Sorry Cap, but Dory just kicked your butt. Yep, “Finding Dory” has officially surpassed “Captain America: Civil War” as the top grossing movie of 2016 in US so far. The sequel has accumulated an impressive US$422 million in the US alone, as compared to the US$406 million from “Civil War”.
These stats goes to show that there is still a huge appetite for these types of feature animated films. Its nostalgia reminds us of our childhood (aka the good old days) and contains inspiring values from the meaningful storylines.
Besides “Finding Dory”, we’ve thoroughly enjoyed watching “Zootopia” (which is now the biggest grossing original animated film of all-time that is not based on any existing franchise), “The Angry Birds Movie”, and “Kung Fu Panda 3”.
From the looks of these upcoming animated featured films, we’re feeling quite optimistic. From compelling new visions to reboots and fresh adaptations, here are 8 of them that we can’t wait to watch on the big screen.
1. “Sausage Party”
- Release Date: 12th August 2016
- Voice Cast: Seth Rogen, Kristen Wiig, Jonah Hill, Bill Hader, Michael Cera, James Franco, Danny McBride, Craig Robinson, Paul Rudd, Nick Kroll, David Krumholtz, Edward Norton, and Salma Hayek
The R-rated red band trailer begins on a happy note, as a hot dog named Frank (voiced by Rogen) falls in love with an overtly vaginal bun named Brenda (Kristin Wiig). The pair live in their respective packages along with every other food product in a fictional grocery store named Shopwell.
All the food items are sentient beings with a single belief – that human shoppers are gods, who they pray will select and deliver them to “the great beyond”, the food version of heaven. All they have to do is stay clean and fresh until chosen. Things, of course, are far from what they imagine.
A dark, twisted and violent reality awaits all the “chosen” food when they are taken from the comfort of their grocery store to their death. When Frank, Bun, and their friends watch in horror as an Irish potato is skinned alive and cooked for dinner, they realise that they need to escape the human’s home and return to Shopwell to warn the other edibles.
2. “Kubo and the Two Strings”
- Release Date: 25th August 2016
- Voice Cast: Art Parkinson, Matthew McConaughey, Charlize Theron, Rooney Mara, Ralph Fiennes, George Takei, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, and Brenda Vaccaro
Clever, kindhearted Kubo ekes out a humble living, telling stories to the people of his seaside town including Hosato, Hashi and Kamekichi. But his relatively quiet existence is shattered when he accidentally summons a spirit from his past which storms down from the heavens to enforce an age-old vendetta.
Now on the run, Kubo joins forces with Monkey and Beetle, and sets out on a thrilling quest to save his family and solve the mystery of his fallen father, the greatest samurai warrior the world has ever known. With the help of his shamisen – a magical musical instrument – Kubo must battle gods and monsters, including the vengeful Moon King and the evil twin Sisters to unlock the secret of his legacy, reunite his family and fulfill his heroic destiny.
3. The Big Friendly Giant aka “The BFG”
- Release Date: 25th August 2016
- Movie Cast: Mark Rylance, Ruby Barnhill, Penelope Wilton, Rebecca Hall, Bill Hader, and Jemaine Clement
10-year-old Sophie (played by Ruby Barnhill) is in for the adventure of a lifetime when she meets the Big Friendly Giant (Mark Rylance). Naturally scared at first, the young girl soon realises that the 24-foot behemoth is actually quite gentle and charming. As their friendship grows, Sophie’s presence attracts the unwanted attention of Bloodbottler (Bill Hader), Fleshlumpeater (Jemaine Clement) and other giants. After traveling to London, Sophie and the BFG must convince Queen Victoria (Penelope Wilton) to help them get rid of all the bad giants once and for all.
4. “Pete’s Dragon”
- Release Date: 1st September 2016
- Movie Cast: Oakes Fegley, Bryce Dallas Howard, Wes Bentley, Karl Urban, Oona Laurence, and Robert Redford
For years, old wood carver Mr. Meacham (Robert Redford) has delighted local children with his tales of the fierce dragon that resides deep in the woods of the Pacific Northwest. To his daughter, Grace (Bryce Dallas Howard), who works as a forest ranger, these stories are little more than tall tales…until she meets Pete (Oakes Fegley).
Pete is a mysterious 10-year-old with no family and no home who claims to live in the woods with a giant, green dragon named Elliott. And from Pete’s descriptions, Elliott seems remarkably similar to the dragon from Mr. Meacham’s stories. With the help of Natalie (Oona Laurence), an 11-year-old girl whose father Jack (Wes Bentley) owns the local lumber mill, Grace sets out to determine where Pete came from, where he belongs, and the truth about this dragon.
5. “Storks”
- Release Date: 22nd September 2016
- Voice Cast: Andy Samberg, Kelsey Grammer, Katie Crown, Keegan-Michael Key, Jordan Peele, Anton Starkman, Jennifer Aniston, and Ty Burrell
Storks deliver babies…or at least they used to. Now they deliver packages for global internet giant Cornerstore.com. Junior, the company’s top delivery stork, is about to be promoted when he accidentally activates the Baby Making Machine, producing an adorable and wholly unauthorised baby girl.
Desperate to deliver this bundle of trouble before the boss gets wise, Junior and his friend Tulip, the only human on Stork Mountain, race to make their first-ever baby drop – in a wild and revealing journey that could make more than one family whole and restore the storks’ true mission in the world.
6. “Trolls”
- Release Date: 20th October 2016
- Voice Cast: Justin Timberlake, Anna Kendrick, Gwen Stefani, Zooey Deschanel, James Corden, Russell Brand, Icona Pop, Ron Funches, and Kunal Nayaar.
Directed by Mike Mitchell and Walt Dohrn, the animated adventure of “Trolls” tells the story of “the overly optimistic Trolls, with a constant song on their lips, and the comedicly pessimistic Bergens, who are only happy when they have trolls in their stomach”.
The trailer starts off with a cranky grey troll named Branch (voiced by Justin Timberlake), who has locked himself away in a fortified bunker to avoid coming in contact with the “nightmare” outside. That nightmare is a hot pink ball of sunshine and glitter named Poppy (Anna Kendrick).
As the leader of the trolls, Princess Poppy is all happiness and rainbows. But when a scary Bergen attacks and captures the entire colony of trolls, it’s up to this unlikely pair to team up and save their friends.
7. “Moana”
- Release Date: 24th November 2016
- Voice Cast: Dwayne Johnson, Auli’i Cravalho, Phillipa Soo, Alan Tudyk
In the ancient South Pacific world of Oceania, young Moana, a born navigator, sets sail in search of a fabled island. During her incredible journey, she teams up with her hero, the legendary demi-god Maui, to traverse the open ocean on an action-packed voyage, encountering enormous sea creatures, breathtaking underworlds and ancient folklore.
8. “Sing”
- Release Date: 22nd December 2016
- Voice Cast: Matthew McConaughey, Reese Witherspoon, Seth MacFarlane, Scarlett Johansson, John C. Reilly, Tori Kelly, Taron Egerton, and Nick Kroll
Set in a world like ours but entirely inhabited by animals, “Sing” stars Buster Moon (Matthew McConaughey), a dapper Koala who presides over a once-grand theatre that has fallen on hard times. Buster is an eternal optimist—okay, maybe a bit of a scoundrel—who loves his theatre above all and will do anything to preserve it. Now facing the crumbling of his life’s ambition, he has one final chance to restore his fading jewel to its former glory by producing the world’s greatest singing competition.
5 lead contestants emerge: A mouse (Seth MacFarlane) who croons as smoothly as he cons, a timid teenage elephant (Tori Kelly) with an enormous case of stage fright, an overtaxed mother (Reese Witherspoon) run ragged tending a litter of 25 piglets, a young gangster gorilla (Taron Egerton) looking to break free of his family’s felonies, and a punk-rock porcupine (Scarlett Johansson) struggling to shed her arrogant boyfriend and go solo. Each animal arrives under Buster’s marquee believing that this is their shot to change the course of their life.
Of all the cartoons and animated films listed above, which ones are y’all personally looking forward to watch? Remember to mark your calendars and get ready for a whole slew of fantastic animated films coming your way in the next few months!
