‘Tangles’ Trailer Brings Alzheimer’s Story to Life as Theatrical Release Date Is Revealed

Some films arrive with festival buzz so strong that their first trailer feels like a victory lap, and the ‘Tangles’ trailer is a perfect example. Directed by Leah Nelson, the adult animated drama adapts Sarah Leavitt’s 2010 graphic memoir ‘Tangles: A Story About Alzheimer’s, My Mother and Me’.

The film has been on an impressive festival run. It received a special screening at Cannes, where it earned a 7-minute ovation as producer Lauren Miller Rogen teared up, then played in competition at Annecy and later won the Sebastiane Award at the San Sebastián International Film Festival.

Now, audiences finally have their first full look. Independent Film Company has released a trailer for ‘Tangles’, confirming a theatrical release on January 22, with the film also set for an Oscar-qualifying run next month.

The story follows Sarah, an artist and activist in ’90s San Francisco who returns to the small, conservative hometown she fled after Alzheimer’s begins to erode her mother’s vibrant personality. Confronting a reality she can’t control, Sarah must learn to accept her mother’s decline and the imperfect beauty of her family.

The trailer leans into the film’s distinctive look. ‘Tangles’ uses expressive, predominantly black-and-white hand-drawn animation, and Little White Lies noted that it moves playfully between reality and fantasy in greyscale with occasional pops of color.

The ensemble is stacked with comedy and drama heavyweights. Abbi Jacobson voices Sarah, Julia Louis-Dreyfus plays her mother Midge, Bryan Cranston voices her father Rob, and Beanie Feldstein plays her sister Hannah. Seth Rogen, Samira Wiley, Sarah Silverman, Wanda Sykes, Bowen Yang, and Pamela Adlon round out the supporting cast. Louis-Dreyfus and Rogen also serve as producers.

First trailer for ‘TANGLES’, starring Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Bryan Cranston and Seth Rogen. The film follows an artist who returns home after Alzheimer’s disease begins to erase her mother’s vibrant personality. In theaters on January 22. https://t.co/yI8F1W5l1G

— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) October 21, 2026

For the Rogens, the story hits especially close to home. Lauren Miller Rogen’s mother, Adele, was showing the first signs of the illness when the couple started dating more than 2 decades ago, and she lived with it for the final 16 years of her life.

Rogen has spoken about the film’s surprising emotional balance. “To have the audience go on a journey that emotionally is not what they’re expecting it to be, and to find yourself laughing amid these very sad moments, I also think is really reflective of having lived an experience very much like this,” he told Variety.

Leavitt’s original memoir was just as personal. Her mother Midge was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s at 55, and Leavitt set out to document not only the grief and fear but also moments of love, joy, and dark humor.

The visuals of ‘TANGLES’. • Starring Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Bryan Cranston & Seth Rogen • The film follows an artist who returns home after Alzheimer’s disease begins to erase her mother’s personality https://t.co/pg0KWTPzhB

— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) October 21, 2026

‘Tangles’ marks Nelson’s first feature as director. The Giant Ant co-founder described a 10-year journey to bring the film to life and co-wrote the screenplay with Leavitt and Trev Renney. Critics have embraced the result. AwardsWatch gave it an A, calling it an incredible feat of animation, while the film currently holds an impressive 4.18 average on Letterboxd.

TheWrap even wondered whether ‘Tangles’ could follow in the footsteps of ‘Flow’, another small animated movie that debuted at Cannes before winning the Best Animated Feature Oscar.

The R-rated film runs 1 hour and 42 minutes and is produced by Monarch Media, Point Grey Pictures, Giant Ant, and LYLAS Pictures. With strong reviews and festival honors behind it, the drama is shaping up as a serious contender in the animated feature race.

The trailer has already struck a chord online, with many viewers sharing how painful it is to watch a loved one slowly change. That emotional connection may be exactly what carries ‘Tangles’ through awards season.

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