2022 in Animated Features

2021 is over, and 2022 just began! Blue Sky Studios is no longer around, meaning that there are now only five major mainstream animation studios: Disney, Pixar, DreamWorks, Sony, and Illumination. WAG (Warner Animation Group) and Paramount Animation might also be tempting, but both studios are still seeds waiting to find their identities. WAG, however, has shown potential in the past few years, but that's for another time. As usual, here's what 2022 has in store for animated movies!

In January comes the fourth and final movie with Drac and the gang, Hotel Transylvania 4: Transformania. In this film, Johnny feels left out, so Abraham Van Helsing, cyborg father of the third film's antagonist Ericka, turns him into a dragon. When Drac and his friends touch the machine, they turn into humans! In order to turn back into a vampire, Drac and the gang have to travel to the Amazon Rainforest while experiencing the downsides of being a human. Rather than being released in theaters like the previous films, Hotel T 4 will instead be released on Amazon Prime.

In February, from Spanish animation studio Skydance comes Luck. In this film, an unlucky girl stumbles upon the never-before-seen world of good and bad luck. She teams up with magical creatures to uncover a force more powerful than even luck itself. Instead of being released in theaters, Luck will be released on the Apple+ streaming service, like Wolfwalkers. This movie will also be John Lasseter's first endeavor outside of Disney since the beginnings of Pixar.

In March, Pixar will release their first film with a female lead since Finding Dory, Turning Red. In their 25th feature film, a Chinese girl named Meilin faces everyday life in Junior High School, but turns into a giant red panda whenever she's stressed or excited. This will be the first Pixar film since Brave to be directed by a woman, and their first to have an Asian lead.

In April, DreamWorks will release their first original film since Abominable, The Bad Guys. Based on the books by Aaron Blabley, this movie will be about a group of animal criminals who decide to give up villainy when Mr. Wolf accidentally helps an old woman. This movie needs to be a success, as DreamWorks' last two films were box-office flops, otherwise the studio might go kaput like Blue Sky.

In May, Warner Animation Group will release their next film, DC League of Super-Pets. While Superman is on vacation, his dog Krypto teams up with other superpowered animals to fight crime. Let's just hope that this movie ends up better than Scoob, as well as the lackluster mid-2000s cartoon Krypto the Super-Dog.

In June, Pixar will release their first-ever spinoff, Lightyear. This movie will serve as an origin story for the world's greatest toy space ranger, and rather than having Tim Allen voice Buzz, Chris Evans will voice him, instead.

In September, after about a decade, the famous Spanish feline from the Shrek films will make his return to the big screen with Puss in Boots: The Last Wish. In this film, Puss's passion for adventure cost him eight of his nine lives, so he goes on an adventure to find the mythical Last Wish to recover his extra lives.

In October, Miles Morales, Gwen Stacy, and maybe the rest of the gang will return for Spider-Man: Across the Spider Verse Part One. Joining the cast is Spider-Woman/Jessica Drew, who will be voiced by Issa Rae. I'm both excited and nervous about this film, as the last sequel to a beloved animated superhero movie (Incredibles 2) was somewhat disappointing.

On November 11th, from Shark and Shark Tale director Vicky Jenson comes Spellbound. This movie will tell the story of Elian, a teenager who comes of age using her magical powers to defend her family when the opposing forces of light and darkness threaten to divide her kingdom. Much like Luck, Spellbound will be an Apple+ exclusive.

And finally, on November 23rd, Disney will release their next big animated movie, Strange World. In a similar fashion to another Disney movie, Atlantis: The Lost Empire, Strange World will journey deep into an uncharted and treacherous land where fantastical creatures await. Don Hall, co-director of Winnie the Pooh, Big Hero 6, and Raya and the Last Dragon, will direct the film, and 'Raya' screenwriter Qui Nguyen will write the project. This intrigues me, as WDAS hasn't done sci-fi since Chicken Little.

Of all the new animated movies coming out this year, I'm looking forward to Turning Red, The Bad Guys, and Across the Spider-Verse. I also have high expectations for Lightyear, since Pixar's last sci-fi film WALL-E was an instant classic among fans.

Once again, there will be more films than the ones listed here, but these were the ones I wanted to cover.

I'm sorry that there are no posters for Luck or Puss in Boots: The Last Wish. As I'm typing this, there are no posters for either films, yet. However, Luck does have two pieces of concept art available, and here they are.