Anticipating all the awesome toons that are coming to the big screen in 2018 can be a lot of fun! Here are some of the animated titles that we’re excited to see in the new year:
Mary and the Witch’s Flower
Japanese helmer Hiromasa Yonebayashi, who directed Studio Ghibli‘s Arrietty and When Marnie Was There, is the mastermind behind this acclaimed Studio Ponoc production. Many of the artists who worked on film are former Ghibli employees. The movie opened in July in Japan and has earned over 3 billion yet ($28.8 million). Based on Mary Stewart‘s book The Little Broomstick, the plot centers on the adventures of a young girl who discovers a magical flower with special powers. Kate Winslet, Ruby Barnhill and Jim Broadbent lead the distinguished English-language voice cast.
Ponoc/GKIDS, January 19
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=888z3ku4t3I
Early Man
How can anyone resist the latest epic movie by the team at Aardman Animations, directed by the brilliant Nick Park (Wallace & Gromit) and penned by Mark Burton (Curse of the Were-Rabbit) and John O’Farrell (Something Rotten!)? The prehistoric stop-motion project tells the story of Dug (Eddie Redmayne) and his sidekick Hognob who rise up against their powerful enemy Lord Nooth (Tom Hiddleston) and his Bronze Age City. The voice cast also includes Maisie Williams (Game of Thrones).
Aardman/Lionsgate, Feb. 16
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wOgPSp3TTTM
The Big Bad Fox and Other Tales.
Ever since its debut at Annecy, this lovely 2D animated feature is directed by Oscar-nominated Benjamin Renner (Ernest and Celestine) and Patrick Imbert, and produced by Didier Brunner’s Paris-based studio Folivari. Set on a seemingly normal farm, the movie centers on the delightful adventures of an oddball fox, a duck who wants to be Santa Claus, a clumsy rabbit who acts like a stork, and a sensitive pig.
Folivari/GKIDS, February
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3clkH3C5VFw
Isle of Dogs
Fans of Wes Anderson’s The Fantastic Mr. Fox are in for a treat as the whimsical director returns to the world of stop-motion animation. Inspired by the classic films of Akira Kurosawa, the plot centers on a young boy named Atari who searches for his exiled dog Spots in massive garbage dump known as Trash Island with the help of a pack of pooches he meets along the way. Accompanying the gorgeous animation are the voices stars such as Bill Murray, Bryan Cranston, Tilda Swinton, Frances McDormand, Scarlett Johansson, Greta Gerwig, Jeff Goldblum, Harvey Keitel, Akira Ito, Akira Takayama, Yoko Ono, and Edward Norton. Two paws way up!
Fox Searchlight, March 23
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r8FGEYGdhyc
Gnomeo & Juliet: Sherlock Gnomes
Seven years after the release of the first movie, the sequel about the star-crossed garden gnomes surfaces. Directed by John Stevenson (Kung Fu Panda), the CG-animated comedy adventure finds Gnomeo (James McAvoy) and Juliet (Emily Blunt) hiring the famous detective Sherlock Gnomes (voiced by Johnny Depp) to help solve the mystery of the missing garden gnomes. Sir Elton John will also provide the music for the feature, as he did for the first outing.
Rocket Pictures/Mikros Image/MGM/Paramount, March 23
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_20TWfUvXEA
The Incredibles 2
Dynamo writer/director Brad Bird (Iron Giant, Ratatouille) is finally delivering the sequel his fans have been begging him to make for years. The toon about the delightful family of Supers (human with superpowers) will reunite original cast members Craig T. Nelson, Holly Hunter, Sarah Vowell and Samuel L. Jackson. The plot will start immediately after the first movie, where Mr. Incredible, Elastigirl, Jack-Jack and Dash are about to face the supervillain Underminer (John Ratzenberger). Pixar fave Michael Giacchino provides the film’s sweeping music. The 3D CG film will also be available in IMAX!
Disney/Pixar, June 15
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZJDMWVZta3M
Hotel Transylvania 3
Director Genndy Tartakovsky is back as are original voice actors Adam Sandler, Andy Samberg and Selena Gomez in the third installment of the franchise. Co-penned by Tartakovsky and Mike McCullers (Boss Baby, Austin Powers), the third chapter in the vampire family’s saga finds them on a luxury Monster Cruise Ship, where Dracula falls for the ship’s captain, Ericka—a descendent of monster slayer Van Helsing.
Sony Pictures Animation, July 13
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mJVeGYaGyhw
Smallfoot
This new Sasquatch movie has a refreshing new spin! Directed by Karey Kirkpatrick (Over the Hedge, Imagine That), co-directed by Jason Reisig and based on a script by Kirkpatrick and Sergio Pablos (Rio), this charming new movie centers on a Sasquatch who believes that humans exist (though the rest of her people don’t believe in them at all) will arrive in theaters on September 28, 2018. Original release date was for spring of the next year. The CG-animated pic features the voices of Channing Tatum, James Corden, Zendaya, Common, LeBron James, Gina Rodriguez, Danny DeVito, Yara Shahidi, Ely Henry and Jimmy Tatro.
Warner Bros. Animation, Sept. 28
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5owigsJJCsc
The Grinch
Wait a second! This new animated Grinch sounds awfully like … Sherlock Holmes? Yes, it’s Benedict Cumberbatch who is voicing Dr. Seuss’ famous holiday-hating curmudgeon in this Illumination CG-animated adaptation of the 1957 children’s classic. The shiny new CG adaptation version is directed by Yarrow Cheney (The Secret Lives of Pets) and Peter Candeland, who has the best last name in Toon Town! Kaitlyn Maher provides the voice of the adorable Cindy Lou Who.
Illumination/Universal, November 9
Ralph Breaks the Internet: Wreck-It-Ralph 2
This sequel to Disney’s Oscar-winning 2012 hit about gaming characters promises to be just as fan and packed with cameos as the original movie. Super talented Rich Moore is back at the helm of this adventure (joined by co-director/writer Phil Johnston). This time, Ralph (John C. Reilly) gets plugged into the arcade to fix Sugar Rush, and he and Vanellope (Sarah Silverman) meet new characters, trendy algorithms, Disney princesses, Iron Man, Gamora, C-3PO, R2-D3, Yoda and Princess Leia. Voice cast includes Taraji P. Henson and many of the original voices of the Disney princesses, as well as Alan Tudyk, James Corden, Jane Lynch and Jack McBarayer.
Disney, November 21
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
This intriguing new incarnation of Stan Lee’s web-slinging hero is directed by Bob Persichetti (The Little Prince) and Peter Ramsey (DreamWorks’ Rise of The Guardians), with a script by Phil Lord and Chris Miller (The LEGO Movie) and story by Gravity Falls creator Alex Hirsch. It will feature the voices of Shameik Moore as Miles Morales/Spider-Man and Liev Schreiber as the main villain of the story.
Sony Pictures Animation, December 14
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ii3n7hYQOl4
