We at Rotoscopers welcome you all to a brand new decade of animation, a new era of creative storytelling that awaits for us to witness on the silver screen! And what better way to start this decade than with the diverse mainstream lineup for animated features for 2020? With ambitious original ideas, wacky road trips, and comebacks of beloved cartoon icons, it’s time we get our calendars out, and see what’s coming to our local multiplex and Netflix accounts this year!
NOTE: These North American theatrical release dates, as obtained from the Box Office Mojo calendar, apply to the time of writing, and can be subject to change in the future. An up-to-date theatrical animated feature schedule can be viewed with our Animation Calendar.
A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon
- Director(s): Will Becher, Richard Phelan
- Writer(s): Mark Burton, Jon Brown
- Studio(s): Aardman Animations
- Distributor(s): StudioCanal (UK/EU/AUS/NZ), Netflix (US/CA/Latin America)
- US release: February 14, 2020 (Netflix)
As the sequel to Aardman’s dialogue-free comedy masterpiece, the BAFTA-nominated A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon was released in Europe back in late 2019, and was as equally acclaimed as it’s predecessor. But when will the Americas get their chance? Well, that’s where Netflix steps in to save the day. The streaming giant recently picked up the North American distribution rights for Shaun’s (Justin Fletcher) sci-fi adventure and will give it a streaming release on February 14, 2020, along with an Oscar-qualifying theatrical run for next season.
- Update: Olivier Mouroux, director of Netflix’s Animated Film Publicity, personally contacted me confirming that Farmageddon will start streaming on February 14, 2020 for Canada, the United States, and Latin America. I have since corrected this.
Onward
- Director(s): Dan Scanlon
- Writer(s): Dan Scanlon, Jason Headley, Keith Bunin
- Studio(s): Pixar Animation Studios
- Distributor(s): Walt Disney Pictures
- US release: March 6, 2020
As it turns out, Pixar will be the one starting this new exciting decade of animation, and a new sequel-less streak for the studio, with their latest original feature Onward. Monsters University director Dan Scanlon bases this suburban fantasy on his fatherless upbringings, where teenage elf brothers Ian (Tom Holland) and Barley (Chris Pratt) Lightfoot set off on a magical road trip to spend one day with their deceased father they lost during early childhood.
Trolls World Tour
- Director(s): Walt Dohrn, David P. Smith
- Writer(s): Jonathan Aibel, Glenn Berger
- Studio(s): DreamWorks Animation
- Distributor(s): Universal Pictures
- US release: April 17, 2020
Poppy (Anna Kendrick), Branch (Justin Timberlake), and friends are back set the stage on colour in Trolls World Tour, the sequel to DreamWorks’ 2016 jukebox musical. The trolls realize they aren’t alone, as they discover they are one of six Troll tribes dedicated to a specific music genre. But all is under threat by the ruthless Hard Rock Trolls’ majesty, Queen Barb (Rachel Bloom), who seeks the six strings that can wipe out all music except her’s.
Scoob!
- Director(s): Tony Cervone
- Writer(s): Kelly Fremon Craig
- Studio(s): Warner Animation Group, Reel FX Animation Studios
- Distributor(s): Warner Bros.
- US release: May 15, 2020
Warner Animation Group is rebooting the classic Hanna-Barbera characters with full force. Not just with Scooby-Doo, but an entire HB cinematic universe starting with Scoob!. This reboot looks into the origins of the Mystery Inc. team with Fred (Zac Efron), Daphne (Amanda Seyfried), Velma (Gina Rodriguez), Shaggy (Will Forte), and their canine companion Scooby-Doo (Frank Welker), with their ultimate mystery to summon the ghost dog Cerberus.
The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run
- Director(s): Tim Hill
- Writer(s): Jonathan Aibel, Glenn Berger, Tim Hill, Michael Kvamme
- Studio(s): Paramount Animation, Nickelodeon Movies, Mikros Image
- Distributor(s): Paramount Pictures
- US release: May 22, 2020
Are ya ready for even more nautical nonsense? Well, Paramount Animation and Nickelodeon are all set to deliver that in The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run, the third big-screen adventure of our favourite sea sponge. In his first computer-animated outing, SpongeBob SquarePants (Tom Kenny) and his best friend Patrick Star (Bill Fagerbakke) set off on a dangerous rescue mission to find his “snailnapped” pet snail Gary (Kenny), leading the two to the Lost City of Atlantic City.
Soul
- Director(s): Pete Docter
- Writer(s): Pete Docter, Mike Jones, Kemp Powers
- Studio(s): Pixar Animation Studios
- Distributor(s): Walt Disney Pictures
- US release: June 19, 2020
“Ever wonder where your passion, your dreams and your interests come from? What is it that makes you… YOU?” These are questions that Inside Out director Pete Docter aims to answer in Pixar’s animated thinkpiece Soul. When a tragic accident separates aspiring jazz performer Joe Gardner (Jamie Foxx) from his body, he is transported to the cosmic realm of “You Seminar”, where up-and-coming souls develop their passions before setting off to born life.
Minions: The Rise of Gru
- Director(s): Brad Ableson, Kyle Balda
- Writer(s): To be announced
- Studio(s): Illumination, Illumination Mac Guff
- Distributor(s): Universal Pictures
- US release: July 3, 2020
While Illumination’s yellow cash printers went big with their 2015 origin movie, it didn’t leave room to explore their early growing relationship with Felonious Gru (Steve Carell). Thankfully, their new followup Minions: The Rise of Gru is here to fill in that missing history gap. This prequel to Despicable Me (which released a whole decade age) looks into their early years of serving young Gru, helping him rise to become the diabolical mastermind we all know and (depending on your feelings to the franchise) adore today.
Bob’s Burgers: The Movie
- Director(s): Loren Bouchard
- Writer(s): To be announced
- Studio(s): 20th Century Fox Animation, Bento Box Entertainment
- Distributor(s): 20th Century Fox (via Disney)
- US release: July 17, 2020
The Belchers have served us wholesome stories with their burger restaurant for a decade, but now series creator Loren Bouchard is serving up something very special for the family: Their very own big-screen adventure in Bob’s Burgers: The Movie! Plot details are currently scarce, although we have been teased it will be a musical comedy with a subplot involving Louise (Kristen Schaal) and her trusty night light Kuchi Kopi.
The Mitchells vs. the Machines
- Director(s): Michael Rianda, Jeff Rowe
- Writer(s): Michael Rianda, Jeff Rowe
- Studio(s): Sony Pictures Animation, Sony Pictures Imageworks
- Distributor(s): Columbia Pictures (via Sony)
- US release: September 18, 2020
Spider-Verse producers Phil Lord and Christopher Miller team up with Gravity Falls writers Michael Rianda and Jeff Rowe for Sony Pictures Animation’s next bonkers, yet highly intriguing project The Mitchells vs. the Machines. What begins with a typical road trip for the dysfunctional but loving Mitchell family and their pet pug turns into a catastrophic uprising where technology goes haywire against humanity.
Raya and the Last Dragon
- Director(s): Paul Briggs, Dean Wellins
- Writer(s): Adele Lim
- Studio(s): Walt Disney Animation Studios
- Distributor(s): Walt Disney Pictures
- US release: November 25, 2020
With the cancellation of Gigantic, you’d expect Walt Disney Animation Studios to deliver something amazing as a replacement of that movie. Luckily they have our backs covered with an original epic called Raya and the Last Dragon. This Asian-inspired fantasy brings audiences to the reimagined Earth of Kumandra, where young warrior Raya (Cassie Steele) sets off to a daring quest determined to find the last dragon known as Sisu (Awkwafina).
The Croods 2
[Universal-DreamWorks]
- Director(s): Joel Crawford
- Writer(s): Dan Hageman, Kevin Hageman
- Studio(s): DreamWorks Animation
- Distributor(s): Universal Pictures
- US release: December 23, 2020
Talk about one weird family reunion! What was at one point put to extinction has seemingly been revived from the dead, and that project is The Croods 2. As the long-awaited sequel to DreamWorks’ 2013 prehistoric hit, Grug Crood (Nicolas Cage) and his oddball family are faced with a new obstacle known as Bettermans, a rival family who claim superiority to the Croods in every way.
Unscheduled North American releases
We’ll finish off with a few guaranteed North American releases (mostly mainstream streaming originals for Netflix) that are guaranteed for a 2020 release but are yet to be assigned a concrete date.
The Willoughbys
- Director(s): Kris Pearn, Rob Lodermeier
- Writer(s): Kris Pearn
- Studio(s): Bron Animation
- Distributor(s): Netflix
- US release: Spring 2020 (Netflix)
From Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 co-director Kris Pearn, The Willoughbys adapts Lois Lowry’s children’s’ book into a quirky and highly stylized animated family comedy. It follows four children old-fashioned who are left on their own by their selfish parents and must learn to adapt to contemporary society. Vancouver’s Bron Animation produces the feature, with Netflix aiming to stream it around spring 2020.
- Update: Olivier Mouroux, director of Netflix’s Animated Film Publicity, also corrected me that The Willoughbys‘ co-director is actually Rob Lodermeier. This has been fixed.
Over the Moon
- Director(s): Glen Keane
- Writer(s): Audrey Wells
- Studio(s): Pearl Studio, Sony Pictures Imageworks
- Distributor(s): Netflix
- US release: Late 2020 (Netflix)
Master Disney animator Glen Keane takes one giant leap into helming his first animated feature with Over the Moon. Produced by China’s Pearl Studio and animated by Sony Pictures Imageworks, the movie tells an original story of a girl who builds a rocket hoping to meet a mythical moon goddess. Over the Moon will debut on Netflix sometime in late 2020.
Wish Dragon
- Director(s): Chris Appelhans
- Writer(s): Chris Appelhans
- Studio(s): Sony Pictures Animation, Base FX
- Distributor(s): Columbia Pictures (via Sony)
- US release: TBA 2020
A collaboration between Sony Pictures Animation and Beijing-based Base FX, Wish Dragon is the brainchild of Coraline illustrator Chris Appelhans about a boy who becomes morally challenged when he befriends a wish-making dragon. The movie was supposed to be released last year, but Sony delayed it’s China release by a year to 2020. Proper release dates for both China and North America are yet to be assigned.