North American release date: May 31, 2024.
Written and directed by Pablo Berger. Based on the comic by Sara Varon.
Synopsis: Dog lives in Manhattan and he’s tired of being alone. One day he decides to build himself a robot, a companion. Their friendship blossoms, until they become inseparable, to the rhythm of 80’s NYC. One summer night, DOG, with great sadness, is forced to abandon ROBOT at the beach. Will they ever meet again?
U.S. release dates:
April 26, 2024 – Metrograph in New York, NY
May 3, 2024 – Cinestudio in Hartford, CT
May 3, 2024 – Laemmle in North Hollywood, CA
Directed by Liu Jian. Written by Liu Jian and Lin Shan. Starring Dong Zijian, Chizi, Zhou Dongyu, Jia Zhangke and Bi Gan.
Synopsis: 1990s, China. A motley gang of Chinese art students fill their languid days with inchoate musings about aesthetics, philosophy and the promised ‘good’ life after graduation.
A portrait of youth, the students live in full swing as they take their first steps into adulthood, where love and friendships are intertwined with artistic pursuits, ideals and ambitions.
Caught between tradition and modernity, they now have to choose who they want to become.
Release date: September 20, 2024.
Synopsis: Transformers One is the untold origin story of Optimus Prime and Megatron, better known as sworn enemies, but once were friends bonded like brothers who changed the fate of Cybertron forever.
Voice cast:
Chris Hemsworth as Optimus Prime
Brian Tyree Henry as Megatron
Scarlett Johansson as Elita-1
Keegan-Michael Key as Bumblebee
Laurence Fishburne as Alpha Trion
Jon Hamm as Sentinel Prime
Steve Buscemi as Starscream
Isaac C. Singleton Jr. as Darkwing
Vanessa Liguori as Airachnid
Jason Konopisos-Alvarez as Shockwave
Jon Bailey as Soundwave
Evan Michael Lee as Jazz
Directed by Josh Cooley (Toy Story 4). Written by Andrew Barrer & Gabriel Ferrari (Ant-Man and the Wasp) and Eric Pearson (Godzilla vs. Kong).
Japanese release date: June 28, 2024.
Look Back is a Japanese one-shot web manga written and illustrated by Tatsuki Fujimoto. It was published on Shueisha’s Shonen Jump+ in July 2021.
Anime synopsis: The overly confident Fujino and the shut-in Kyomoto couldn’t be more different, but a love of drawing manga brings these two small-town girls together. A poignant story of growing up and moving forward.
The main character, Fujino, will be played by Yuumi Kawai. The role of Kyomoto, the other main character, will be played by Mizuki Yoshida.
The director, scriptwriter, and character designer is Kiyotaka Oshiyama, who has worked as a key staff member on many productions, including Rebuild of Evangelion and The Wind Rises.
Release date: May 17, 2024 on Netflix.
Synopsis: Thelma is a small-time pony who dreams of becoming a glamorous music star. In a moment of fate, Thelma is transformed into a unicorn and instantly rises to global stardom, but this new life of fame comes at a cost.
Cast: Brittany Howard as Thelma, Will Forte as Otis, Jemaine Clement as Vic Diamond, Edi Patterson as Megan, Maliaka Mitchell as Peggy Purvis, Ally Dixon as Niki Narwhal, Fred Armisen as Danny Stallion, Zach Galifianakis as Crusty Tucker, Jon Heder as Reggie and Shondrella Avery as Zirconia.
Based on the children’s books by Aaron Blabey. Directed by Jared Hess and Lynn Wang. Written by Jared Hess and Jerusha Hess.
Release date: May 24, 2024.
Synopsis: Garfield (Chris Pratt), the world-famous, Monday-hating, lasagna-loving indoor cat, is about to have a wild outdoor adventure! After an unexpected reunion with his long-lost father – scruffy street cat Vic (Samuel L. Jackson) – Garfield and his canine friend Odie are forced from their perfectly pampered life into joining Vic in a hilarious, high-stakes heist.
The Garfield Movie is written by Paul A. Kaplan & Mark Torgove and David Reynolds (Finding Nemo, Mulan) and directed by Mark Dindal (The Emperor’s New Groove, Cat’s Don’t Dance).
Theatrical release date: April 19, 2024 in India.
Appu is based on the popular YouTube kids channels that have amassed millions of followers and billions of views.
Directed by Prosenjit Ganguly, Ajay Velu and Archisman Kar.
Release date: April 12, 2024 on Netflix.
Synopsis: After getting kicked out of the forest, Woody thinks he’s found a forever home at Camp Woo Hoo until an inspector threatens to shut down the camp.
Cast: Eric Bauza as Woody Woodpecker, Kevin Michael Richardson as Buzz Buzzard and Tom Kenny as Wally Walrus.
Also starring Chloe De Los Santos, Josh Lawson, Mary-Louise Parker, Esther Son, Evan Stanhope, George Holahan-Cantwell, Kershawn Theodore, Savannah La Rain, CC Dewar, Kushinka Jayewardene, Patrick Williams, Ras-Samuel Welda’abzgi and Will Parker.
Directed by Jon Rosenbaum. Written by Cory Edwards, Jim Martin, and Stephen Mazur.
Release date:
France – February 7, 2024
U.K. and Ireland – August 2, 2024
United States and Canada – October 18, 2024
Kensuke’s Kingdom stars Sally Hawkins, Cillian Murphy, Ken Watanabe, Raffey Cassidy and Aaron MacGregor.
Directed by Neil Boyle and Kirk Hendry. Written by Frank Cottrell-Boyce, based on the best-selling children’s novel by Michael Morpurgo.
Synopsis: Kensuke’s Kingdom tells the epic adventure of Michael, a young boy who sets off with his family on a sailing trip of a lifetime. But excitement soon turns to terror when a violent storm erupts and Michael and his dog Stella are swept overboard, washing up on a remote island where they struggle to survive.
Michael eventually discovers he is not alone when he is confronted by a mysterious Japanese man called Kensuke who has lived there secretly since World War Two. The boy and the old man are initially suspicious of each other, but when dangerous invaders appear on the horizon, it’s clear Michael and Kensuke must join forces to save their fragile island paradise.
Twenty-one years after winning an Oscar for Spirited Away at the 75th Academy Awards, Hayao Miyazaki and the team at Studio Ghibli are once again victorious, winning Best Animated Feature Film for The Boy and the Heron.
Toshio Suzuki, producer and Studio Ghibli co-founder released the following statement:
“As producer [along with Hayao Miyazaki] of The Boy and the Heron, I am extremely honored to receive the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the Academy. I would also like to give my thanks to those who were involved in the production of this film, and to all those who worked to distribute the film worldwide.
This film began with director Hayao Miyazaki retracting his retirement statement. Following that, we spent seven years in the production of this work. It has been ten years since Hayao Miyazaki’s previous film, The Wind Rises, during which time there have been dramatic changes in the environment surrounding films. This film was truly difficult to bring to completion. I am very appreciative that the work that was created after overcoming these difficulties has been seen by so many people around the world, and that it has received this recognition.
Both Hayao Miyazaki and have aged a considerable amount. I am grateful to receive such an honor at my age, and taking this as a message to continue our work, will devote myself to work harder in the future. Thank you very much.”
The animated classic Shrek 2 will return to U.S. theaters nationwide on April 12, 2024 in celebration of the film’s 20th anniversary.
Tickets for the re-release of Shrek 2 are available for purchase on Fandango and through theater ticketing sites nationwide.
Shrek 2 is directed by Andrew Adamson, Kelly Asbury and Conrad Vernon.
The film’s cast includes Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz, Julie Andrews, John Cleese, Antonio Banderas, Rupert Everett and Jennifer Saunders.
Release date: June 14, 2024.
Synopsis: Inside Out 2 returns to the mind of newly minted teenager Riley just as headquarters is undergoing a sudden demolition to make room for something entirely unexpected: new Emotions! Joy, Sadness, Anger, Fear and Disgust, who’ve long been running a successful operation by all accounts, aren’t sure how to feel when Anxiety shows up. And it looks like she’s not alone.
Maya Hawke lends her voice to Anxiety, alongside Amy Poehler as Joy, Phyllis Smith as Sadness, Lewis Black as Anger, Tony Hale as Fear, and Liza Lapira as Disgust.
Inside Out 2 is directed by Kelsey Mann and written by Meg LeFauve.
Release date: September 27, 2024.
Synopsis: Based on Peter Brown’s #1 New York Times bestseller, The Wild Robot follows the journey of a robot named Roz that is shipwrecked on an uninhabited island and must learn to adapt to the harsh surroundings, gradually building relationships with the animals on the island and becoming the adoptive parent of an orphaned gosling.
The Wild Robot stars Lupita Nyong’o as robot Roz; Pedro Pascal as fox Fink; Catherine O’Hara as opossum Pinktail; Bill Nighy as goose Longneck; Kit Connor as gosling Brightbill and Stephanie Hsu as Vontra, a robot that will intersect with Roz’s life on the island.
The film also features the voice talents of Mark Hamill, Matt Berry and Ving Rhames.
The Wild Robot is written and directed by three-time Oscar nominee Chris Sanders, the writer-director of How to Train Your Dragon, The Croods, and Lilo & Stitch.
Release date: May 24, 2024.
The Garfield Movie is written by Paul A. Kaplan & Mark Torgove and David Reynolds (Finding Nemo, Mulan) and directed by Mark Dindal (The Emperor’s New Groove, Cat’s Don’t Dance).
Synopsis: Garfield (Chris Pratt), the world-famous, Monday-hating, lasagna-loving indoor cat, is about to have a wild outdoor adventure! After an unexpected reunion with his long-lost father – scruffy street cat Vic (Samuel L. Jackson) – Garfield and his canine friend Odie are forced from their perfectly pampered life into joining Vic in a hilarious, high-stakes heist.
GKIDS will release Chicken for Linda! in select U.S. theaters starting April 5, 2024.
Synopsis: Paulette feels guilty after unjustly punishing her daughter Linda and would do anything to make it up to her. Linda immediately asks for a meal of chicken with peppers, which reminds her of the dish her father used to make.
But with a general strike closing stores all across town and pushing people into the streets, this innocent request quickly leads to an outrageous series of events that spirals out of control, as Paulette does everything she can to keep her promise and find a chicken for Linda.
Chicken for Linda! is directed by husband-and-wife team Chiara Malta and Sébastien Laudenbach. Malta is best known for her feature Simple Women, while Laudenbach is best known for The Girl Without Hands.
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