The Predictions

THE PREDICTIONS

(as of 12/13/2018)

If you are one who enjoys following movie release dates and such, you'll know that nothing is ever concrete. A film may have a date set, and then all of a sudden, the studio behind said film either pushes it back, moves it up, or gets rid of it entirely!

This may happen for many reasons, whether it's to give the film more time, or to avoid competition. This list will mainly focus on the latter, while also giving predictions for studios' untitled films.

My only rule here is to not alter a certain film's predicted date if a trailer for the film in question is out, since that normally indicates that the studio is okay with where it is.

So without further ado, let the predictions begin!

WALT DISNEY ANIMATION STUDIOS

11/22/2019-Untitled Frozen Sequel

11/25/2020-Untitled

11/24/2021-Untitled

11/23/2022-Untitled

With two sequels opening back-to-back, I reckon that the Fall 2020 release will be Dragon Empire. WDAS story man Paul Briggs was asked on Twitter if he was working on the untitled 2020 picture, and his response was "...I am". Both him and Dean Wellins are attached to the project, so this tells me that it will drop on November 25, 2020.

As for the untitled Fall 2021 picture, I reckon that will be the movie that Byron Howard is directing with Lin-Manuel Miranda songs.

I still believe that the temporarily-shelved Gigantic will eventually happen. I say 2022 is when we are getting it. Disney seems to like releasing fairy tales every three years (Tangled in 2010, Frozen in 2013, Moana in 2016, Frozen 2 in 2019).

With everything in mind, the earliest that the sequel to Zootopia comes out, I think, is in 2023. There are so many other projects lined up at Disney right now, so I think this date is the most likely.

So, with that said...

11/22/2019-Untitled Frozen Sequel

11/25/2020-Dragon Empire

11/24/2021-Untitled Byron Howard Film

11/23/2022-Gigantic

11/22/2023-Zootopia 2

PIXAR ANIMATION STUDIOS

06/21/2019-Toy Story 4

03/06/2020-Onward

06/19/2020-Untitled

06/18/2021-Untitled
03/18/2022-Untitled
06/17/2022-Untitled

To start things off, I can see the Summer 2021 film being Monsters Inc director Pete Docter's next project(it probably will not be Newt, before somebody chimes in). Aside from the monster tale, Docter had also directed UP, which came out in 2009. Six years later, in 2015, he released Inside Out. If he waits another six years, then his next project will be ready by 2021.

Also, before you bring up me forgetting the Summer 2020 picture, I just want to say one thing. Since Disney now owns Fox, I reckon that Blue Sky will get both that date and 6/17/2022 instead of Pixar. More on that later.

Since I don't think the Summer 2022 movie will happen due to Disney's buyout of Fox, I'm going to say that Brave finishing director Mark Andrews' upcoming film will come out on March 18, 2022, nearly ten years after the Scottish fairy tale.

Still, that leaves only three of the four originals that Morris said would be opening back-to-back. Brian Fee has one in the works. I reckon that will open in the Spring of 2023, exactly six years after his directorial debut(Cars 3)given how Pixar always goes for mid-June slots.

So, with that said...

06/21/2019-Toy Story 4

03/06/2020-Onward

03/05/2021-Untitled Pete Docter Film

03/18/2022-Untitled Mark Andrews Film

03/17/2023-Untitled Brian Fee Film

DREAMWORKS ANIMATION SKG

02/22/2019-How To Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World

09/27/2019-Abominable

04/17/2020-Trolls World Tour

09/18/2020-The Croods 2

03/26/2021-The Boss Baby 2

09/17/2021-Spooky Jack
12/22/2021-Untitled
04/15/2022-Untitled
04/07/2023-Untitled

You may say that The Boss Baby 2 is fine where it is, but I beg to differ. Paramount has a movie from Ilion called Luck penciled in for the week before, and despite the box office troubles that they have been through, I can kinda see them sticking with that date since it falls right into the St. Patrick's Day territory. I mean, the film is called Luck for crying out loud, so that pretty much seals the deal! With that said, I think it should move to mid-April like how Trolls World Tour did.

Since the Shrek franchise turns 20 years old in 2021, you can bet your bippy that DreamWorks will have the fifth movie out by that December 2021 date. Either that, or The Boss Baby 2 will move there and Shrek 5 will take the traditional May slot...

William Joyce recently confirmed that a sequel to Rise of the Guardians is currently "making progress", and Chris Meledandri has an interest in reviving other DreamWorks franchises like Shrek, so I think this film could take the April 2022 slot.

As for that April 2023 slot, I think that will go to an original project that DreamWorks has on their development slate. My money's on Mice & Mystics, the last project they announced.

When it comes to future DreamWorks films, I think they'll add two more films to 2023. We'll get an Abominable sequel in the Fall, followed by Puss in Boots 2: Nine Lives & 40 Thieves around Christmastime.

So, with that said...

02/22/2019-How To Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World

09/27/2019-Abominable

04/17/2020-Trolls World Tour

09/18/2020-The Croods 2

04/16/2021-The Boss Baby 2

09/17/2021-Spooky Jack

12/22/2021-Shrek 5

04/15/2022-Rise of the Guardians 2

04/07/2023-Mice & Mystics

09/22/2023-Abominable 2
12/22/2023-Puss in Boots 2: Nine Lives & 40 Thieves

SONY PICTURES ANIMATION

12/14/2018-Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
01/10/2020-The Mitchells vs. The Machines
02/07/2020-Peter Rabbit 2
04/03/2020-Untitled

07/24/2020-Untitled

09/25/2020-Untitled

11/06/2020-Vivo

Untitled July 2020 has big competition like the third SpongeBob SquarePants movie and (to a potentially lesser extent) an untitled Universal event film opening right before it, not to mention Jungle Cruise and an untitled DC movie opening the same weekend, so it is likely moving at this rate. The first weekend of June should work out before the inevitably huge Pixar film comes crashing in two weeks later.

The untitled film set for 9/25/2020 is currently opening one week after DreamWorks' The Croods 2, and since marketing monster Universal will be distributing that one instead of Fox or Paramount, I say Sony moves that film to an October date for breathing room. Perhaps it could switch dates with the untitled Sony/Marvel film(likely a Venom sequel) on 10/2/2020. Its only competition will be Oscar contenders like Universal's Bios and Fox's Death on the Nile

For other predictions, I think we're getting Chinese co-production Wish Dragon in April 2020. A third Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs film will then follow in July(or June, like I said above). Goosebumps 3 can follow on 9/25/2020, albeit moved to 10/2/2020 as stated above. The other 2 originals, alongside a fourth Hotel Transylvania movie, could open in 2021 opposite three more co-productions. They can repeat that pattern for the coming years if they so please.

12/14/2018-Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse

01/10/2020-The Mitchells vs. The Machines
02/07/2020-Peter Rabbit 2
04/03/2020-Wish Dragon

06/05/2020-Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 3

10/02/2020-Goosebumps 3

11/06/2020-Vivo
01/22/2021-Untitled Gorgon Film
02/05/2021-Untitled Co-Production
05/21/2021-Untitled Co-Production

07/16/2021-Hotel Transylvania 4

08/06/2021-Untitled Co-Production

10/15/2021-Untitled Jon Saunders Film
01/14/2022-Untitled Co-Production
05/20/2022-Untitled
08/05/2022-Untitled Co-Production
09/23/2022-Untitled 
10/14/2022-Untitled Co-Production
11/11/2022-Untitled
01/13/2023-Untitled
02/10/2023-Untitled Co-Production
04/21/2023-Untitled Co-Production
07/21/2023-Untitled
10/13/2023-Untitled Co-Production
11/10/2023-Untitled

ILLUMINATION ENTERTAINMENT

06/07/2019-The Secret Life of Pets 2

07/03/2020-Minions 2

12/25/2020-Sing 2

07/02/2021-Untitled

07/01/2022-Untitled

12/21/2022-Untitled

06/30/2023-Untitled

Honestly, I think that Illumination needs to cut back on sequels after Sing 2 opens. However, that is their call and not mine. Therefore, I can see Despicable Me 4 taking the 7/2/2021 slot. I don't see it coming out any later than that, despite how popular the franchise may be. I know that Minions 2 is coming five years after its predecessor, but still.

Illumination CEO Chris Meledandri recently stated that the Super Mario Bros. film is aiming to be released in 2022. If so, I can see it getting the 7/1/2022 date.

Next up, I think the untitled Pharell Williams-centered movie would be prime material for a 12/21/2022 release date. They might just even make it a musical like the Sing movies, and those have Christmas release dates!

Finally, I believe that the 6/30/2023 slot will go to a third Secret Life of Pets movie. I mean, Illumination has a pattern with their Despicable Me sequels. First in 2010, second in 2013, third in 2017. When you do the numbering, a Pets 3 arriving in 2023 makes sense.

I have nothing to say about Illumination's future, because they seem to have things mapped out for the next five years. You see, this is why my predictions for the other studios go up to 2023.

(Side note: If you think that is crazy, Fox has Avatar sequels planned until 2025!)

So with that said, here is my final prediction regarding Illumination's slate:

06/07/2019-The Secret Life of Pets 2

07/03/2020-Minions 2

12/25/2020-Sing 2

07/02/2021-Despicable Me 4

07/01/2022-Super Mario Bros.

12/21/2022-Pharell Williams Film

06/30/2023-The Secret Life of Pets 3

20TH CENTURY FOX ANIMATION

09/13/2019-Spies in Disguise(Blue Sky)

12/25/2019-The Call of the Wild(Fox Animation)*

02/14/2020-Nimona(Blue Sky)

07/17/2020-Bob's Burgers(Fox Animation)

11/06/2020-Ron's Gone Wrong(Locksmith)
03/05/2021-Foster(Blue Sky)

*Box Office Mojo lists The Call of the Wild, a live-action/CGI hybrid film, as "Animation". Plus, the director of the film is Chris Sanders, who also directed The Croods, Lilo & Stitch, and How To Train Your Dragon. Until further notice, this will be labeled as a Fox Animation title.

Nimona, a Blue Sky film, is in a battlefield that contains a sequel to Peter Rabbit. At this point, I would probably move it to a more breathable date. The date I have in mind is 6/19/2020, which is a date that Pixar currently has. Although, since Disney now owns Fox, they could have a release strategy where Pixar movies open in the Spring, Blue Sky films bow in the Summer, and Disney Animation aims their stories for the Fall.

Bob's Burgers is currently opening on the exact same day as the third SpongeBob SquarePants movie, so I think they should push it back by two weeks. I mean, that whole weekend is now empty because Disney removed an untitled Marvel movie from there

Currently, Ron's Gone Wrong is set to open the same day as both Sony Animation's Vivo and an untitled Marvel Cinematic Universe installment. The latter is a Disney release, as is Ron thanks to the Disney/Fox buyout. Because of that, I have a feeling that it moves to 10/16/2020, where its only competition is Paramount's Micronauts and one of Universal's untitled Blumhouse horror flicks. Plus, October is vacant in terms of animated films, so how bad could it be? Heck, even if we didn't have Vivo or the untitled MCU movie, I would still push Ron to another date since Disney Animation has a mystery movie of theirs opening around Thanksgiving.

I would also have Blue Sky move Foster to a different release date as well. I reckon it will trade places with the untitled Pixar movie slated for June 18, 2021.

Heads-up: When I talk about what may happen in the future, I will only discuss Blue Sky. Here is why...

Fox Animation has a tendency to announce release dates for things very randomly, so that makes it hard to predict when certain films will be released. Locksmith plans to release a movie every 12-18 months, and since I predicted that Ron's Gone Wrong would move up to October 2020, I expect their next project to come out as early as October 2021, but no later than April 2022. With that said, here is what I think Blue Sky has brewing...

You see, not only does Blue Sky tend to release one film per year, but they also have this pattern of releasing a sequel right after an original. This pattern is set to end with 2019's Spies in Disguise, but I predict that their next four films after 2021's Foster will all be sequels. For instance, I can see a sixth Ice Age being penciled in for 2022 since the franchise will turn 20 that year. I say release it on June 17, 2022. Pixar currently has that slot, and I think that the Disney/Fox buyout will warrant a Blue Sky film on that date instead. I can also see Spies in Disguise becoming a franchise with a 2023 sequel, four years after the first film. In short, this is what I see happening as of now...

09/13/2019-Spies in Disguise

06/19/2020-Nimona

06/18/2021-Foster

06/17/2022-Ice Age 6

06/16/2023-Spies in Disguise 2

PARAMOUNT ANIMATION

03/15/2019-Wonder Park

07/17/2020-The SpongeBob Movie: It's a Wonderful Sponge
08/07/2020-Untitled

03/19/2021-Luck

What will the untitled August 2020 film be? Well, my best guess right now would be the recently-highlighted Monster on the Hill. That is a co-production with Reel FX, and Paramount said that it would be an "August 2020" release at VIEW(still not sure if it was exactly the 7th)

As for what Paramount Animation will release after Luck in Spring 2021? I say that The Beastlies is next, because J.J. Abrams is likely to get to that once Episode IX is complete. An announcement is set to be made sometime this Fall, so yeah. After that, I think Paramount will try to make a Wonder Park sequel. I mean, the film is going to start a Nickelodeon series, so they might as well try to milk the coasters out of it(pun shamelessly intended). Speaking of Nickelodeon, I can see The Loud House Movie also happening in 2022. Paramount may have never officially removed it from that 2/7/2020 date, but a Loud House writer said that they "decided not to make it as of now", meaning it could still happen, but we would have to wait a little longer for it. The Skydance/Ilion co-production Split will likely hit theaters after that in 2023. J.J. Abrams' The Flamingo Affair will probably be ready for that year as well. This is how I think it will turn out:

03/15/2019-Wonder Park
07/17/2020-The SpongeBob Movie: It's a Wonderful Sponge

08/07/2020-Monster on the Hill

03/19/2021-Luck

06/04/2021-The Beastlies
03/04/2022-Wonder Park 2
07/22/2022-The Loud House Movie

01/27/2023-Split
08/11/2023-The Flamingo Affair

WARNER ANIMATION GROUP

02/08/2019-The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part

05/15/2020-Scooby
12/22/2021-Untitled*

*=For now, let's assume that this untitled project is going to be done by Warner Animation Group, as opposed to Warner Bros. Animation.

Their sole untitled feature is currently set to face off an untitled DreamWorks feature from marketing monster Universal. I say move it up to early November.

Other than that, WAG's slate is a bit tricky to predict, since they are a very secretive studio. If I had to make a guess, I'd say that the 12/22/2021 slot is more likely than not being reserved for Space Jam 2. After that, I think 2022 will host a duel between the sequel to The Lego Batman Movie and the HBCU Jetsons film. They both have directors, so one could theoretically open in 2022, and then the other could be penciled in for 2023. With that said...

02/08/2019-The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part

05/15/2020-Scooby

11/12/2021-Space Jam 2

06/03/2022-The Lego Batman Movie 2

05/19/2023-The Jetsons

OTHER STUDIOS

TBD 2018-Charming(3QU)
04/12/2019-Missing Link(LAIKA)

05/03/2019-Uglydolls(STX)

08/16/2019-The Angry Birds Movie 2(Rovio)
10/11/2019-The Addams Family(MGM)
11/01/2019-Arctic Dogs(AMBI)
TBD 2019-Farmageddon: A Shaun the Sheep Movie(Aardman)

TBD 2019-The Extincts(Cirrina)
12/22/2021-Untitled(Warner Bros. Animation)*

*=Like I said, we don't know if this project is from Warner Animation Group or Warner Bros. Animation. I'll stick with the latter until further notice.

I don't see Charming getting a 2018 release date at this point, so I would suggest that Smith Global Media releases it in January where it has no animated competition. However, I see them releasing it on January 18th where it will die next to Universal's Glass

Faramageddon: A Shaun the Sheep Movie is interesting to talk about. Lionsgate currently has it for US distribution and there was a teaser trailer running before Early Man in theaters (not on the Internet as of this writing), but there is currently no US release date yet. The film is set for an October 18, 2019 release in the UK, so I assume we'll get it later than that. How about early December? Maybe the first weekend so that it won't get pummeled by things like Jumanji 3 and Star Wars: Episode IX.

My buddy Seanliu convinced me that Cirrina Animation's first movie, The Extincts, could probably not be out in 2019. Going by that, a studio like Lionsgate might have it ready by 2020. The Labor Day slot is open, so I'm gonna say September 4th.

Assuming that the 12/22/2021 slot goes to a Warner Bros. Animation project, my best bet would be a sequel to Teen Titans Go! To the Movies. The film did make a profit, and the show still gets good ratings on Cartoon Network, so it could happen. Like I said, they're likely moving it because DreamWorks also has that date.

Final predictions incoming:

01/18/2019-Charming(3QU)

04/12/2019-Missing Link(LAIKA)

05/03/2019-Uglydolls(STX)

08/16/2019-The Angry Birds Movie 2(Rovio)

10/11/2019-The Addams Family(MGM)
11/01/2019-Arctic Dogs(AMBI)
12/06/2019-Farmagedddon: A Shaun the Sheep Movie(Aardman)

09/04/2020-The Extincts(Cirrina)

11/12/2021-Teen Titans Go! To the Movies 2(Warner Bros. Animation)

That is it for now. For a more organized slate that includes all the movies mentioned here, but not the details on why I think some of them will move or be added, look here

What say you? If you have predictions to share, feel free to leave them down in the comments.