Cartoon voice actors approved new four-year TV animation contracts with the studios by 94.95%, locking in raises, more benefits and new rules on AI copies of their voices.
The people who voice your favorite cartoons just signed off on a new deal, and it covers a lot more than paychecks.
SAG-AFTRA members voted to ratify the 2026 Television Animation Agreement and the Basic Cable Animation Agreement, with voting wrapping up Thursday, Oct. 29. The vote was 94.95% in favor, Deadline reported.
The contracts are with the AMPTP, the group that bargains for the big Hollywood studios, including Disney. They run four years, from July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2030, and they apply back to July.
How big are the raises for voice actors?
The deal adds up to a 12.6% wage increase over the four years, according to Deadline and TheWrap.
That comes from a 3% raise each year, stacked on top of the last one. The first raise is retroactive to July 5, 2026, per SAG-AFTRA’s Oct. 5 summary of the deal and Cartoon Brew.
So actors who worked TV animation sessions this summer have some back pay coming.
What does the deal say about AI and voice actors?
AI got a lot of attention in this round, and it’s where the new deal borrows from the live-action contract SAG-AFTRA signed earlier this year.
Voice Over Herald, which went through the terms Oct. 24, reported these AI rules:
Studios need an actor’s consent to use a digital copy of their voice to dub a performance into another language. They didn’t need it before.
A digital copy made without the actor in the booth still pays at least a session fee, plus residuals.
Studios agreed to keep hiring human voice actors, and can use a fully synthetic performer in a human role only when it adds “significant additional value.”
Digital copies can’t be used to fill in for actors during a strike.
Studios have to tell the union before licensing performances to train an outside company’s AI system.
SAG-AFTRA’s own summary says the live-action AI gains carried over. The 2024 animation contract had already said a “voice actor” has to be a human.
What did Sean Astin say about the animation contract?
Sean Astin, the “Goonies” and “Lord of the Rings” actor who is SAG-AFTRA’s president, thanked the bargaining team.
“As someone who often works in TV animation, my heartfelt thanks goes out to the TV Animation Negotiating Committee,” Astin said, per Deadline. He called it “a dignified deal with essential AI protections.”
Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, the union’s national executive director, said, “SAG-AFTRA members who work in TV Animation are entitled to meaningful protections around AI.”
Bob Bergen, the voice of Porky Pig and co-chair of the negotiating committee, made a point back on Oct. 5 that explains why this contract gets so much attention. “TV Animation is one of the few voiceover contracts that has stayed mostly union,” he said in SAG-AFTRA’s release.
What else is in the new animation deal?
Benefits and streaming money both go up:
The health plan contribution rises 1%, retroactive to Sept. 6, 2026.
The pension contribution rises 1% starting July 1, 2028.
A new paid parental leave fund gets a 0.25% contribution starting July 1, 2028.
Residuals from subscription streaming go up about 5% on average, and the factor for foreign subscribers climbs from 39% to 41%, per Cartoon Brew.
SAG-AFTRA’s executive committee unanimously approved the tentative deal and sent it to members Oct. 5.
How does this compare with past SAG-AFTRA votes?
It’s right in line. Members approved the last animation contracts in March 2024 with 95.52% of the vote.
In June 2026, members ratified the big TV and theatrical contracts with 91.42% voting yes. And in July 2025, video game performers approved their deal with 95.04% after a long strike over AI.
So that’s three straight contracts where AI rules were front and center, and three where members said yes by a wide margin.
Why should Disney fans care?
Disney is one of the studios the AMPTP bargains for, and its TV animation arm makes shows for Disney Channel, Disney Junior and Disney+.
A contract fight here could have slowed recording sessions. Instead, the shows keep moving, and the people behind the voices get a raise plus a say in how their voices get copied.
The next round of animation bargaining comes up before the deal expires June 30, 2030.
Article compiled and written by Kambrea Pratt (editor-in-chief), Derek Gibbs (beat editor) and the Pirates & Princesses newsroom. Pirates & Princesses is part of WebReef Media.
Pirates and Princesses is your destination for Disney news, theme park updates, and the pop culture you love. From Disney cruises and travel tips to Disney fashion, food, collectibles, and movie news, PNP covers it all. Visit us at piratesandprincesses.net for daily coverage. Follow PNP on Facebook and Instagram, and listen to the Pirates & Princesses podcast on Apple Podcasts and YouTube.
Hat Tips:
Deadline (Oct. 29, 2026), vote result, term, total raise and quotes from Astin and Crabtree-Ireland
TheWrap (Oct. 29, 2026), total raise and term
SAG-AFTRA (Oct. 5, 2026), deal summary, raise schedule, benefits, Bergen quote; past ratification results
Cartoon Brew (Oct. 6, 2026), residuals and benefits
Voice Over Herald (Oct. 24, 2026), AI terms
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