The year 2020 was indeed a special start to the decade, but not something we would like to fondly remember. Never would we have expected the entire world to be flipped upside down because of a deadly virus that made it’s way to every corner of the glove. Everything we were accustomed to before was drastically affected, especially the entertainment industry where worldwide cinema closures forced movies to be massively delayed or converted to a home media release.
This was also the same case with 2020’s mainstream animated features. While it was unfortunate to see films like Connected, Raya and the Last Dragon, Minions: The Rise of Gru, and the Bob’s Burgers movie pushed back to 2021, we still had a decent lineup from those that did stick around, whether on VOD, streaming, or a limited theatrical run. With road trips galore and fantastical worlds to explore, we look back at the animated movies that gave us a bit of joy during one incredibly dark year.
This recap will be based on critic reception recorded on Rotten Tomatoes and Metacritic, as well as statistics regarding the films’ box office, VOD sales, and streaming numbers where avaliable.
A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon
- Director(s): Richard Phelan, Will Becher
- Writer(s): Mark Burton, Jon Brown
- Studio(s): Aardman Animations
- Distributor(s): StudioCanal (EU/AUS/NZ), Netflix (US)
- US release: February 14, 2020
Who would have thought a Wallace & Gromit side character would get his own beloved franchise with a successful TV series, an acclaimed movie, and even a sequel to that movie? Shaun the Sheep has definitely proven that especially with his feature follow-up A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon. In Aardman’s first movie sequel, Shaun befriends an extra-terrestrial who crash-landed on his farm, and it’s up him and his friends to return her home while avoiding being captured by an evil organisation.
While Europe got to experience Shaun’s intergalactic adventure on the big screen back in late-2019 (and earning $43 million at the box office), streaming giant Netflix took over the North American release from Lionsgate for a February streaming release. On top of it’s BAFTA nomination for Best Animated Film, critics were just as delighted with Farmageddon as much as the first movie, adoring the sequel’s dialogue-free charm, well-crafted stop-motion, pure innocence, and clever homages to the science fiction genre.
Onward
- Director(s): Dan Scanlon
- Writer(s): Dan Scanlon, Jason Headley, Keith Bunin
- Studio(s): Pixar Animation Studios
- Distributor(s): Walt Disney Pictures
- US release: March 6, 2020
After bombarding us with sequels throughout the last decade, Pixar returned to their roots of with a fresh batch of original creations, starting with Onward. While this suburban fantasy took audiences on a magical quest with elf brothers voiced by the two MCU Peters, the film was said to be a deeply personal project for director Dan Scanlon, as he based it on his fatherless upbringings alongside his older brother.
Sadly, Onward was among the first movies to fall victim to the COVID-19 pandemic. It was only in cinemas for two weeks before the mass closures and it’s fast-tracked home-media release, only scraping up $141.9 million in the global box office. But for those who witnessed the Onward, they praised the film as a solid addition to the Pixar library, noting on its dazzling animation, fun brotherhood dynamic, and strong emotional core.
See what Morgan thought of Onward in her review here, and in Episode 175 of the Animation Addicts Podcast!
Trolls World Tour
- Director(s): Walt Dohrn
- Writer(s): Jonathan Aibel, Glenn Berger, Elizabeth Tippet, Maya Forbes, Wallace Wolodarsky
- Studio(s): DreamWorks Animation
- Distributor(s): Universal Pictures
- US release: April 10, 2020
On its colourful surface, Trolls World Tour was going to be just your typical DreamWorks sequel to their 2016 musical hit. But never did anyone expect this flick to make movie history. Due to the pandemic, Trolls World Tour broke the blockbuster distribution mould. Universal gambled by skipping cinemas and going straight-to-digital, and it became a massive success by gaining about $150 million in rentals within four months. It also grossed an additional $44 million worldwide from cinemas that were open.
While the sequel itself wasn’t as groundbreaking as its release, critics did give Trolls World Tour an okay-to-decent response. Some considered it to be better than the original thanks to its creative expanded worldbuilding, energetic feel, catchy music, and the compelling villain of Queen Barb.
Click here to read Jonathan North‘s review of Trolls World Tour‘s Blu-ray release!
The Willoughbys
- Director(s): Kris Pearn
- Writer(s): Kris Pearn, Mark Stanleigh
- Studio(s): Netflix Animation, Bron Animation
- Distributor(s): Netflix
- US release: April 22, 2020
Adapted from the “nefarious, strangely odd, and most beloved” children’s book by Lois Lowry, The Willoughbys became the first foray into feature animation for Vancouver-based Bron Studios. This darkly-comical take on the story, directed and written by Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs 2‘s Kris Pearn, sees the neglected Willoughby children sending their uncaring parents off on vacation, and the mayhem that ensures with them getting to grips with the outside world.
With 37-million household viewings during its first month of release, The Willoughbys turned out to be a big success for both Netflix and Bron. Not only that, but critics were also quite positive towards the movie, calling it a twisted, yet charming family picture, and owing to its highly-stylised visuals, frantic-yet-quirky comedy, and it’s many sweet heartfelt moments.
Scoob!
- Director(s): Tony Cervone
- Writer(s): Adam Sztykiel, Jack Donaldson, Derek Elliott, Matt Lieberman
- Studio(s): Warner Animation Group, Reel FX Animation Studios
- Distributor(s): Warner Bros. Pictures
- US release: May 15, 2020
Warner Animation Group rebooted Scooby-Doo and the Mystery Gang into an unusual Hollywood direction with Scoob!. This was not just going to be any reboot of Scooby-Doo, nor just an origin story, but also the launchpad for an entire Hanna-Barbera cinematic universe, featuring crossovers with other iconic HB characters like Blue Falcon, Dynomutt, Captain Caveman, and Dick Dastardly of Wacky Races. Unfortunately, this franchise starter turned out to go just as well as most of Warner Bros.’ attempts at a shared universe, which in other words is not a good sign for your starter film.
Heading straight to digital due to COVID-19, Scoob! become among the top PVOD films during the pandemic, in addition to getting $24.9 million from open international cinemas. But when it came to solving the mystery on whether this ambitious reboot would work, it turned out that critics were not amused. Some praise was given to Reel FX for their faithfully-crafted animation, but the film itself was said to be a generic and overstuffed corporate trend chaser, with many panning its squandered potential for messy worldbuilding, overreliance on reference humour, and a distracting celebrity voice cast.
Gary Wright had a more favourable view on Scoob!, which you can read about in his review here!
Animal Crackers
- Director(s): Scott Christian Sava, Tony Bancroft
- Writer(s): Scott Christian Sava, Dean Lorey
- Studio(s): Blue Dream Studios
- Distributor(s): Netflix
- US release: July 24, 2020
Animals Crackers is something you might have heard of over the years. Starting development way back in 2010, this indie toon is a passion project helmed by comic artist Scott Christian Sava and Mulan director Tony Bancroft. A creative take on biscuits out of all things, with magical animal crackers that turn people into the specified animal, and a family’s attempt to revive a failing circus by using this magic trick.
After many years in the making, and an even longer struggle to get released due to multiple failed distribution deals, Netflix came to save the day by acquiring Animal Crackers to stream to the world. Reviews have been lukewarm or decent, calling it inperfect, yet solid show for the family, with much of the praise going to the extensive voice cast, enegetic visuals, and the labour of love put in by the directors.
Be sure to check out Rachel Wagner‘s interview with directors Scott and Tony here!
The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run
- Director(s): Tim Hill
- Writer(s): Tim Hill
- Studio(s): Paramount Animation, Nickelodeon Movies, Mikros Animation
- Distributor(s): Paramount Pictures (via Paramount+ for US and Netflix for International)
- US release: February 2021 (was released theatrically in Canada on August 14, 2020)
The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run was the third big screen (kinda) adventure for Nickelodeon’s cherished yellow sponge, where SpongeBob SquarePants and his friends set off to rescue his kidnapped pet snail, Gary. With early series writer Tim Hill returning to direct, and a fresh coat of CG paint by Mikros Animation Canada, things were looking bright for this movie, but then pandemic resulted in a very fragmented release. Starting with a theatrical run in Canada during August (which made $4.8 million), then an international streaming rollout by Netflix in November, and bizarrely the United States ended up last in line with a planned VOD release this February.
Sponge on the Run hasn’t been widely reviewed as of yet, but those who have seen the third entry say it has the fun nautical nonsense to be expected from SpongeBob, along with a fancy animation style to boot. However, it has been noted to be inferior to the previous two movies due to its story recycling, and insincere plug to promote the upcoming spinoff series Kamp Koral: SpongeBob’s Under Years. Both Sponge on the Run and Kamp Koral are set to stream on Paramount+ (the rebranded CBS AllAccess) later this year in America.
Over the Moon
- Director(s): Glen Keane
- Writer(s): Audrey Wells
- Studio(s): Netflix Animation, Pearl Studio, Sony Pictures Imageworks
- Distributor(s): Netflix
- US release: October 23, 2020
Renowned Disney animator Glen Keane made his long-awaited directorial debut with Netflix’s American-Chinese animated fantasy Over the Moon. With a combination of the late Audrey Wells’ heartfelt screenplay, the beautiful artistry of Abominable’s Pearl Studio, and the technical wizardry of Sony Pictures Imageworks, Keane brings to vivid life the Chinese legend of the Moon Goddess, a young girl’s quest to prove she really does exists.
Over the Moon became another big hit in Netflix’s original animation lineup, and get mostly decent reviews. While the big reliance on animation tropes hampered its originality, the critics still said the movie’s awe-inspiring visuals, delightful music, and sentimental core more than made up for its unfocused shortcomings.
The Croods: A New Age
- Director(s): Joel Crawford
- Writer(s): Dan Hageman, Kevin Hageman, Paul Fisher, Bob Logan
- Studio(s): DreamWorks Animation
- Distributor(s): Universal Pictures
- US release: November 25, 2020
The Croods: A New Age gave us the grand reunion of Grug and his oddball prehistoric family to face more modern obstacles. You could probably say the same thing about the massive hurdles DreamWorks faced while making their sequel to the 2013 movie. After surviving seven years of development, a corporate buyout, a full cancellation, director changes, and a global pandemic, it’s quiet amazing that we even got a Croods sequel in the end.
The Croods: A New Age was the first animated feature to receive a wide theatrical release in the United States since Onward back in March and has so far grossed $127.8 million against a $65 million budget. Under normal circumstances, that would be terrible for a Thanksgiving release. But in a pandemic environment with little competition, it’s an impressive run. Even with the lenghty production, critics still found the Croods sequel to be a fun and worthy follow-up thanks to the solid cast and the colourful world that evolves upon what it’s predecessor did so well.
Qyrese Anderson called the film in his review “A Roaring Good Time”, which you can check out here!
Wolfwalkers
- Director(s): Tomm Moore, Ross Stewart
- Writer(s): Will Collins
- Studio(s): Cartoon Saloon
- Distributor(s): Apple (via Apple TV+), GKIDS, Wildcard (Ireland)
- US release: December 11, 2020
Ireland’s Cartoon Saloon continues their winning streak of traditionally-animated artistry with Wolfwalkers, the third and final entry in Tomm Moore’s “Irish Folklore Trilogy”, following The Secret of Kells and Song of the Sea. Nature-focussed just like it’s predecessors, Wolfwalkers tells the tale of the ongoing conflict between humans and wolves, and a girl’s newfound friendship with a “wolfwalker” that transforms her into the creature that her townspeople demonise as a nature of evil.
Although mainly classified as an independent project, Wolfwalkers did obtain somewhat mainstreaming attention thanks to its release on Apple’s streaming service Apple TV+. The film ended up being just as, (debatably, even more) acclaimed as Cartoon Saloon’s previous works, with critics applauding the pure originality, the supernatural depiction of nature, epic scope, and its complex characterisations complete with strong emotional attachment.
Soul
- Director(s): Pete Docter
- Writer(s): Pete Docter, Mike Jones, Kemp Powers
- Studio(s): Pixar Animation Studios
- Distributor(s): Walt Disney Pictures (via Disney+)
- US release: December 25, 2020
Soul is the newest animated think piece from Inside Out director (and Pixar’s new chief creative officer) Pete Docter. A thought-provoking adventure into the cosmic realm that looks into the important questions on living life. Originally intended for a summer theatrical release, Disney abandoned their plans and instead sent the film directly to Disney+ on Christmas Day, with the studio reporting it became one of the most-watched streaming titles of 2020. It has also made theatrical grosses of $47 million in countries without the service.
Soul turned out as yet another critical darling for Pixar, with the critics calling it among the studio’s “most ambitiously existential” films according to IndieWire. They praised Docter’s philosophical outlook on life itself, the beautiful blend of realistic and abstract worlds, the atmospheric score of Nine Inch Nails’ Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, and its deeply layered characterisation of protagonist Joe Gardner.
Qyrese Anderson, however, wasn’t so fond of the Soul. Be sure to read his review to find out the issues he had with the film here!
And that brings us to the closure to 2020 which, despite being a truly awful year, gave us plenty of great animated movies to look back on. Regardless of how 2021 will be, the good news is that this year will still have a promising lineup of more. Whether it involves Asian-inspired dragons, Lin-Manuel Miranda musicals, or popular kid’s franchises getting their big-screen adventure, there’s going to be something for everyone. Stay tooned!
