April 2021 streaming April 2021 streaming

Welcome to our monthly guide to streaming animation.

We’ve rounded up the shows and films — new and old alike — coming to Netflix, Disney+, and HBO Max in April (in the U.S.). Fully animated and hybrid titles are included, as are documentaries about subjects related to animation.

Check out our five picks of the month, then scroll on down for the full list.

Our picks

The Mitchells vs. The Machines. The film formerly known as Connected was picked up by Netflix after Covid crushed its plans for a theatrical release. Directed by Gravity Falls alumnus Mike Rianda at Sony Pictures Animation, it tells the story of a dysfunctional family facing a sudden tech uprising. (Apr 30, Netflix)

Infinity Train. Owen Dennis’s sweet, smart show has been rerouted from Cartoon Network to HBO Max for its fourth and final season. This time, the passengers aboard the endless magical train are two aspiring rock stars. As ever, they will solve the train’s puzzles and learn about themselves in the process. (Apr 15, HBO Max)

New Gods: Nezha Reborn. Netflix expands its fast-growing catalogue of Chinese animation with this, a modern spin on the classical Chinese novel Investiture of the Gods (see also the 2019 breakout hit Ne Zha and its follow-up Jiang Ziya). In New Gods, the young god Nezha is reborn as a daredevil delivery courier in a futuristic city. (Apr 12, Netflix)

Star Wars: Clone Wars. Cartoon Network’s Emmy-winning micro-series of 2003–05 comes to Disney+ as part of a package of vintage Star Wars spin-offs. Set between episodes two and three of the Skywalker saga, the show, which was developed by Genndy Tartakovsky, portrays the titular conflict between armies of clone troopers and battle droids. (Apr 2, Disney+)

Space Jam. HBO Max is warming its viewers up for the July release of Space Jam: A New Legacy by dropping the 1996 original this month. Michael Jordan was in it; audiences flocked to see it; Chuck Jones hated it. (HBO Max; Apr 1)


Netflix
  • Kingsglaive: Final Fantasy XV (feature; Apr 1)
  • Escape from Planet Earth (feature; Apr 3)
  • The Last Kids on Earth: Happy Apocalypse to You (interactive special; Apr 3)
  • JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, season 3 (series; Apr 8)
  • The Way of the Househusband, season 1 (series; Apr 8)
  • New Gods: Nezha Reborn (feature; Apr 12)
  • Mighty Express, season 3 (series; Apr 13)
  • Arlo the Alligator Boy (feature; Apr 16)
  • Fast & Furious Spy Racers, season 4 (series; Apr 16)
  • PJ Masks, season 3 (series; Apr 19)
  • Go! Go! Cory Carson, season 4 (series; Apr 27)
  • Headspace Guide to Sleep, season 1 (series; Apr 28)
  • Yasuke, season 1 (series; Apr 29)
  • The Mitchells vs. The Machines (feature; Apr 30)

Disney+
  • Higglytown Heroes, seasons 1–2 (series; Apr 2)
  • Star Wars: Clone Wars, volumes 1–2 (series; Apr 2)
  • Star Wars: Ewoks, seasons 1–2 (series; Apr 2)
  • The Story of the Faithful Wookiee (special; Apr 2)
  • Future-Worm! (series; Apr 9)
  • Kick Buttowski: Suburban Daredevil, seasons 1–2 (series; Apr 9)
  • Rio (feature; Apr 16)
  • Puppy Dog Pals, season 3 (series; Apr 23)
  • Ducktales, season 3 (series; Apr 30)
  • Mira, Royal Detective (series; Apr 30)

HBO Max
  • Early Man (feature; Apr 1)
  • Space Jam (feature; Apr 1)
  • Stuart Little (feature; Apr 1)
  • Ted (feature; Apr 3)
  • Primal, season 1B (series; Apr 6)
  • Infinity Train, season 4 (series; Apr 15)
  • Looney Tunes Cartoons, Season 1D (series; Apr 29)

Images at top, left to right: “The Mitchells vs. The Machines,” “New Gods: Nezha Reborn,” “Space Jam”

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Alex Dudok de Wit

Alex Dudok de Wit is Deputy Editor of Cartoon Brew.

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