown
• 3 Animated Features (first time eligible): ~$144M qualified spend and 484 cast/crew
• Strong mix of Non-Independent (studio) and Independent Features
Notable projects include:
• The Simpsons Movie 2 (20th Century Studios)
• Phineas and Ferb (Disney Television Animation / Walt Disney Pictures)
• Untitled DreamWorks Animation Feature Film
• Self Help (Gloria Sanchez Productions – Will Ferrell)
• Black Is Blue (Laverne Cox / Jingletown Films)
• The Renewal (Artists Equity)
• Tommy & Me (Mandalay Pictures / Skydance Sports)
• Untitled Paramount Crime Thriller (Paramount)
This round shows real momentum for the expanded program — animation is now competing, and out-of-zone filming is spreading economic benefits across the entire state.
Full press release and official approved list here:
https://film.ca.gov/
(updated periodically).
https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/business/story/2026-04-23/in-first-animated-movies-receive-film-tax-credits-in-california
