14 Animated Films Hitting Theaters in 2018
From fan-favorite sequels to new adventures involving gnomes, animals and monsters, 2018 will have no shortage of animated movies.

After a 2017 loaded with animated pictures, including Coco, Cars 3 and The Lego Ninjago Movie, 2018 looks to have another packed slate.
Leading the way for the year's releases are the long-awaited sequels to Incredibles and Wreck-It Ralph. All-star casts also join animated films Sherlock Gnomes, Early Man and Smallfoot in bringing new stories to the big screen and telling stories that aren't just for kids.
Here are the animated films to look out for in the new year.
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Peter Rabbit
Feb. 9
Starring: James Corden, Rose Byrne, Daisy Ridley, Margot Robbie, Domhnall Gleeson
The film, a mix of live-action and CGI, follows the classic tale of Peter Rabbit (voiced by Corden), the rebellious rabbit who sneaks into the vegetable garden looking for food and plays tricks on humans. Byrne and Gleeson appear in the movie, from Sony Pictures Entertainment, while Ridley and Robbie voice roles.
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Early Man
Feb. 16
Starring: Eddie Redmayne, Tom Hiddleston, Maisie Williams
Set in the prehistoric era, Early Man follows a rabbit-hunting tribe of cavemen who encounter the beginning of the Bronze Age, and must fight against the kingdom for their land and way of life. The Lionsgate-distributed film was directed by Nick Park.
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Gnome Alone
March 2
Starring: Becky G, Josh Peck, Olivia Holt, George Lopez, David Koechner
After originally set for an October 2017 release, the animated film has been pushed to early 2018. Gnome Alone follows a young girl who moves into a new home and finds the neighborhood under attack from garden gnomes, forcing her to save the town. Peter Lepeniotis and Shelly Shenoy directed the Smith Global Media movie.
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Isle of Dogs
March 23
Starring: Bryan Cranston, Edward Norton, Bill Murray, Jeff Goldblum, Greta Gerwig
Aimed toward an adult audience, unlike many other animated films, Isle of Dogs follows a futuristic Japanese society that has become overrun by canine flu and has banished all dogs to an island. A young boy arrives on the island to find his pet, aided by a pack of adventurous dogs. The film, directed by Wes Anderson, is distributed by Fox Searchlight Pictures.
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Sherlock Gnomes
March 23
Starring: Johnny Depp, Emily Blunt, James McAvoy, Maggie Smith
In a sequel to 2011's Gnomeo & Juliet, this film follows the two as they hire a private investigator, Sherlock Gnomes (Depp), after the mysterious disappearance of their gnome friends. The John Stevenson-directed film is from Paramount Pictures and MGM Studios.
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Sgt. Stubby: An American Hero
April 13
Starring: Helena Bonham Carter, Logan Lerman, Gerard Depardieu
The animated film tells the true story of Sgt. Stubby, the most decorated dog in American military history. The Boston Terrier was in the trenches in France for World War I and became the first dog to be promoted to sergeant in the U.S. Army.
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Duck Duck Goose
April 20
Starring: Jim Gaffigan, Zendaya, Natasha Leggero, Carl Reiner
The story follows Peng, an immature bachelor goose (voiced by Gaffigan), who is injured while flying and encounters two lost ducklings on his migration south.
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Blazing Samurai
May 10
Courtesy of Open Road FilmsStarring: Michael Cera, Ricky Gervais, Samuel L. Jackson, Michelle Yeoh, Mel Brooks
Inspired by Brooks' Blazing Saddles, the movie centers on Hank (Cera), a scrappy dreamer of a dog wants to become a great warrior but runs into trouble when he meets a nefarious warlord cat named Ika Chu (Gervais). The movie was originally set to hit theaters in August 2017 but was pushed to May.
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Incredibles 2
June 15
Starring: Craig T. Nelson, Holly Hunter, Samuel L. Jackson
Fourteen years after the original hit was released, Pixar has announced Incredibles 2, which will pick up right where the first film left off. Elastigirl (voiced by Hunt) is called to save the world and leaves Mr. Incredible (voiced by Nelson) to care for their three children by himself.
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Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation
July 13
Starring: Adam Sandler, Selena Gomez, Steve Buscemi, Andy Samberg, Mel Brooks, Molly Shannon
The third installment of the Hotel Transylvania franchise is about a monster family vacation on a luxury cruise ship, where Dracula (voiced by Sandler) falls in love with an enemy and must be saved by his daughter Mavis (voiced by Gomez) and their friends.
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Smallfoot
Sept. 28
Starring: Channing Tatum, Zendaya, James Corden, Danny DeVito, LeBron James
Building on the legend of Bigfoot, this animated movie is about a young Yeti (voiced by Tatum) who encounters a human for the first time, after believing that mankind was just a myth.
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Arctic Justice: Thunder Squad
Oct. 19
Courtesy of Ambi GroupStarring: Jeremy Renner, James Franco, Alec Baldwin, Michael Madsen, Anjelica Huston, John Cleese, Heidi Klum
The animated film tells the journey of Swifty the fox (voiced by Renner), who dreams of becoming an Arctic courier. While delivering a package, he discovers an evil genius that he must stop with the help of his animal friends. Aaron Woodley directed the film from Open Road Films.
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Dr Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas
Nov. 9
Starring: Benedict Cumberbatch
An animated remake of the classic film with come out in late 2018, with Cumberbatch voicing the Grinch. Like previous versions, the story will follow the Grinch as he schemes to ruin Christmas for the citizens of Whoville but ends of saving it instead.
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Ralph Breaks the Internet: Wreck-It Ralph 2
Nov. 21
Starring: John C. Reilly, Sarah Silverman, Taraji P. Henson, Jack McBrayer
The sequel to 2012's Wreck-It Ralph, this film will take place six years after the first and follows the video game character as he adventures into the Internet, after discovering a wi-fi router in the arcade. On his journey, Ralph will run into all of the Disney princessed, which means appearances by Frozen's Elsa (voiced by Idina Menzel) and Anna (voiced by Kristen Bell), Moana (voiced by Auli'i Cravalho), Rapunzel (voiced by Mandy Moore) and more.