Animation Movies to Look Forward to in 2025 and 2026

From enchanting family films to breathtaking action adventures: animated films come in all shapes and colors. There are a lot of movies coming out in the near future that will have something for everyone. In this video, we will show you the highlights that are hitting the theaters in 2025 and 2026!

Elio – June 13, 2025

Pixar fans can look forward to June 2025, when the new animated adventure "Elio" will be released. In the film, the boy of the same name unexpectedly becomes the defender of the Earth – not on home soil, but in the vastness of space. His mother Olga is in charge of a top-secret military project and is the one who experiences the first contact with aliens with him. Due to a misunderstanding, they mistake Elio for the official ambassador of humanity. In the adventure that follows, Elio has to prove something to the aliens and, above all, to himself: true strength lies in being yourself. The new film by the creators of "Coco" will be in cinemas from June 13, 2025.

The Smurfs Movie – July 18, 2025

It's finally time to take a day off again this summer: eight years after "The Smurfs: The Lost Village", a new adventure awaits us with Smurfette, Papa Smurf and the gang. While details of the story are not yet available, a whole cast of familiar names will be appearing in the dubbed roles. Among others, pop star Rihanna, Kurt Russell, John Goodman, "The Last of Us" actor Nick Offerman and James Corden. "The Smurfs Movie" is directed by Chris Miller, who was already responsible for "Shrek the Third" and "Puss in Boots". The start date is July 18, 2025.

The Bad Guys 2 – August 1, 2025

The charming gang of crooks led by Mr. Wolf is planning their next big coup. The animated adventure "The Bad Guys" from Universal was a surprising success with a worldwide box office gross of 250 million dollars, winning over both audiences and critics. Accordingly, the sequel "The Bad Guys 2" is now following. In the first trailer, the animal crime gang encounters, among others, a group of female criminals who will bring a breath of fresh air.

Behind the scenes, everyone involved in Part 1 is back. The Oscar-nominated composer Daniel Pemberton is once again providing the musical accompaniment. "The Bad Guys 2" will be released on August 1, 2025.

Zootopia 2 – November 28, 2025

Nick and Judy are finally back. At the beginning of 2023, there was the big announcement of "Zootopia 2", and in 2025, the theatrical release is now expected – a full nine years after Part 1! The film's plot is said to take place only a short time after the end of the first part. This means that although the two have solved their first big case, they still have to prove themselves – especially Nick, since he has so far been better known as a con artist than as an honest police officer. In "Zootopia 2", the two will get to know a new area of police work: they go undercover!

"Zootopia" grossed over a billion US dollars at the box office in 2016 and received an Oscar for best animated film. Jason Bateman and Ginnifer Goodwin will once again lend their unmistakable voices to Nick and Judy. The snake Gary is spoken in the original version by Oscar-winning actor Ke Huy Quan. 'Zootopia 2' will be released on November 28, 2025.

The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants– December 19, 2025

It's time for a new adventure with SpongeBob, Patrick and Squidward: In the latest theatrical adventure, the popular sponge travels to the depths of the ocean to encounter the ghost of the Flying Dutchman. Longtime series writer Derek Drymon is both writing and directing the film. At least in the original, the usual dubbing voices have already been confirmed: Tom Kenny as SpongeBob, Clancy Brown as Mr. Krabs, Bill Fagerbakke as Patrick and Rodger Bumpass as Squidward. In addition, Hollywood legend Mark Hamill will also be heard in the film, lending his voice to the Flying Dutchman. The fourth SpongeBob Squarepants film – titled "SpongeBob: Search for Squarepants" – will be released in theaters on December 19, 2025.

Super Mario Bros. 2 – April 3, 2026

With a box office gross of over $1.3 billion, "The Super Mario Bros. Movie" is one of the most successful animation movies of all time. So far, it is not confirmed whether the second film should be a direct sequel of part 1. When Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto made the official announcement, he only mentioned a "new movie in the Super Mario Bros. universe". So it is possible that a whole new cast of characters will be in the spotlight this time. The hottest candidates include Yoshi, who was hinted at at the end of the first movie, as well as Wario and Waluigi.

Production on "Super Mario Bros. 2" is already in full swing – once again, of course, produced by the creative minds of Illumination. As with its predecessor, the script is being written by Matthew Fogel. Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic will also remain in charge of directing. The second Super Mario movie is set to be released in cinemas on April 3, 2026.

Toy Story 5 – June 19, 2026

"To infinity and beyond!" – No sentence could describe the Toy Story series better than this iconic line from Buzz Lightyear. Actually, "Toy Story 4" was supposed to be the ultimate final of the popular animated series. However, after its huge success, Disney is now planning another film after all. Part 4 had not only grossed more than a billion dollars at the box office, but also won the Oscar for Best Animated Film.

"Toy Story 5" was announced as early as the beginning of 2023, and is expected to build on the success of its predecessors. For the production, Pixar is relying on a familiar name: Andrew Stanton. The Pixar veteran has not only worked on the previous "Toy Story" movies, but was also involved as an author in great classics such as "Finding Nemo," "Wall-E" and "Monsters, Inc". With "Toy Story 5," Stanton will now take on the role of the director in the series for the first time. This news was officially confirmed by Pixar CEO Pete Docter during a sneak preview of "Inside Out 2".

The fifth installment is currently still in the early stages of production. However, at a trade fair in 2024, Pixar revealed the first details of the plot: According to this, we will see a veritable army of Lightyear figures that have been sorted out due to production defects.

Furthermore, it's already been confirmed that the popular characters Buzz and Woody will be back in this adventure. Tom Hanks and Tim Allen, who provide the characters' voices in the English version, have already confirmed their return.

Fans will have to be patient: "Toy Story 5" is scheduled for release in theaters on June 19, 2026. Given the success to date and the experienced people involved in the project, it will be interesting to see how Pixar continues the journey of Buzz, Woody and Co.

Shrek 5 – July 1, 2026

The daring hero returns: 16 years after "Shrek Forever After", we finally see the likeable ogre on the big screen again. A reunion with the characters Shrek, Donkey and Fiona has already been confirmed. Lord Farquaad is also back. It is currently unclear whether Puss in Boots will make an appearance – but given the success of his spin-off films, it is very likely.

The film is directed by Walt Dohrn, who was involved in the earlier films as a screenwriter and lent his voice to Rumpelstiltskin in "Shrek 4". It is produced by Gina Shay and Chris Meledandri, who were already responsible for the successful "Despicable Me" series.

The exact plot is not yet known, but Meledandri has promised that music and singing will play a major role again. Fans of Shrek humor can look forward to a lot of new developments in pop culture and fairytales that the creators could humorously take up. In addition to "Shrek 5", a spin-off centered around Donkey is also planned. However, details of this project are not yet known. The theatrical release of Part 5 is July 1, 2026.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2 – October 9, 2026

After the success of "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem", a sequel is already in the works. In an interview, the creators Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg and director Jeff Rowe revealed new details about the sequel. The youthful focus that characterized the first film will also play a central role in part 2.

Rowe also confirmed that this time the turtles will face one of the most famous villains of the franchise: we are, of course, talking about Shredder. There was already a hint about that in the mid-credit scene of "Mutant Mayhem". The return of the popular turtles is expected to hit the theaters on October 9, 2026.

Ice Age 6 – December 18, 2026

The "Ice Age" series is undoubtedly one of the most famous film series of all time. Since the first movie in 2002, five feature films have been released, supplemented by several spin-offs and specials. Now a sixth film is finally in the works. John Leguizamo, who originally provided the voice of the lovably chaotic sloth Sid, will of course be back. Also joining him are Simon Pegg as Buck, Queen Latifah as Ellie, Denis Leary as smilodon tiger Diego, and Ray Romano as Manny.

The last time there was new content from the Ice Age universe on Disney+ was in 2022, when the spin-off film "Ice Age: The Adventures of Buck Wild" and the short film series "Ice Age: Scrat's Adventure" were released, which focused on the clumsy saber-toothed squirrel. Details about the plot or the cast and crew are still unknown. "Ice Age 6" will be released in theaters on December 18, 2026.