After a stellar year with legacy sequels such as Toy Story 5, The Super Mario Bros Galaxy Movie, and Minions and Monsters, there are still many upcoming animated movies in 2026 that deserve your attention. Be it another legacy sequel for one of the most popular TV shows, or a Brad Bird original, 2026 will go down as one of the most exciting movie years.
All nine films below are unreleased, so ranking is based on pre-release “hit potential” factors: franchise strength, IP recognition, star power, marketing buzz, and how comparable prior films performed. Here are all the upcoming animation movies of 2026.
8. Ray Gunn
Brad Bird is known for directing some of the most exciting animated movies, such as The Incredibles and Ratatouille. The filmmaker returns with an original, Ray Gunn, a private-eye mystery that is set in an alien world. Sam Rockwell stars as the titular character, while other stars include Scarlett Johansson, Tom Waits, and Patton Oswalt.
While Brad Bird’s films have fared well before, with his last animated film, Incredibles 2 earning $1.24 billion (via Box Office Mojo), Ray Gunn seems to be more adult-skewing with its neo-noir genre tropes and might be pushed to a niche audience. It is also a Netflix release, making it difficult to assess its potential to be a box office success.
7. Tom and Jerry: Forbidden Compass
Tom and Jerry stumble upon a mysterious compass during a museum chase, which transports them to a fantastical world inspired by Chinese mythology. To return home, the pair must work together on a journey involving magical creatures and ancient secrets, featuring an English voice cast led by John Shang, Ruan Yifei, and Andrew Kishino.
Tom and Jerry remains a recognizable global brand, especially overseas. Still, recent entries in the franchise have performed modestly at the North American box office, and this installment lacks major star power to widen its audience beyond nostalgic parents and young kids.
6. Hexed
Director Fawn Veerasunthorn has an impressive resume in the animated world, having worked on acclaimed hits like Moana, Zootopia, and Frozen. She also co-directed the Disney Animation film, Wish. The upcoming movie Hexed sees Veerasunthorn team up with co-directors Jason Hand and Josie Trinidad, following Billie, a teen who develops hidden magic powers.
Despite having stars like Hailee Steinfeld and Rashida Jones behind the mic, Hexed has the risk of underperforming at the box office because it is the first Disney Animation film to have a theatrical release since Wish, and that was not a huge hit.
5. Steps
A Cinderella spin-off centered on her much-maligned stepsisters: when Lilith accidentally turns her sister Margot into a frog while trying to hijack the Royal Ball, the two must team up with Cinderella to undo the chaos and reclaim the kingdom from a scheming usurper.
The film stars Amanda Seyfried, Ali Wong, Stephanie Hsu, Bette Midler, Daniel Radcliffe, and Peter Dinklage. The Cinderella IP and an enviable comedic cast give it strong built-in appeal, and a Netflix release removes box-office risk entirely. Still, that same streaming release also caps its hit ceiling in the traditional sense.
4. Forgotten Island
DreamWorks’ upcoming animated film, Forgotten Island, follows best friends Jo and Raissa as they go through a portal into Nakali, an island of creatures from Filipino folklore. They must face the fearsome monster, Manananggal, before losing their shared memories forever.
As DreamWorks’ sole original 2026 offering from the Puss in Boots: The Last Wish creative team, it carries real critical-buzz potential and a culturally distinctive hook, but it lacks a built-in franchise safety net, making it a moderate-risk, moderate-reward bet rather than a guaranteed hit.
3. The Cat in the Hat
Bill Hader will be making his debut as Dr. Seuss’ iconic character in The Cat in the Hat, reprising his role from his SNL days. The animated film will be produced by Warner Bros. Pictures Animation, which will begin its rebranding with the film. Apart from Hader, the film also stars Matt Berry, Xochitl Gomez, Quinta Brunson, America Ferrera, and Giancarlo Esposito.
Dr. Seuss is one of publishing’s most bankable IPs, and the built-in nostalgia plus starry comedic cast give it real upside. But this is a studio has rebranded and is without a box-office track record. Hence, it ranks at the third spot.
2. The Angry Birds Movie 3
Red now faces his greatest challenge yet: surviving fatherhood while saving the world, with Jason Sudeikis, Josh Gad, Rachel Bloom, and Danny McBride returning alongside newcomers including MrBeast, Salish Matter, and Keke Palmer.
The franchise has proven durable and merchandise-friendly, and a starry, internet-native cast expansion signals an aggressive marketing push aimed at younger, online-native audiences.
However, the previous two films underperformed the original, and a crowded Christmas 2026 slate against major tentpoles caps its upside, keeping it just behind PAW Patrol.
1. Paw Patrol: The Dino Movie
The pups crash-land on a dinosaur-filled island after a storm, teaming with stranded pup Rex to stop rival Mayor Humdinger’s reckless mining from triggering a volcanic eruption. McKenna Grace, Jennifer Hudson, Terry Crews, and Bill Nye join returning franchise voices.
The first two PAW Patrol films combined for roughly $350 million worldwide on modest budgets, making this the most consistently reliable earner on the remaining 2026 slate. Preschool-targeted franchises rarely miss, and being the very next major animated release gives it first-mover advantage over a crowded fall/holiday lineup.
| Rank | Movie Name | Release Date |
| 1 | Paw Patrol: The Dino Movie | August 14, 2026 |
| 2 | The Angry Birds Movie 3 | December 23, 2026 |
| 3 | The Cat in the Hat | November 6, 2026 |
| 4 | Forgotten Island | September 25, 2026 |
| 5 | Steps | November 20, 2026 |
| 6 | Hexed | November 25, 2026 |
| 7 | Tom and Jerry: Forbidden Compass | September 9, 2026 |
| 8 | Ray Gunn | December 18, 2026 |
Which upcoming animated movie of 2026 are you most excited for?
