Kris Bowers Scores Netflix's First In-House Animated Feature, 'Steps'
Kris Bowers will compose the score for Netflix's animated comedy Steps, which was recorded at London's Abbey Road Studios in July and August 2026 and is slated for release on 20 November, according to Variety.
The film carries a distinction beyond its soundtrack: Steps is the first feature fully animated in-house within Netflix Animation Studios. Until now, Netflix's animated films have relied on outside studios or co-production arrangements. Bringing the full pipeline under one roof makes Steps a test case for the streamer's internal capabilities.
Directed by Alyce Tzue and John Ripa, Steps puts a twist on the Cinderella story by turning the spotlight on the so-called evil stepsisters. Lilith, voiced by Ali Wong, is blamed for hijacking the Royal Ball with a stolen magic wand and accidentally turns her sister Margot — voiced by Stephanie Hsu — into a frog. Amanda Seyfried voices Cinderella, Bette Midler plays the fairy godmother, and Daniel Radcliffe takes the royal role. The supporting cast includes Young Mazino as Gef, "The Heartthrob," and Peter Dinklage as Roderick, "The Muscle" (Variety).
The project is a musical animated comedy produced by Amy Poehler, Jane Hartwell, and Kim Lessing through Poehler's Paper Kite Productions (Netflix Tudum; Netflix).
Bowers arrives at Steps on the heels of a breakthrough in animation scoring. The Wild Robot, released in 2024, was his first animated feature score, and it won him an Annie Award for music at the 2025 Annie Awards (Variety; Variety). Recording at Abbey Road places Steps in a lineage of film scores laid down at the storied northwest London studio, from orchestral sessions for blockbuster franchises to animated titles.
The 20 November release date positions Steps squarely in the Thanksgiving corridor — a window that studios have long used for family releases, when audiences are out of school and looking for something to watch together. Whether Steps lands with that crowd is a question for reviewers and, eventually, for Netflix's own viewership metrics. For now, the pieces are in place: a decorated composer, a voice cast stacked with names, and the weight of being first.
