Dog Days of Animated Wonders: 8 Streaming Picks to Beat the Heat

This long weekend marks the Dog Days of Animated Wonders, with Netflix, Shout! Studios, and Crunchyroll offering escapes tailor-made for summer. If you’re skipping a last-minute vacation, the sun might feel more like an opponent than a friend.

Even on Disney Plus (availability varies by region), Summer Time Rendering pulls you into a sun-soaked island mystery, while on Crunchy Laid-Back Camp lets you enjoy the outdoors from the comfort of your couch. And this year, The Girl Who Leapt Through Time is returning in a 4K restoration to be released onto home video and getting theatrical screenings, just as the season winds down—making it the ideal end-of-summer watch.

Shout! Studios brings the offbeat and heartfelt, like Summer Ghost, a quiet, contemplative short film that perfectly captures the fleeting, dreamlike feel of hot summer nights. Our full movie review can be read here. Alternatively, there’s also Summer Days With Coo, (review) a charming story of a kappa navigating modern Tokyo under the blazing sun. Although this distributor has a different idea of what to pick up at their marketplace, with A Boy And His Dog along with Wallace and Gromit, we prefer to look at the season rather than do what dogs love to do best–race around in the cool ocean water to cool down!

Netflix leans into those “last vacation” vibes. From high-stakes sunlit escapades in Vivy: Fluorite Eye’s Song to that unmistakable end-of-summer nostalgia that evokes Grease, it’s all about soaking up the season without melting. Grab a cold drink, sink into the couch, and let these fictional worlds handle the heat for you.

And of course, the dog days wouldn’t be complete without stories that make you laugh, sigh, or simply let the summer stretch on forever. Whether it’s a heartwarming friendship, a brief summer romance, or a whimsical adventure under the blazing sun, these picks give you all the warmth of the season—without the sunburn. These dog days of animated wonders prove you don’t need the sun to feel the season’s warmth—just a good story and a cool drink.