As animation continues to show off its muscle on the big screen and in streaming, Netflix has snapped up one of the medium’s marquee creative teams into its fold.
The streaming giant has entered into a creative partnership, also known as an overall deal in Netflix parlance, with Michael Jelenic and Aaron Horvath, the creators of the long-running Teen Titans Go! series and more recently the duo behind the billion dollar-grossing Super Mario Bros. movies made by Universal and Illumination.
The deal will see Jelenic and Horvath develop both animated series and films exclusively for Netflix. And, as a bonus, the pair will also dip their toes into the live-action pool, with Netflix getting a first look at those projects.
“Michael Jelenic and Aaron Horvath are visionary creators who remind us why we fell in love with animation,” said John Derderian, Netflix’s vp of animation series and kids and family TV. “After the massive success of The Super Mario Bros. movies and Teen Titans Go! on our service, it’s clear our global audience craves their unique brand of storytelling. We are thrilled to embark on this partnership and can’t wait to see what they dream up next for Netflix members.”
Jelenic and Horvath gained attention for their fast-paced, inventive work over the course of nine seasons (and counting) on Cartoon Network’s Teen Titans Go!, which launched in 2013 and is based on the DC characters. A spinoff movie, Teen Titans Go! To the Movies, was released theatrically by Warners in 2018.
The duo also worked on and directed, with Pierre Leduc, 2023’s The Super Mario Bros. Movie, which became a surprise juggernaut, opening to a $146.3 million domestically and grossing $1.3 billion. The sequel, The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, opened this year and has made $966.5 million since its release on April 1.
Those titles have also proven to be huge players on Netflix. Super Mario Bros. Movie appeared in the Netflix global top 10 for 24 weeks and garnered over 240 million views from December 2023 through the end of 2025, according to the streamer. Meanwhile, Teen Titans Go! seasons 1 to 5 and Teen Titans Go! To the Movies garnered over 80 million views on the platform from 2023-2025.
“We are thrilled to partner with Netflix to create captivating and immersive series and films over the coming years,” stated Jelenic and Horvath jointly. “We are grateful for the opportunity and look forward to entertaining the world’s largest audience!”
Jelenic and Horvath are repped by CAA, Allison Binder at Goodman Genow and Angela Cheng Caplan at Cheng Caplan Company.
