Upcoming Animated Sequels You May Not Know Were In The Works

While it's expensive and time-consuming to create, animation is one of the best ways to tell a story. Animated films can take us to places that live-action movies often can't, and when done right, they can become box office juggernauts. When that happens, sequels become inevitable, though the unfortunate reality of animation is that it takes a long time to complete a feature-length movie. As such, several years can pass between films in a franchise, which isn't great for keeping audiences engaged.

Lengthy production schedules can keep animated sequels from hitting theaters for so long that the public can move on. Because of this, it's not uncommon for viewers to be totally unaware of a forthcoming animated sequel. Top animation studios like Pixar usually take a good four years to churn out a picture, so you might be surprised to learn just how many animated sequels are currently in the pipeline in Hollywood.

The DreamWorks-produced, Universal-distributed film "The Bad Guys" hit cineplexes in 2022, and it didn't take long for it to spawn a franchise. The success of the first film (which follows a criminal gang of anthropomorphic animals as they attempt to leave their shady ways behind) helped usher in two TV specials titled "The Bad Guys: A Very Bad Holiday" and "The Bad Guys: Haunted Heist," released in 2023 and 2024, respectively. In March 2024, DreamWorks revealed that "The Bad Guys 2" would arrive on August 1, 2025.

The film's official logline, as reported by Deadline, reads as follows: "The Bad Guys are struggling to find trust and acceptance in their newly minted lives as Good Guys, when they are pulled out of retirement and forced to do 'one last job' by an all-female squad of criminals." Deadline also revealed that the original cast are returning, so the likes of Sam Rockwell, Awkwafina, and Zazie Beetz are expected to reprise their roles. In July 2024, news broke that Natasha Lyonne had reportedly joined the sequel, though character details remain unknown.

The first "Zootopia" film hit theaters in 2016, so it's been a while since Judy Hopps (Ginnifer Goodwin) and Nick Wilde (Jason Bateman) saved the titular city from corruption. The film was a massive hit, pulling in more than $1 billion at the global box office. With figures that large, it's hardly surprising that a sequel is coming. "Zootopia 2" was announced by Disney head honcho Bob Iger in 2023, and the first footage from the film was shared the following year at the company's D23 event.

"The D23 exclusive clip showed Nick and Judy searching for Gary in Marsh Market where the semi-aquatic animals live," Variety reported. "The Marsh was a host to plenty of animal hijinks including hippos getting tattoos, hippos riding waterslides, seals eating algae and we spotted a plumber sea lion." Both Goodwin and Bateman are reprising their roles. It was also revealed that Academy Award winner Ke Huy Quan is joining the cast as a snake named Gary. Jared Bush (who co-helmed the first movie) will direct from a script that he wrote himself. The Mouse House has set a release date of November 26, 2025.

In 1986, writer Alan Moore and illustrator Dave Gibbons got together and created one of the greatest comic book limited series of all time. "Watchmen" is one of those comics that many believed couldn't be adapted, and indeed, it proved to be very difficult. The 2009 "Watchmen" live-action film underperformed, and the HBO TV show from 2019 (which was branded "embarrassing" by Moore) only lasted a single season. However, while live-action hasn't worked out well for "Watchmen," animation has been a different story. In 2024, Warner Bros. Animation put together an adaptation that's not only true to the story from the "Watchmen" comics, but also looks fantastic, with beautifully dynamic CG animation.

The '80s-set film also boasts an all-star cast, and, seeing as the project was announced as a two-parter, it's almost certain that all the big-hitters will be back ("Watchmen: Chapter I" featured the voices of Matthew Rhys, Katee Sackhoff, Titus Welliver, Troy Baker, Adrienne Barbeau, and Michael Cerveris). "Watchmen: Chapter II" will arrive in 2025, though an exact release date isn't available at the time of this writing. What we do know is that "Chapter II" will be based on the latter six issues, as "Chapter I" adapted the first half of the 12-issue classic.

The first live-action film adaptation of the classic video game series "Super Mario Bros." was a cinematic monstrosity that's renowned for how terrible it was. It took 30 years for another big screen Hollywood adaptation to arrive, and, fortunately, this one was animated, which allowed it to hone in on what makes the world of Mario so special. "The Super Mario Bros. Movie" was a smash hit at the box office, raking in over $1.3 billion worldwide. Hollywood doesn't typically pass on sequels when a film brings in that much cash, so a follow-up is on the way.

News of "The Super Mario Bros. Movie 2" arrived on March 10, 2024 – also known as Mario Day — from Illumination and Nintendo. While they didn't reveal much about the project other than its existence, they did reveal that it would be dropping in several territories in April 2026, with the United States set for an April 3 release. The upcoming sequel is already generating a lot of chatter, including from the cast: Jack Black, who voices Bowser, wants Pedro Pascal to voice Wario. Including the famous antognist, who is basically the anti-Mario, would be an excellent way to move the franchise forward, but the direction the sequel will take is anyone's guess at this point.

The "Toy Story" franchise is the gift that keeps on giving for Disney and Pixar. The first film was a smash hit, helping to make Pixar one of the leading animation studios, and the sequels have all gone down just as well. After "Toy Story 3," it seemed like the toys' time was at an end, but then "Toy Story 4" came out of nowhere and blew everyone away, reminding viewers that Woody, Buzz, and the rest of the gang remain some of the best characters in the Mouse House roster. But how can they stay relevant in this day and age? The answer to that is simple: "Toy Story 5" is going to bring the crew into the digital age.

"Let's be real, toys have some serious competition these days with phones, tablets and technology everywhere," co-director Andrew Stanton said at the D23 convention in 2024. "This time around, it's toy meets tech." A teaser image for the upcoming sequel shows the toy gang looking forlorn at the foot of a child's bed as the child in question sits under a blanket, eyes glued to a tablet. It's a clever way to continue the successful series, and there's every chance that "Toy Story 5" will smash the box office when it arrives on June 19, 2026. Additionally, it's been confirmed that Woody and the gang will also have to deal with a 50-strong army of malfunctioning Buzz Lightyear action figures in this latest installment, which should make for some hilarious scenes.

While viewers got to return to the world of "Shrek" with "Puss in Boots: The Last Wish" in 2022, it's been well over a decade since we had an actual "Shrek" film. In July 2024, DreamWorks Animation confirmed that "Shrek 5" was finally in development, posting a brief teaser on X. Set to the song "All Star" by Smash Mouth (which has been associated with the franchise ever since it was used in the first film's opening credits), the teaser features an ogre-green number 5 complete with Shrek ears bouncing around below the words "The all-star returns."

This alone would have been enough to get fans excited about the new entry in the franchise, but there was more — along with a confirmed release date of July 1, 2026, the X post confirmed that Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, and Cameron Diaz would be reprising the roles of Shrek, Donkey, and Fiona, respectively. The film will be co-directed by Brad Ableson and Walt Dohrn, both of whom have a great deal of experience in and out of the franchise. Nothing about the plot has been leaked, so it's anyone's guess what'll happen in "Shrek 5," but it's almost guaranteed to be a box office hit, given that the franchise has a cross-generational appeal.

Since its debut as a TVOKids/Nick Jr. series in 2013, "Paw Patrol" has become a full-on franchise, spawning a bunch of TV movies and two successful feature films. As such, it's no surprise that a third big screen entry is on the way. "Paw Patrol 3" was confirmed to be in development when its predecessor, "Paw Patrol: The Mighty Movie," was about to hit theaters. Plot details remain scant, but we know when to expect it: Paramount added the film to its release schedule for July 31, 2026.

In her announcement revealing the threequel's production (via Deadline), Spin Master Entertainment's president Jennifer Dodge said: "We're thrilled to announce a third feature film, expanding the 'PAW Patrol' universe further with an epic new adventure. Featuring action-packed missions and exploring new terrains, this movie will be larger-than-life and once again show how small paws can make big prints."

The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles returned to animation with the beautifully rendered "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem" in 2023, which performed admirably at the box office and went down a storm with critics. Given the film's success, it's hardly surprising that a follow-up is on the way. This was clearly the plan all along, as "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem" sets up a sequel and even a TV series at the end. That series, titled "Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles," arrived on Paramount+ in 2024 and has been equally as successful, so hopes are high heading into the second feature film.

The sequel, which is scheduled to drop on October 9, 2026, will see Donnie, Raph, Leo, and Mikey face off against the franchise's most iconic villain: Shredder. Speaking to Empire, director Jeff Rowe revealed that Shredder almost appeared in the first film before they decided to keep him back for the sequel. "They saved Joker for 'The Dark Knight,'" he said, referencing Christopher Nolan's "Batman" trilogy. "The one thing I can say without spoiling anything is, [Shredder] needs to be 100 times scarier than Superfly — who is a credible villain, he's dangerous, he's strong, he seems like he could mess the Turtles up. Shredder needs to be that, just significantly more."

The "Despicable Me" franchise has generated over $5.5 billion since it debuted, and that figure is set to grow with the upcoming "Minions 3." Shortly after "Despicable Me 4" brought in the big bucks in 2024, Illumination and Universal announced that a third film in the "Minions" spin-off series was in development, with a projected release date of June 30, 2027. That's a long way off, and, as such, there's almost no information about the film's plot, which characters will return outside of the titular creatures, or anything of substance.

The last "Minions" movie was 2022's "Minions: The Rise of Gru," which is a prequel like its predecessor. That movie focused on Gru when he was 11, so it's likely that "Minions 3" will continue the prequel trend by advancing the plot a few years into the future, possibly with Gru attending villain school at Lycée Pas Bon. In terms of concrete info, we know for sure that "Minions 3" will be helmed by Mr. Minion himself Pierre Coffin – the French animator has voiced the Minions since they first appeared in "Despicable Me" back in 2010, which he also directed.

"Frozen" was one of those movies that comes around once in a generation, taking the world by storm when it came out in 2023. "Frozen 2" followed in 2019 and it was another big pay day for Disney — like the original, it pulled in over $400 million at the box office. Unsurprisingly, there's more "Frozen" on the horizon — in an announcement that no doubt thrilled shareholders, Disney CEO Bob Iger revealed that "Frozen 3" was in the pipeline during the company's Q1 earnings call in February 2023. Iger didn't reveal much information about the sequel at the time, but we now know that it's set for a Thanksgiving release: "Frozen 3" is coming to cineplexes on November 24, 2027.

"Frozen 3" concept art hints at Norse mythology — with a possible Loki appearance on the cards. Iger clearly expects it to be another big hit, because there are already plans in place for "Frozen 4." During an appearance on "Good Morning America" (via Variety), Iger said, "'Frozen 3' is in the works, and there might be a 'Frozen 4' in the works, too. But I don't have much to say about those films right now. [Director] Jenn Lee, who created the original 'Frozen' and 'Frozen 2,' is hard at work with her team at Disney Animation on not one, but actually two stories."

The first two "Sing" movies have generated over $1 billion between them, so a third entry made sense for Illumination. The company's CEO Chris Meledandri revealed that "Sing 3" was on the cards in 2023, telling Variety that it was "deep into development." He revealed that the third film "will involve characters from the original cast, but it will take us into a new world."

Meledandri also confirmed that "Sing 2" had been a hit on streaming, which let him know that there was still an appetite for the franchise. Despite previously indicating that he was done with the franchise, Garth Jennings (who wrote and directed "Sing" and "Sing 2") is listed as the writer-director of "Sing 3" on IMDb, so it could be that he had a change of heart. The film is due to arrive sometime in the next few years, though no release date has been specified at the time of this writing.

While Sony's live-action "Spider-Verse" films haven't done particularly well of late, it's a different story with its animated "Spider-Man" movies. The first and second installments in the "Spider-Verse" trilogy have been spectacular, boasting some of the most beautiful and unique animation in Hollywood history. The franchise has done stellar business at the box office, with the first two films earning over a billion dollars between them. But when can we expect the third film? Not for a while yet, it would seem.

"Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse" came out in 2018, and it took another five years for "Across the Spider-Verse" to hit theaters. Given how complex the animation is, this makes sense. The threequel was initially planned for a March 2024 release, though that came and went with no new entry. At this point, "Beyond the Spider-Verse" likely won't arrive until 2026 or 2027.

While Sony hasn't revealed any plot details, the way "Across the Spider-Verse" ended provides some clues. The third film will probably pick up where the last one finished, with Miles Morales (Shameik Moore) stuck in an alternate reality where his other self has chosen a darker path and become the Prowler. Miles will have to deal with himself, in a manner of speaking, while the plethora of Spider-Men variants from the second film could return in some fashion.

"The Incredibles" is another hugely successful Pixar franchise that exploded in popularity almost the moment it hit theaters. There have only been two films, with the first arriving in 2004 and "Incredibles 2" coming in 2018. Fortunately, the gap between the second and third film — which was announced at the D23 convention in 2024 – won't be as long. The reveal amounted to nothing but a shot of the title, but it was enough to send attendees into an enthusiastic round of applause. The only information that's come out since is that director Brad Bird, who helmed the first two films, will return for "Incredibles 3."

There's nothing concrete in terms of release date or plot just yet, but it's likely that Bird will repurpose some stuff he never got the chance to use in the second film. Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, he revealed that he had to cut a lot of things from the second film when the powers that be decided to swap the release dates of "Incredibles 2" and "Toy Story 4," effectively shaving a year off the former's production time. "There were a lot of ideas that we had on this film that could be [re-used]," he said at the time, "whether it's another 'Incredibles' film, or something else."

Based on the hit Belgian comic of the same name, Stephen Spielberg's criminally underrated film "The Adventures of Tintin" did reasonably well at the box office, earning $373 million from a budget of $130 million. That was enough for a sequel to be greenlit, but well over a decade has passed since the first film came out. Peter Jackson has been attached for many years – Jackson initially planned to make a "Tintin" sequel after he finished his "Hobbit" trilogy – but then it seemed as though the follow-up was destined to remain stuck in development hell.

In 2024, Andy Serkis (who voices Tintin's friend and associate Captain Haddock in the first film) confirmed that Jackson still intended to make his "Tintin" sequel when asked by a fan, which came as welcome news to lovers of the classic comics. In terms of plot, the first film was based on three "Tintin" stories: "The Secret of the Unicorn," "The Crab with the Golden Claws," and "Red Rackham's Treasure." Reports suggest that the sequel would also pull from multiple issues, namely "Prisoners of the Sun" and "The Seven Crystal Balls."