Children of the Flying City

Theatrical release poster

***Children of the Flying City*** is a 2026 American sci-fi fantasy adventure film directed by Eric Brevig and starring Elliott Smith in the main role, Lily Sanfelippo, Keith L. Williams, and Brendan Fraser. Produced by Cartoon Network Studios in association with Walden Media, and Broken Road Productions, it is an adaptation of Jason Sheehan's 2017 novel of the same name, and its plot follows Milo Quick and his friends, orphans under the rulership of the iron-fisted Total King.

Walden Media announced the film in May 2020, with Brevig hired as director, Michael D. Weiss, Mark Levin and Jennifer Flackett hired as writers, and Smith, Sanfelippo, and the rest of the cast joined the film. Filming took place from March to June 2021 in Winnipeg.

*Children of the Flying City* was released by Warner Bros. Pictures in select theaters on August 7, 2026, followed by a video-on-demand release on August 18 to relatively large popularity, though received generally mixed reviews from audiences.

## Plot

Brought to the flying city of Highgate when he was only five years old, orphan Milo Quick has never known another home. Now almost thirteen, Milo survives one daredevil grift at a time, relying only on his wit, speed, and best friends Jules and Dagda.

A massive armada has surrounded Highgate’s crumbling armaments. Because behind locked doors—in opulent parlors and pneumatic forests and a master toymaker’s workshop—the once-great flying city protects a powerful secret, hidden away for centuries. A secret that’s about to ignite a war. One small airship, the Halcyon, has slipped through the ominous blockade on a mission to collect Milo—and the rich bounty on his head—before the fighting begins. But the members of the Halcyon’s misfit crew aren’t the only ones chasing Milo Quick.

## Cast

* Elliott Smith as Milo Quick, a 13-year-old boy and an orphan.
	+ Harrison Haycraft plays the five-year-old Milo.
* Lily Sanfelippo as Dagda, one of Milo's closest friends, and a fellow orphan.
* Keith L. Williams as Jules, one of Milo's closest friends, and a fellow orphan.
* Brendan Fraser as Total King, the iron-fisted ruler of Highgate.
* Johnny Galecki as Gorgon, the bounty hunter and leader of the Halcyon*'*s misfit crew.
* Ansel Elgort as Badulf, Total King's squire.
* Scott Shepherd as Noah Quick, Milo's late father.
* Heather Doerksen as Debby Quick, Milo's late mother.
* Daniel Gillies, Tainá Muller, Aleks Paunovic, Greg Bryk, and Peter Mooney as the members of the Halcyon's misfit crew.
* Jay Brazeau as The Master Toymaker.
* Gwynyth Walsh as Adelisa, a pilot.

## Production

### Development

In May 2020, Walden Media announced that Eric Brevig was hired and set to direct *Children of the Flying City* based on the book of the same name by Jason Sheehan. Michael D. Weiss, Mark Levin and Jennifer Flackett wrote the script for the film. Todd Garner and Charlotte Huggins produced the film for release in 2026. In 2021, Elliott Smith, Lily Sanfelippo, Keith L. Williams, and Brendan Fraser joined the film. Andrew Lockington composed the music for the film.

### Filming

Principal photography began in Winnipeg in March 2021 and wrapped on June 25, of the same year.

In January 2025, Warner Bros. Pictures and Cartoon Network Studios acquired distribution rights to the film.

### Editing and visual effects

Kent Beyda serves as the film's editor, while Betsy Paterson serves as the visual effects supervisor, after previously working on the film *Yogi Bear* (2010). Visual effects vendors included DNEG, Pixomondo, SDFX Studios, Weta FX, Territory Studio, Method Studios, Static Chair Productions, RISE VFX, and Scanline VFX.

### Music

Andrew Lockington was confirmed to score the film by the trailer's release in July 2026. A soundtrack album featuring his score was released by WaterTower Music on August 7, 2026; a track from the soundtrack album, "*Children of the Flying City* Suite", was released as a single on July 31.

## Release

*Children of the Flying City* was released in select theaters on August 7, 2026, followed by a video-on-demand release on August 18.

## Reception

*Children of the Flying City* received mixed reviews. On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 57%, based on 18 reviews, with an average rating of 4/10. Metacritic gives the film a weighted average score of 39 out of 100, based on 5 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews".

## Trivia

* For unknown reasons, the film did not receive any promotion or marketing, and the trailer was released just a month before release.
* Eric Brevig previously directed the other Cartoon Network film, *Family Mash-Up*.
* Keith L. Williams previously starred in *Billy & Mandy The Movie: The Quest of the Diamonds*.
* Elliott Smith's first involvement with Cartoon Network since *Summer Camp Island*.

## Transcripts

### Main Transcript

*Main article: Children of the Flying City/Transcript*
### Trailer transcripts

*Main article: Children of the Flying City/Trailer transcripts*
## Credits

*Main article: Children of the Flying City/Credits*