2021 in Animated Features

So far, the 21st Century hasn't been kind to opening decades: The 2000s began with the dramatizing 9/11 attacks and the death of Peanuts creator Charles Schulz, the 2010s began with one of the worst oil spills in recent history, and the 2020s began with the Corona Virus outbreak that shut down the economy for quite some time. Anyway, a new year means new animated movies, and let's see what 2021 has in store for that category!

First up in March is the long-awaited Disney movie Raya and the Last Dragon. Long ago, in the fantasy world of Kumandra, humans and dragons lived together in harmony. But when an evil force threatened the land, the dragons sacrificed themselves to save humanity. Now, 500 years later, that same evil has returned and it's up to a lone warrior, Raya, to track down the legendary last dragon to restore the fractured land and its divided people. My main concern about this movie is that I really don't want there to be another twist villain.

In April, 20th Century Fox will release their first non-Blue Sky CG film since 2017, Ron's Gone Wrong. Set in a world where walking, talking, digitally connected robots have become children's best friends, Ron's Gone Wrong tells the story of an 11-year-old boy who finds that his robot buddy doesn't quite work. Arthur Christmas director Sarah Smith will serve as screenwriter for this movie.

In May, from Paramount Animation and WWE comes Rumble. In a world where monster wrestling is a global sport and monsters are superstar athletes, a teenage girl named Winnie seeks to follow in her father's footsteps by coaching a loveable underdog monster into a champion. I know it's a little early to judge this movie, but it already sounds similar to Pokémon and 2011's Real Steel. Not to mention the character designs look reminiscent of Monsters Inc.

In June, from Sony Pictures Animation comes their first musical, Vivo. It will be about a music-loving monkey who journeys from Havana, Cuba to Miami, Florida in pursuit of his dreams. The songs for this film will be written by Lin-Manuel Miranda, whose previous works include Hamilton, Mary Poppins Returns, and Moana.

Also in June, Pixar will release their 24th feature film, Luca. This movie will take audiences to a beautiful seaside town on the Italian Riviera to meet a boy named Luca as he experiences an unforgettable summer with his new friends. My main concern is that I'm afraid that Luca might be too much like a Studio Ghibli film.

In July, the banana-loving Twinkies will return in an all-new movie called Minions: The Rise of Gru. Rather than being a sequel to the 2015 Despicable Me spinoff, this movie will serve as a prequel to DM, instead, depicting Gru as a child. I still have low expectations for the film, since Illumination spends more money on advertising rather than on the actual movie.

In September, DreamWorks will release The Boss Baby 2: Family Business. In this film, Tim and Ted (aka the Boss Baby) have become adults and drifted away from each other. Tim is now a married dad, while Ted is a hedge fund CEO. A new corporation plans on turning babies evil, and with the help of Tim's youngest daughter Tina, Tim and Ted have to take a potion that will temporarily turn them back into kids to sneak into the facilities. The trailer for Boss Baby 2 has already been out for over a month now, and I'm already getting bad vibes from it. The idea of a Boss Baby sequel brings this question to mind: If DreamWorks is able to make spinoff shows to Turbo and Home, why not Rise of the Guardians or Megamind?!

In October, the creepy, kooky, scary, and spooky family return for Addams Family 2, though not much is known about the movie, yet.

In November, from Zootopia directors Byron Howard and Jared Bush comes Disney's 60th animated feature, Encanto. The movie will be about a young girl and her family in Colombia, who all have magical powers except for her. It makes me happy that Walt Disney Animation Studios is finally making a movie starring a Hispanic character, since there are only two other Hispanic WDAS characters I can think of: Honey Lemon from Big Hero 6 and Audrey Ramirez from Atlantis.

And finally, in December, Buster Moon and the gang return in an all-new adventure with Sing 2. In this film, Buster and the gang must persuade reclusive rock star Clay Calloway to join them for the opening of their new show. I don't see how there can be a sequel to Sing, since all the problems in the original movie were solved. There's honestly only one question that needs to be answered: What do the carnivores eat for meat?!

Of all the new animated movies coming out this year, I, like everyone else, am most excited for Raya and the Last Dragon, though I also have high expectations for Luca and Vivo.
Once again, there will be more animated films than the ones listed above that will premiere this year, but these were the ones I wanted to cover.