Geek It! Upcoming Animated Films of 2015 and 2016 (Zootopia, Good Dinosaur, Kung Fu Panda 3)

Year 2015 has been an exciting year for Walt Disney-Pixar Animation Studios, and no doubt 2016 will be even bigger. While some projects are out in the open, there are still some films biding time in the hopes of unveiling their awesomeness in months to come.

DreamWorks may have suffered major redundancy late last year but they’re back again to prove their worth to the industry, followed closely by Illumination Entertainment. Here is Ctrl+GeekPod’s compilation of 2015’s upcoming animated films and beyond!

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GOOD DINOSAUR (2015 – WALT DISNEY – PIXAR ANIMATION STUDIOS)

Now we all know how dinosaurs got wiped out in real life. But what if that wasn’t the case? Set in an alternate timeline where Earth was never hit by an asteroid and dinosaurs never became extinct, a young Apatosaurus named Arlo loses his father in a tragic accident. One day, Arlo becomes unconscious after falling into a river, finding himself far away from his home. Trying to find a way back home, he befriends a human caveboy where they become best friends.

Filled with colour and heart-warming moments between the caveboy and Arlo, GOOD DINOSAUR is set to be another adventurous and tear-jerking Disney-Pixar film. Starring Raymond Ochoa, Jack Bright, Jeffrey Wright, Sam Elliott, and Anna Paquin, Good Dinosaur (along with Disney-Pixar’s previous film, Inside Out) marks the first instance where Disney-Pixar releases two films in one year.

KUNG FU PANDA 3 (2016 – DREAMWORKS ANIMATION)

Dreamworks’ Kung Fu Panda franchise has always been consistent in terms of high-quality storytelling, comedy and CGI animation. Featuring our favourite martial arts buddies voiced by Jack Black, Angelina Jolie, Dustin Hoffman, Jackie Chan, Seth Rogen, David Cross and Lucy Liu, it is no wonder that KUNG FU PANDA 3 is one of Ctrl+GeekPod’s highly anticipated films for 2016.

In this particular installment, Po reunites with his biological father and returns to his birthplace where he doesn’t exactly fit in. This is where he meets an overly eager panda called Mei Mei, who has been promised in an arranged marriage to Po. But when an evil spirit called Kai terrorizes China and steals the powers of defeated kung fu masters, Po must train a village of cuddly pandas to become an ultimate band of Kung Fu Pandas.

While many animated sequels tend to disappoint, we are placing our money on Kung Fu Panda 3 to be another awesome hit for the series. Fingers crossed!

THE SECRET LIFE OF PETS (2016 – ILLUMINATION ENTERTAINMENT)

In an age where everyone is obsessed with cute animal videos on the interwebz, THE SECRET LIFE OF PETS is definitely one of 2016’s interesting films yet. Set in Manhattan, Max’s life as a pet is turned upside down when his owner Katie brings home a sloppy mongrel named Duke.

But that is not all. When a deceivingly adorable rabbit, Snowball, is building an army of abandoned pets who wants to eliminate all happy pet owners and pets, both Max and Duke have to put aside their differences and fight back. Although the teaser doesn’t paint a picture of the story yet, this film is looking to be exceptionally witty and humourous. We can’t wait to see The Secret Life of Pets!

BILAL (2016 – BARAJOUN ENTERTAINMENT)

Inspired by true events that occurred a thousands years ago, BILAL revolves around a boy with a dream of becoming a great warrior. After Bilal and his sister got abducted and taken away from their homeland, Bilal gets thrown into a world where there is only greed, corruption and injustice. He embarks on the ultimate goal yet — to find courage, and to rid the land of evil and villains with his own two hands.

As evident by the trailer, Bilal is incredibly dark compared to many mainstream animated films. This is a very positive addition to the market as animated films don’t have to be about comedy and action — they can also be inspiring and hard-hitting as well.

ZOOTOPIA (2016 – WALT DISNEY ANIMATION STUDIOS)

From the directors of Frozen, Bolt and Wreck It Ralph, powerhouse Walt Disney Animation Studios is back with another anticipated hit – ZOOTOPIA. While we are used to animated talking animals on the big cinematic screen, somehow the combination of talking animals in a modern city context is something that we haven’t seen before — as emphasised by the film’s tagline.

Welcome to the modern metropolis of Zootopia. Now matter how big or small you are, Zootopia is a city of animals living together as one. It is here in this city where animals can live their life as a doctor, traffic controller and a businessman. For bunny Judy Hopps (Ginnifer Goodwin) who is a newbie to Zootopia, she is determined to join the police force. But when she discovers that she is surrounded by tough animals, it isn’t as easy as she thought it would. Hoping to prove herself, she jumps at every opportunity to go up the ladder, even if it that means to partner up with the sly scam-artist fox, Nick Wilde (Jason Bateman).