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Best Upcoming Animated Movies Of 2026

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Ignacio Weil

Entertainment - January 16th 2026, 23:00 GMT+1

Goat movie 2026 — Goat (February 13, 2026)

The pitch is basically “underdog sports movie, but make it animated and weird,” and that’s not a complaint. **Goat** follows Will, an anthropomorphic kid chasing glory in “roarball,” a made-up sport that looks designed for fast cuts, big hits, and comedy that lands mid-play. The promising part is how clean the emotional lane is: pressure, confidence, humiliation, then the climb back up. If it’s going to work, the action has to feel physical instead of weightless CG chaos, because the whole movie hangs on whether you buy the game. Either way, it’s a fun-sounding swing at a genre animation doesn’t visit enough. | © Sony Pictures Animation

Hoppers movie 2026 cropped processed by imagy — Hoppers (March 6, 2026)

Pixar doing a body-swap premise with wildlife communication is exactly the kind of “this could be brilliant or a beautiful mess” idea that makes a calendar worth checking. The concept behind **Hoppers** a girl using new tech to “hop” into a robotic animal body opens up comedy, adventure, and a surprisingly pointed angle on nature and human intrusion. The risk is obvious: too many rules, too many moving parts, too much cuteness chasing its own tail. But when Pixar nails this kind of high-concept storytelling, it usually comes down to one thing: does the emotional through-line stay simple while the world gets complicated? If yes, this could be one of 2026’s most talked-about originals. | © Pixar Animation Studios

Super Mario Galaxy The Movie cropped processed by imagy — The Super Mario Galaxy Movie (April 3, 2026)

Going to space is the logical escalation when your universe already runs on pipes, power-ups, and physics that barely pretend to make sense. The “Galaxy” era is basically a buffet of gravity tricks, tiny planets, and set pieces begging to be animated at theme-park scale, so the movie has instant visual upside. What I’m hoping for is that **Super Mario Galaxy: The Movie** doesn’t turn into pure sightseeing references are fun, but rhythm and character beats are what made the first film watchable beyond the fan-service checklist. There’s also real potential for wonder here, not just gags, if the story leans into that wide-eyed, cosmic mood the games nailed. If they keep it playful without getting empty, it could be a genuine crowd-pleaser. | © Illumination

Toy Story 5 cropped processed by imagy — Toy Story 5 (June 19, 2026)

A fifth chapter only makes sense if it has a reason to exist, and the rumored “toys vs. tech” angle at least sounds like it’s aiming at a modern nerve instead of reheating old tears. There’s a lot of room for smart comedy in the idea of toys competing with screens for attention, and the emotional stakes could be sharp if the film treats obsolescence as more than a punchline. The franchise has earned trust, but it’s also earned scrutiny, because people are protective of the ending(s) they already got. If **Toy Story 5** finds a new pain point that feels real without undoing what came before it could justify the return. If it coasts on nostalgia, it won’t. | © Pixar Animation Studios

Coyote vs acme cropped processed by imagy — Coyote vs. Acme (August 27, 2026)

The funniest part of the premise is how clean it is: decades of cartoon suffering, and now the victim wants his day in court. The whole appeal of **Coyote vs. Acme** is that it treats the Looney Tunes logic seriously just long enough to make the seriousness itself the joke, which is a surprisingly hard balance to strike. The behind-the-scenes release saga also means it’s arriving with an extra layer of curiosity people want to see what all the fuss was about. If the movie keeps the slapstick spirit intact while letting the legal comedy actually build momentum, it could be a rare hybrid that feels like a real film, not a novelty. It doesn’t need to be profound; it just needs to be sharp and genuinely funny. | © Warner Bros. Pictures Animation

Forgotten Island 2026 cropped processed by imagy — Forgotten Island (September 25, 2026)

A brand-new animated adventure lives or dies on vibe, and this one is clearly aiming for that “you can smell the salt air through the screen” feeling mystery, discovery, and a location that does half the storytelling. Instead of leaning on familiarity, the appeal is the promise of a fresh world with its own rules, creatures, and little anxieties hiding behind the pretty scenery. What will matter most is whether the script gives the characters something sharper than “we must survive,” because island stories can blur together if the emotional stakes stay generic. If the marketing starts highlighting tone funny-scary, cozy-ominous, or full-on epic that’ll tell us what kind of ride **Forgotten Island** really wants to be. For now, it’s the kind of title that feels like a swing at old-school adventure with modern animation muscle. | © Studio not publicly confirmed

The Legend of Aang The Last Airbender cropped processed by imagy — The Legend of Aang: The Last Airbender (October 9, 2026)

Returning to this universe is a risky move, mostly because expectations are unfairly high and also because the original’s fanbase remembers everything. The smart play will be treating the film like a new chapter with its own identity, even if the nostalgia is part of the draw, and early chatter suggests The Legend of Aang: The Last Airbender is positioned as a big-screen event rather than a side story. What I want from it is scale without noise: bending that looks elegant and readable, plus character moments that don’t get buried under lore. The best version of this movie leans into spirit-world wonder and human stakes at the same time, which is where the franchise has always been strongest. If it nails that balance, it won’t need to coast on recognition. | © Paramount Animation / Nickelodeon Movies

The Cat in the Hat 2026 cropped processed by imagy — The Cat in the Hat (November 6, 2026)

Nothing exposes a reboot faster than comedy, because you can’t hide behind lore when the jokes don’t land. The character works when the chaos feels playful instead of mean, and when the adults’ frustration doesn’t flatten the kids’ perspective into background noise. A new animated take has real upside visual invention, physical gags, and the chance to make the house feel like a surreal playground rather than just “random stuff happens.” If it’s too reverent, it’ll feel stiff; if it’s too modern and winky, it’ll lose the storybook charm that made the original stick. The sweet spot is a movie that’s confidently silly and strangely wholesome, and that’s exactly the line **The Cat in the Hat** has to walk. | © Warner Bros. Pictures Animation

Hexed 2026 — Hexed (November 25, 2026)

Disney Animation’s next original is pitching a familiar kind of chaos ordinary life suddenly colliding with real magic but with a sharper family angle at the center. The setup leans on an awkward teen and his tightly wound mom discovering that the “weirdness” they’ve been dealing with isn’t just a phase, it’s something supernatural with consequences. What will make or break **Hexed** is whether the comedy comes from character instead of pure spell-noise, because the premise has room for both heartfelt friction and genuinely inventive set pieces. With Roy Conli producing and Josie Trinidad and Jason Hand directing, it also has a solid Disney pedigree behind it. If the story keeps its emotional spine intact, this could be one of 2026’s more charming surprises. | © Walt Disney Animation Studios

Wildwood 2026 — Wildwood (???, 2026)

You can already picture the appeal: foggy forests, old magic, and that uneasy feeling of stepping past a boundary you weren’t supposed to cross. The project has been talked about for years because it’s tied to a beloved modern fantasy novel, and the adaptation question is always the same will it keep the story’s atmosphere without over-explaining the mystery? If it stays true to the book’s tone, **Wildwood** should feel like a children’s adventure that quietly turns more haunting the deeper you go, the kind of film where the world itself feels alive and slightly judgmental. The biggest promise is craft: this is exactly the kind of material that benefits from tactile design and patient storytelling instead of frantic pacing. Whenever the date finally locks, it’ll be one of the easiest “put it on the calendar” animated releases of the year. | © LAIKA

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2026 is already shaping up like one of those years where animation refuses to stay in one lane big studio sequels, riskier originals, and international projects that might end up being the real conversation starters. It’s the kind of slate that makes you want to clear your calendar months in advance.

And if you’re still catching up, this pairs nicely with our rundown of the best animated movies of 2025 because a few of last year’s highlights make the jump to “what’s next” feel especially exciting. Here are the upcoming animated movies of 2026 worth keeping on your radar.

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2026 is already shaping up like one of those years where animation refuses to stay in one lane big studio sequels, riskier originals, and international projects that might end up being the real conversation starters. It’s the kind of slate that makes you want to clear your calendar months in advance.

And if you’re still catching up, this pairs nicely with our rundown of the best animated movies of 2025 because a few of last year’s highlights make the jump to “what’s next” feel especially exciting. Here are the upcoming animated movies of 2026 worth keeping on your radar.