Illustration by What’s on Netflix – Picture Credits: Netflix
A host of new Netflix Original animated feature films will come in 2023 and beyond. Below, we’ve compiled a list of every animated movie we know that’s in development so far that we’ll keep updated over time.
Netflix Animation had a turbulent 2021, to say the least. Although they released some of the best-animated titles in Netflix history, the group also saw significant cutbacks and reorganizations with key leadership roles changed.
Those in the United States will be treated to all the Netflix Original animated feature films listed below and the entire output of DreamWorks, Illumination, and Sony Pictures Animation.
List of Animated Movies Confirmed for Release in 2023
The Magician’s Elephant
Director: Wendy Rogers
Studio: Julia Pistor Productions, Animal Logic
Coming to Netflix: March 17th, 2023
Picture: Netflix
In production throughout 2021, The Magician’s Elephant comes from the studio that Netflix acquired in 2022, Animal Logic.
Based on the children’s book by Kate DiCamillo, this movie is about what happens when a fortune teller tells an orphan boy that an elephant will lead him to his long-lost sister.
Pixies Davies, Noah Jupe, and Benedict Wong are set to lend their voices to the feature.
Nimona
Studio: Annapurna Pictures
Director: Nick Bruno and Troy Quane
Coming to Netflix in Summer 2023
Picture: Netflix
Based on the ND Stevenson novel, this animated project was previously at 20th Century Fox before Disney acquired it and subsequently canceled.
Here’s what you can expect:
Nimona, an exciteable, trouble-making young shapeshifter is “the sidekick to supervillain Lord Ballister Blackheart. Together, the duo work to stop Sir Ambrosius Goldenloin and the Institution of Law Enforcement and Heroics.”
The movie’s voice actors include Chloë Grace Moretz, Riz Ahmed, and Eugene Lee Yang.
Leo
Director: Robert Smigel, Robert Marianetti, David Wachtenheim
Cast: Adam Sandler, Bill Burr, Cecily Strong, Jason Alexander, Rob Schneider, Sadie Sandler, Sunny Sandler, Jackie Sandler
Coming to Netflix: November 22nd, 2023
Picture: Netflix
Previously set up at STX Entertainment, Adam Sandler leads the voice cast for this new animated feature film about a 74-year-old lizard Leo who has been stuck in the same Florida classroom for decades with his terrarium-mate turtle.
Chicken Run 2: Dawn of the Nugget
Director: Sam Fell
Studio: Aardman Animation
Picture: Aardman Animation
If you can believe it, it’ll have been 23 years since DreamWorks released the original Chicken Run by the time this sequel comes out.
Now, an all-star cast comes together for a new entry. Among the voice cast for the new entry includes Bella Ramsey (Game of Thrones), Zachary Levi (Chuck), and Thandiwe Newton (Westworld).
Here’s what you can expect from the new entry:
“When Ginger and Rocky hatch a little girl called Molly, Ginger’s happy ending seems complete. But back on the mainland the whole of chicken-kind faces a new and terrible threat. For Ginger and her team – even if it means putting their own hard-won freedom at risk – this time, they’re breaking in!”
Saving Bikini Bottom: The Sandy Cheeks Movie
Director: Liza Johnson
Cast: Carolyn Lawrence, Tom Kenny, Bill Fagerbakke, Rodger Bumpass, Doug Lawrence, Clancy Brown, Mary Jo Catlett, Jill Talley, Craig Robinson, Grey Griffin, Johnny Knoxville, Loretta Devine, Wanda Sykes
Picture: Netflix
Rumored to be in development for years, a Sandy Spongebob movie spin-off is headed to Netflix in 2023.
Per Netflix, here’s what you can expect from the live-action and animated hybrid movie:
“Bikini Bottom has been stolen! Sandy Cheeks and SpongeBob watch in disbelief as everyone’s favorite town is scooped out of the ocean by a sinister, mysterious company. Now, Sandy and SpongeBob must go on an epic quest to Sandy’s home state of Texas and enlist her family to help save Patrick, Squidward, Mr. Krabs and the rest of the gang before time runs out.”
The Monkey King
Director: Anthony Stacchi
Studio: Netflix Animation, Pearl Studio
Picture: Netflix
The director of The Boxtrolls will be behind this new adventure animated movie with scripts penned by Steve Bencich and Ron J. Friedman.
Here’s the official description of the synopsis:
“After the Dragon King steals his staff, the Monkey King sets off on a mission to get it back. But his greatest enemy proves to be his own pride.”
The confirmed voice cast includes BD Wong, Stephanie Hsu, Jimmy O. Yang, Hoon Lee, and Ron Yuan.
List of Upcoming Animated Feature Films Coming Soon to Netflix
Please note: any titles listed below are subject to change.
Escape from Hat
Director: Mark Osborne
Studio: Netflix Animation
Based on the book by Adama Kline and Brian Taylor, Escape From Hat brings light to the ancient mysteries of magic. In a fairy tale where black cats are bad and magic rabbits are good, balance is threatened when one such rabbit is cast into a mysterious realm of danger and shadow.
There, our desperate hero rallies an unexpected band of allies and undertakes an impossible quest to escape from inside a magician’s hat – and return to the human boy he dearly loves.
Academy Award-nominated director Mark Osborne (Kung Fu Panda, The Little Prince) is behind the movie.
High in the Clouds
Director: Timothy Reckart
Studio: Gaumont Animation, Netflix Animation
Adapting the Paul McCartney book, this family feature is about a squirrel embarking on a journey to find an animal sanctuary. The movie is set to feature brand-new music from The Beatles member.
Timothy Reckart direct who has previously directed the 2012 short Head Over Heels and 2017’s The Star. Production on the movie reportedly took place between August 2018 and May 2022.
According to our sources, the movie is set to release in the summer of 2023 with a July 3rd, 2023 release date currently eyed.
I, Chihuahua
Studio: Netflix Animation
Director: Jorge R. Gutiérrez
Picture: Netflix
Announced in March 2022 is the new animated feature film from the director of Netflix’s excellent mini-series Maya and the Three. It’ll feature Gabriel Iglesias and is about a young Chacho who wears a wrestling mask to become a legendary fighter.
K-Pop: Demon Hunters
Studio: Sony Animation
Picture: Sony Pictures Animation
Originally set for a theatrical release, we learned in 2022 that K-Pop: Demon Hunters is bound for Netflix. That has seemingly been confirmed by Sony’s movie chief, who says the movie will be direct-to-streaming.
Here’s what we know about the upcoming movie:
“The story of a world-renowned K-Pop girl group, as they balance their lives in the spotlight with their secret identities as bad-ass demon hunters, set against a colorful backdrop of fashion, food, style, and the most popular music movement of this generation.”
Onyeka And The Academy Of The Sun
Studios: Westbrook Studios
Picture: Tolá Okogwu
First announced in February 2022, this new movie comes from the production company helmed by Will Smith with David Oyelowo to also produce.
The story is about a teenager who discovers that she has superpowers and then travels to Nigeria to learn more about her origins. There, she found a threat to her newfound magical community.
Pashmina
Director: Gurinder Chadha
Studios: Bend It Films, Hyde Park Entertainment
This animated musical movie tells the tale of an Indian-American girl who rediscovers her heritage via a magical pashmina.
The movie was announced back in early 2019.
Alongside the announcement, Ashok Amritraj said: “Pashmina is a wonderful coming-of-age story that will resonate with anyone who has ever felt like an outsider, and one that I believe Netflix families around the world will enjoy experiencing together.”
Steps
Director: Alyce Tzue
Studio: Netflix Animation
First announced in March 2021, this new musical animated feature film will come from Amy Poehler’s production company, Paper Kite Productions.
In a spin on the classic Cinderella story, two stepsisters are overlooked for marriage by the Prince and embark on an epic journey, realizing that their own perfect fairytales might be different from what they originally thought.
Sulwe
Director: Unknown
Studio: Unknown
Based on Lupita Nyong’o’s children’s book, this animated comedy was first announced in February 2021.
Sulwe has the darkest skin in her family and in her school. She wishes for her skin to be lighter, but through a supernatural experience, she comes to love her dark skin color.
That Christmas
Studio: Locksmith Animation
Country of Origin: United Kingdom
This new animated feature film set around Christmas is based on the children’s books by Richard Curtis.
Here’s what you can expect from the story:
“That Christmas follows a series of entwined tales about love and loneliness, family and friends, and Santa Claus making a big mistake, not to mention an enormous number of turkeys!”
The Family Treehorn
Director: Ron Howard
Studio: Animal Logic
Also known as The Shrinking Of Treehorn, this movie based on the book by Florence Parry Heide was acquired away from Paramount Animation and produced by Netflix’s internal studio, Animal Logic.
The movie is Ron Howard’s first animated feature film and is about a young man who begins shrinking in size after playing a strange board game, which goes largely unnoticed by his parents.
The Goon
Director: Patrick Osborne
Studio: Blur Studio, Dark Horse Entertainment
One way or another, this animated feature film based on the comic has been in development for over a decade starting its life as a Kickstarter project.
In the summer of 2022, it was announced that Netflix would pick up the title and distribute the movie, with the studio behind Love, Death and Robots working on the feature film.
The Sea Beast 2
Studio: Netflix Animation
Director: Chris Williams
Picture: Netflix
Following the release of The Sea Beast in 2022, the movie became one of Netflix’s biggest animated hits and will be returning for a sequel.
The Witch Boy
Studio: Vertigo Entertainment
Director: Minkyu Lee (although reportedly no longer)
Based on the graphic novels by Molly Know Ostertag, this animated movie is being produced by Vertigo Entertainment (The Lego Movie), with HAIM involved in the soundtrack.
In a secret, a magical community where girls are born to be witches and boys grow into shapeshifters, Aster is surprised to discover his emerging and extraordinary witch powers. When a mysterious danger threatens his world, Aster must embark on a journey to uncover the truth behind himself, his powers, and everything magical.
Thelma the Unicorn
This movie is based on the novel by award-winning Australian children’s author Aaron Blabey. Netflix first picked it up in 2019.
When a rare pink and glitter-filled moment of fate makes Thelma the Pony’s wish of being a unicorn come true, she rises to instant international pop-superstar stardom, but at an unexpected cost. Thelma the Unicorn is a joyful story about learning to love who you are… even if you don’t have sparkles.
Ultraman
Director: Shannon Tindle and John Aoshima
Studio: Industrial Light & Magic, Netflix Animation and Tsuburaya Productions
Verging more into the anime territory is a new animated movie on the beloved Japanese superhero.
The creator of Netflix’s Lost Ollie is behind this new feature film which is about a superstar baseball player returning to Japan to carry on the legacy of being Ultraman.
Untitled Steve Box Animated Film
Director: Steve Box
Studio: SUPERPROD Animation
Country of Origin: France
Picture: Netflix
Steve Box is behind the beloved Wallace & Gromit feature film Wallace & Gromit: The Curse Of The Were Rabbit and will be bringing a new yet-to-be-titled feature film to Netflix.
Here’s the premise of the new film:
“Struggling to feed themselves with the proceeds of their ever-inventive, but low-yield heists, Tibbles and his rag-tag gang of stray cats are forced to go undercover to pull of the biggest heist of their lives, posing as the thing they most despise – the pampered pets of suburbia.”
Wallace & Gromit
Directors: Nick Park and Merlin Crossingham.
Studio: Aardman Animation
The duo of Wallace & Gromit first graced British screens in 1989 and has seen numerous spin-offs, series, and feature films since, but now they’re headed back to the big screen.
The BBC will distribute the movie in the United Kingdom and Netflix everywhere else.
The film “sees Gromit becoming concerned that Wallace is a little too dependent on his inventions. When Wallace’s “Smart Gnome” develops a mind of its own, it falls to Gromit to battle sinister forces and save his master…or Wallace may never be able to invent again!”
This title has been confirmed to come to Netflix in 2024 although we’re expecting some updates publicly in 2023.
A few notes to round out this article. First let’s run through a few titles that are expected to come to Netflix but have limited information:
- Ronnie Del Carmen is working on a yet-to-be-titled Netflix animated feature film, although we do know it’s based on lore and mythology from the Philippines.
- The Red Wall books by Brian Jacques are being adapted into multiple titles, including movies with Patrick McHale’s writing.
- Tunga – Animated musical from Zimbabwe-Born Godwin Jabangwe.
- The Witcher is set to get another animated movie.
And finally, a few animated feature films no longer in development at Netflix:
- Animal Farm is reportedly no longer at Netflix.
- Cattywumpus, an animated feature film by Gore Verbinski, was previously headed to Netflix but is no longer developing.
- Previously announced for Netflix, it’s unclear whether Andy Serkis’s Animal Farm will be headed to the service anymore.
- Bubbles, the animated movie about Michael Jackson from Taika Watiti, is no longer at Netflix.
- Ember was scrapped in December 2022, which was going to be the next animated feature from the director of Klaus.
What new animated feature film are you most looking forward to on Netflix? Let us know in the comments down below.
