Upcoming Animated Movies Calendar: A Look At 2025 Feature Animation Releases
As 2024 fades into the distance, we can safely say that animated features have proven to be one of the strongest motivators in getting audiences back into theaters. In fact, three of the top five grossing films in the U.S. last year were animated films.
While the major studio’s continued emphasis on sequels and franchises remains a bit disheartening for adventurous viewers who like to be challenged by new material, it’s hard to argue with the strategy since mainstream audiences continue to express a desire for familiar characters and universes. But along with all the usual sequels, 2025 promises plenty of original expressions, including a new stop-motion film from Laika (Wildwood), an original from Pixar (Elio), and the much-anticipated return of director Sylvain Chomet (The Magnificent Life of Marcel Pagnol).
Netflix continues to lead the way with their feature animation output, which currently stands at seven animated releases for 2025, including their first Korean-language animated film (Lost in Starlight) and Sony Pictures Animation’s K-pop film K-Pop: Demon Hunters.
A few things to keep in mind while looking at our 2025 calendar: theatrical and streaming release dates are subject to change, and per usual, much of the slate isn’t dated yet. We’re going to track more changes over the coming weeks and months, so bookmark this page for easy access. (Also note that we are only covering fully-animated films, so no hybrids like Paddington in Peru or Gabby’s Dollhouse: The Movie on the list. Further, while some international features are included on the list, we are focused largely on films that we expect to receive a domestic release, and thus many international films will not be found here.)
Here’s a first look at the calendar of features currently set for release in the U.S. this year.
JANUARY
Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl
Directors: Nick Park, Merlin Crossingham
Production Company: Aardman Animations
U.S. Distributor: Netflix
Release Date: January 3
From its American Film Institute world premiere in October to its recent BBC One Christmas day airing in the U.K. — the second-most-watched broadcast in the country since 2022 — Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl has been on one long victory tour led by the incredible work of directors Nick Park and Merlin Crossingham. Featuring the 30-years-in-the-making return of villainous penguin Feathers McGraw and a pointed skewering of the ills of AI, the film earns its (currently) 100% Rotten Tomatoes positive critic’s status because of its ambitious stop-motion animation, witty script, and joyful execution.
The Colors Within
Director: Naoko Yamada
Production Company: Science Saru
U.S. Distributor: GKIDS
Release Date: January 24
The Colors Within had its North American premiere at the Animation Is Film festival and is the latest from director Naoko Yamada (whom we spoke with last year). The film follows Totsuko, a teenage girl who struggles with self-doubt and the feeling of being lost in the world, while coping with synesthesia. Her journey is depicted through vibrant and symbolic colors, representing her emotional state and inner world. Throughout the narrative, she is seen trying to connect with herself and others, finding her true voice with the help of Kimi and Rui, who eventually all learn to embrace her unique perspective and talents.
Dog Man
Director: Peter Hastings
Production Company: Dreamworks Animation, Jellyfish Pictures
U.S. Distributor: Universal Pictures
Release Date: January 31
Based on Dav Pilkey’s series of children’s books, Dog Man introduces this spin-off character from the Captain Underpants books. Dreamworks’ synopsis reads: “When a faithful police dog and his human police officer owner are injured together on the job, a harebrained but life-saving surgery fuses the two of them together and Dog Man is born. Dog Man is sworn to protect and serve—and fetch, sit and roll over.”
FEBRUARY
The Witcher: Sirens of the Deep
Director: Kang Hei Chul
Production Company: Studio Mir, Platige Image, Hivemind
U.S. Distributor: Netflix
Release Date: February 11
The Witcher: Sirens of the Deep is the second standalone, anime adventure for Geralt of Rivia, author Andrzej Sapkowski’s monster hunter anti-hero central to The Witcher books, video games, and Netflix adaptations. In a story based on Sapkowski’s short story, “A Little Sacrifice,” the monster hunter is hired to investigate a series of attacks in a seaside village and finds himself drawn into a centuries-old conflict between humans and merpeople. He must count on friends — old and new — to solve the mystery before the hostilities between the two kingdoms escalate into an all-out war.
The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie
Director: Pete Browngardt
Production Company: Warner Bros. Animation
U.S. Distributor: Ketchup Entertainment
Release Date: February 28
After a roller coaster 2024 trying to secure U.S. distribution, Warner Bros. Animation’s feature The Day the Earth Blew Up is finally getting its domestic theatrical release. In the film, Porky Pig and Daffy Duck are Earth’s only hope against the threat of alien invasion. Sam Register, president, Warner Bros. Animation and Cartoon Network Studios, told Variety: “Our artists have created an incredible Looney Tunes film that follows in the cinematic tradition of when audiences first fell in love with these characters.”
MARCH
Night of the Zoopocalypse
Director: Ricardo Curtis, Rodrigo Perez-Castro
Production Company: Copperheart Entertainment, House of Cool, Atelier Animation, Mac Guff
U.S. Distributor: Viva Pictures
Release Date: March 7
This highly stylized cg, horror-lite feature follows the aftermath of a meteor reaching Earth as it unleashes a virus that turns zoo animals into zombies. A mountain lion and wolf lead a team of surviving animals to stop the virus and rescue their zoo.
APRIL
The King of Kings
Director: Seong-ho Jang
Production Company: Mofac Animation
U.S. Distributor: Angel Studios
Release Date: April 11
Loosely inspired by Charles Dickens’ short story “The Life of Our Lord,” The King of Kings uses the author and his son Walter as primary characters to tell the story of Jesus Christ. The voice cast boasts A-listers Kenneth Branagh, Oscar Isaac, Ben Kingsley, and Mark Hamill.
Sneaks
Director: Rob Edwards
Production Company: Lengi Studios, Cinema Gypsy Productions, House of Cool, GFM Animation
U.S. Distributor: Briarcliff Entertainment
Release Date: April 18
The directorial debut of screenwriter Rob Edwards (Disney’s The Princess and the Frog, Treasure Planet), Sneaks is an original story based on a designer sneaker’s adventure across New York City in search of his sister. “I think of Sneaks as kind of a hip-hop Toy Story,” Edwards has said of the film. “I try to make movies that my whole family will enjoy, and Sneaks has got heart, humor, friendship as well as some themes that I hope will connect with people. It’s both classic and contemporary at the same time and I can’t wait for people to see it come to life.”
JUNE
Elio
Director: Domee Shi, Madeline Sharafian, Adrian Molina
Production Company: Pixar Animation Studios
U.S. Distributor: Walt Disney Studios
Release Date: June 13
Another creatively plagued Pixar project, Elio saw a directorial shakeup that moved original director Adrian Molina off the film in early 2024 and replaced by Domee Shi and Madeline Sharafian. An original story, Pixar’s synopsis reads: “Elio is a space fanatic with an active imagination and a huge alien obsession. So, when he’s beamed up to the Communiverse, an interplanetary organization with representatives from galaxies far and wide, Elio’s all in for the epic undertaking. Mistakenly identified as Earth’s leader, Elio must form new bonds with eccentric alien lifeforms, navigate a crisis of intergalactic proportions, and somehow discover who and where he is truly meant to be.”
JULY
Untitled Smurfs Musical
Director: Chris Miller, Matt Landon
Production Company: Paramount Animation, Nickelodeon Movies
U.S. Distributor: Paramount Pictures
Release Date: July 18
A reboot of The Smurfs animated feature franchise, little is known about the story for this reworking aside from it being a musical and being more aesthetically based on the works of Belgian comics artist Peyo.
AUGUST
The Bad Guys 2
Director: Pierre Perifel
Production Company: Dreamworks Animation
U.S. Distributor: Universal Pictures
Release Date: August 1
Set after the events of The Bad Guys, per Dreamworks: “The Bad Guys are struggling to find trust and acceptance in their newly minted lives as Good Guys when they are pulled out of retirement and forced to do ‘one last job’ by an all-female squad of criminals called the Bad Girls who are fans of their earlier exploits.” Director Pierre Perifel is back after helping invigorate Dreamworks’ house style with more graphically-stylized cg techniques.
SEPTEMBER
Light of the World
Director: Tom Bancroft, John J. Schafer
Production Company: Salvation Poem Project
U.S. Distributor: Salvation Poem Project
Release Date: September 5
The other feature animated film of 2025 centering on the life and times of Jesus Christ, Light of the World is approaching the religious tale as a 2d animated musical. Per the synopsis: “It’s 30 AD and everyone is expectantly awaiting the coming Messiah. While Jesus isn’t exactly what they imagined, there is something special about this man. Soon John, James, Andrew, Peter, and others begin to follow Jesus on an unexpected adventure. This beautifully animated story of Jesus is told through the eyes of his beloved young friend, the Apostle John. From the beginning of Jesus’ ministry through his crucifixion and resurrection, Light of the World powerfully illustrates how Jesus of Nazareth changed the world forever and still changes lives today.”
NOVEMBER
Zootopia 2
Director: Jared Bush, Byron Howard
Production Company: Walt Disney Animation Studios
U.S. Distributor: Walt Disney Studios
Release Date: November 26
Nine years after Zootopia became a massive Walt Disney Animation original hit, the long-in-development sequel Zootopia 2 finally sees the light of day. Now partners in law enforcement, the official synopsis says, “Detectives Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde must go undercover in Marsh Market to crack the case when they find themselves on the twisting trail of a mysterious reptile.” Jared Bush, who co-wrote the first film’s screenplay, is directing the sequel, alongside Byron Howard, who was a director on the original film.
DECEMBER
The Spongebob Movie: Search for Squarepants
Director: Derek Drymon
Production Company: Nickelodeon Movies
U.S. Distributor: Paramount Pictures
Release Date: December 19
The fourth theatrical film in the Spongbob Squarepants oeuvre, The Spongebob Movie: Search for Squarepants has only released a basic synopsis which has Spongebob facing off against the Davy Jones’ locker-dwelling villain, The Flying Dutchman. Considering the character collects souls, could this be an existential journey for the porous one? We shall see next holiday season.
UNDATED, BUT SCHEDULED FOR 2025
Animal Farm
Director: Andy Serkis
Production Company: Imaginarium Productions, Aniventure
U.S. Distributor: N/A
In production since 2022, this third adaptation of George Orwell’s 1945 novella, Animal Farm, still remains a bit of a mystery. There’s been no announcement of voice cast, or even first-look images. Yet, director Andy Serkis said production has been completed with a 2025 intended release.
Decorado
Director: Alberto Vázquez
Production Company: Abano Producions, Uniko
U.S. Distributor: N/A
The latest animation feature for director Alberto Vázquez whose 2022 film Unicorn Wars won the Goya, Spain’s top film prize, for animated feature. Decorado is an expansion of Vázquez’ short of the same name, and will be an “existential fable” about the importance of love and friendship as told through anthropomorphic animal characters in a city called Anywhere. French film sales company Le Pacte is handling international sales for the film, although the film is still awaiting a U.S. distributor.
Grand Prix of Europe
Director: Waldemar Fast
Production Company: Mack Animation
U.S. Distributor: Viva Kids
A film tie-in for the 50th anniversary of the German theme park, Europa-Park, Grand Prix of Europe follows the story of Edda, a racing car-obsessed young mouse, who must disguise herself as her idol, Ed, and take his place to compete in the Grand Prix to save her family’s amusement park.
In Your Dreams
Director: Alex Woo Co-director: Erik Benson
Production Company: Kuku Studios, Netflix Animation
U.S. Distributor: Netflix
A year after we included this film in our 2024 calendar, we still don’t have a trailer, or even a sneak peek. So, the synopsis still applies: “A perfect family? Siblings who get along? Yeah… in your dreams. This is a comedy adventure about Stevie and her brother Elliot, who magically travel into the world of dreams with the mission of finding the Sandman who will grant them their ultimate wish — saving their parents’ marriage. The kids are total opposites, making them an unlikely duo to navigate the absurdity of their own subconscious. Along their journey, they discover that as long as they have each other, they can face anything, even their worst nightmare.”
K-Pop: Demon Hunters (working title)
Director: Maggie Kang, Chris Appelhans
Production Company: Sony Pictures Animation
U.S. Distributor: Netflix
Wisely capitalizing on the global K-Pop phenomenon, K-Pop: Demon Hunters is an original, musical, action adventure. Per the Netflix synopsis, “It follows the story of a world-renowned K-Pop girl group, as they balance their lives in the spotlight with their secret identities as bad-ass demon hunters, set against a colorful backdrop of fashion, food, style and the most popular music movement of this generation.”
Lost in Starlight
Director: Han Ji-won
Production Company: Climax Studio
U.S. Distributor: Netflix
Announced as Netflix’s first Korean-language animated film, the Lost in Starlight synopsis says of the story: “Astronaut Nan-young and musician Jay embark on the longest-ever long-distance relationship — one that bridges Earth and Mars.” The leads will be voiced by K-drama superstars Kim Tae-ri and Hong Kyung, and the film is directed by up-and-coming Korean animation director, Han Ji-won.
Plankton: The Movie
Director: Dave Needham
Production Company: Nickelodeon Animation Movies
U.S. Distributor: Netflix
The second of three intended Netflix exclusive Spongebob Squarepants spin-off films, Plankton: The Movie is centered on the tiny, green menace bent on world domination.
Pookoo
Director: Nathan Greno
Production Company: Skydance Animation
U.S. Distributor: Netflix
The second feature collaboration between Netflix and Skydance Animation, Pookoo is a buddy comedy about a small woodland creature and a majestic bird, two natural sworn enemies of The Valley, that must set off on an adventure of a lifetime.
The Great History of Western Philosophy
Director: Aria Covamonas
Production Company: Fedora Productions
U.S. Distributor: N/A
A meta-comedy inspired by Lacanian theory, Great History of Western Philosophy features digital cutout animation that pieces together an intricate collage of public domain footage and audio. Per Variety, it follows the dire circumstances of an animator hired by the Central Committee of the People’s Republic to create a philosophical film for Chairman Mao. The end result gets him sentenced to death but Journey to the West’s Monkey and Pigsy arrive with a way out of his predicament. This Mexican film is almost certain to be the weirdest animated film of the year. French film sales company Miyu Distribution is handling international sales.
The Magnificent Life of Marcel Pagnol
Director: Sylvain Chomet
Production Company: What The Prod, Mediawan, Bidibul Productions, Walking The Dog
U.S. Distributor: Sony Pictures Classics
The much-anticipated return of Sylvain Chomet (The Triplets of Belleville, The Illusionist) to feature-length animation promises to be an emotional exploration of the life of Marcel Pagnol, one of France’s most prolific and revered writers of the 20th century. The period piece is set in 1955 and has Pagnol revisiting his life with a magical manifestation of his younger self.
The Twits
Director: Phil Johnston, Katie Shanahan, Todd Kunjan Demong
Production Company: Jellyfish Pictures
U.S. Distributor: Netflix
Based on Roald Dahl’s book of the same name, The Twits animated film recently got an expanded synopsis from Netflix: “Mr. and Mrs. Twit are the meanest, smelliest, nastiest people in the world who also happen to own and operate the most disgusting, most dangerous, most idiotic amusement park in the world, Twitlandia. But when the Twits rise to power in their town, two brave orphans and a family of magical animals are forced to become as tricky as the Twits in order to save the city. A hysterically funny, wild ride of a film (chock-full of the Twits’ beloved tricks–from the Wormy Spaghetti to the Dreaded Shrinks), The Twits is also a story for our times, about the never-ending battle between cruelty and empathy.”
Wildwood
Director: Travis Knight
Production Company: Laika Entertainment
U.S. Distributor: NA
Based on the novel by Colin Meloy and illustrated by Carson Ellis, Travis Knight directs his first Laika production since 2016. Wildwood is a magical adventure that centers on the quest of Prue McKeel and her best friend Curtis. Per the Laika synopsis: “They’re drawn into a hidden, magical forest, after Prue’s baby brother Mac is kidnapped by crows, led by a mysterious woman named Alexandra.”
Pictured at top, l-to-r: The Bad Guys 2, Decorado, Elio, Wildwood.
