Upcoming Animated Films - My Thoughts (Part 4)

Now that I've discussed the animated films of 2012, I will now look at 2013's animated crop. Things might change over the next few months, such as films getting different release dates or new films being added. Here's the schedule for 2013's animated films so far.

Monsters, Inc. 3D

Distributor: Walt Disney Pictures

Studio: Pixar Animation Studios

Release Date: January 18, 2013

• Disney is re-releasing Pixar’s 2001 classic to get people geared up for Monsters University, which opens in the summer. They did the same thing for Toy Story 3, re-releasing the first two films as a double feature for a limited time in 3D. Like the first two Toy Story films, Monsters, Inc. does look a bit outdated compared to today’s powerhouses, so I can only imagine what it will look like in 3D. This is the very film that got me into Pixar, and computer animation in general, when I was young, but that was when it hit home video. I don’t remember much of when I saw it in theaters, so I’ll probably re-experience it the right way when this re-release comes around. I don’t see crowds flocking to see it though, since the film has always been available on home video, unlike The Lion King, which wasn’t on Blu-ray when the re-release came.

Escape from Planet Earth

Distributor: The Weinstein Company

Studio: Rainmaker Entertainment

Release Date: February 14, 2013

• The Weinstein Company has never really scored a hit in the animation field, releasing cheap animated films by unknown studios. This film is from Rainmaker Entertainment, who have worked on several direct-to-video films and video games. It’s being directed by Cal Brunker, who worked on Dr. Seuss’ Horton Hears a Who! and Despicable Me, so it could be a fun sci-fi comedy. The title does imply that the film might have a 1950s’ sci-fi style, much like DreamWorks’ Monsters vs. Aliens.

The Croods

Distributor: TBA

Studio: DreamWorks Animation SKG

Release Date: March 22, 2013

• This film has been in the works for a while, originally it was going to be a claymation film from Aardman called Crood Awakening. It has been reworked into a computer animated film, and one of its directors is none other than Chris Sanders, who directed Lilo & Stitch and How to Train Your Dragon. The other director, Kirk DeMicco, doesn’t have such a hot track record: Quest for Camelot, Racing Stripes and Space Chimps. Also, no distributor is listed for this film. It’s possible that Rise of the Guardians is DreamWorks’ last film to be distributed by Paramount. Where will they go after Paramount? Will they be on their own? Or will they join forces with someone else? Anyways, from the image revealed, it does look like it’ll have nice animation and fun character designs.

Leaf Men

Distributor: 20th Century Fox

Studio: Blue Sky Studios

Release Date: May 24, 2013

• Based on a book by William Joyce (whose books were adapted into Disney’s Meet the Robinsons and DreamWorks’ forthcoming Rise of the Guardians), Leaf Men is Blue Sky's offering for 2013. The plot sounds interesting, and it’ll probably be another Rio, a very fun film made for half of what Pixar and DreamWorks spend on their films. One thing to look forward to is the fact that Chris Wedge is directing it, who hasn’t directed an animated film since Blue Sky’s 2005 film, Robots. This film, however, is opening during a highly competitive month, so who knows how it will perform.