She is Domee Shi, director of the Oscar-winning short Bao, a biting satire about parenthood and dumplings. Pixar returns with its fourth straight original feature, and its first to be helmed solely by a woman. The release date is tentative: it was announced when Luck was still bound for a theatrical release, and Apple, which acquired the film in February, has yet to confirm that it is sticking to it. The first feature release from young studio Skydance Animation is described as a comedy “about a very unlucky girl who discovers the world of good and bad luck.” Luck will be the first animated feature in a while to bear the imprimatur of John Lasseter, who moved to Skydance after leaving Pixar/Disney amid allegations of sexual harassment. It’s rare for the company to make such a high-profile animation acquisition. It has ended up on streaming, just like the studio’s three previous features, although this one has gone to Amazon (not Netflix).
The final installment in SPA’s ghoulish film series was removed from the theatrical release calendar - and its natural pre-Halloween slot - as Covid continued to cause havoc. Production company: Sony Pictures AnimationĪ malfunctioning invention turns the Hotel’s monsters into humans, while human Johnny becomes a monster. Animation is more central to Hollywood storytelling than ever before. Pixar will release its fourth in a row with Turning Red, although that run will end with Lightyear, an origin story for Buzz Lightyear of Toy Story.Ī side note: we’re omitting animation/live-action hybrids this year, as there are simply too many. Another four are adaptations of existing books or films. By our count, half the films in our list - 11 in all - are based on existing animation or entertainment properties. When it comes to stories, franchises will continue to dominate. And now Disney+ is getting exclusive features that were intended for it in the first place, not rerouted due to Covid. Many Dreamworks and Illumination films will start becoming exclusive to Peacock as early as 45 days after their theatrical and PVOD release. Apple TV+ is due to release Skydance’s Luck, only its second animated feature. For the first time, our annual feature preview contains an Amazon release. It must be said: the industry’s never seen anything quite like it.Īt the same time, the SVOD market will become more diverse in 2022. This year will see the company’s animation division come into its own, releasing at least five self-produced, auteur-led projects from major filmmakers like Henry Selick and Guillermo del Toro. One slate that’s relatively shielded from the virus is Netflix’s. With luck, none of the films below will be kicked back into 2023 - at least not because of Covid. No matter how unsettled things are then, it’s hard to imagine a delay: a switch to a hybrid or streaming-only release seems more likely. The first Hollywood feature due for theaters in 2022 is Pixar’s Turning Red, which is currently set to come out on March 11. (Two were even on our list for 2020.)Įven with Omicron looming, studios will hope that the worst of the disruption is behind them. Readers with long memories may notice that four of the films below also featured in our 2021 list this time last year.
Release plans can always change, but that’s especially true in the pandemic.
Here we are again, with a preview of the coming year’s major animated features.