The Netflix Ultraman film won big last night at the 2026 Children’s & Family Emmy Awards. After being nominated for three awards – Outstanding Animated Special, Outstanding Sound Mixing and Sound Editing for an Animated Program, and Outstanding Original Song for a Children’s or Young Teen Program, the kaiju world can celebrate, as we have another award-winning giant monster film. Ultraman: Rising ended up winning in two categories: Outstanding Animated Special and Outstanding Sound Mixing and Sound Editing for an Animated Program, plus an individual win for Outstanding Individual Achievement in Animation – Character Animation, all of which a historic first for the 60-year franchise.
Jeff Gomez, CEO of Starlight Runner Entertainment and prominent producer working alongside Tsuburaya Productions on the Ultraman’s IP expansion in North America, reflected on this historic win for the Ultra franchise, stating on X: “Congratulations to @TsuburayaGlobal and everyone involved with Ultraman: Rising. Masterful achievement.”
The night was celebrated by numerous individuals in attendance, including voice actor Christopher Sean, who portrayed leading protagonist Ken Sato, various representatives from Industrial Light & Magic, and many more. James Saunders, who was the Senior Animator on the film, was prominently highlighted by ILM on their website with his win for Outstanding Individual Achievement in Animation – Character Animation alongside many other accomplished animators.
Image Credit: Industrial Light & Magic
Christopher Sean posted about the win on his Instagram account, stating, “From Tokyo to the world—Ultraman has never stood taller! We are beyond honored to announce that Ultraman: Rising is now a 3-time Emmy winner, including Outstanding Animated Special. Thank you to our incredible fans for joining Ken and Emi on this journey. A huge thank you to the Television Academy and our partners at Netflix, Tsuburaya Productions, and ILM for making this vision a reality!”
Image Credit: The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS)
Below is the full list of winners represented by each award:
Outstanding Animated Special
Ultraman: Rising
Netflix [Tsuburaya Productions]
Executive Producers: Kei Minamitani, Masahiro Onda, and Takayuki Tsukagoshi
Producers: Tom Knott, p.g.a. and Lisa M. Poole, p.g.a.
Writers: Marc Haimes and Shannon Tindle
Director: Shannon Tindle
Outstanding Sound Mixing and Sound Editing for an Animated Program
Ultraman: Rising
Netflix [Tsuburaya Productions]
Re-Recording Mixer: Gary A. Rizzo, CAS
Supervising Sound Editor: Brian Chumney
Sound Effects Editors: Samson Neslund and Jamey Scott
Foley Editor: Christopher Manning
Foley Artists: John Cucci and Dan O’Connell
Dialogue Editor / ADR Editor: Rich Quinn
Supervising Sound Designer: Randy Thom
Supervising Sound Editor / Re-Recording Mixer: Leff Lefferts
Outstanding Individual Achievement in Animation – Character Animation
James Saunders
Ultraman: Rising
Netflix [Tsuburaya Productions]
Animator: James Saunders
In Ultraman: Rising, “A star athlete reluctantly returns home to take over his father’s duties as Ultraman, shielding Tokyo from giant monsters as he becomes a legendary hero.” The film was released in summer 2024 exclusively on Netflix to positive reception. The animated family feature stars the voice talents of Christopher Sean, Gedde Watanabe, Tamlyn Tomita, Keone Young, and Julia Harriman, and was directed by Shannon Tindle and John Aoshima.
©Netflix
Ultraman: Rising is now streaming on Netflix. While there remains little official word on what will come next for the storied franchise as it enters its milestone 60th Anniversary year in 2026, this remains a massive win for the film’s cast and crew, and for the kaiju genre at large.
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