Gnomeo and Juliet

Unlike many animated movies in 2011, at least Gnomeo and Juliet isn’t a sequel. Judging from the title we’re not entirely convinced they should have made a first one. The trailers may not look inspiring, but at least the plot (lawn ornaments in love) is genuinely novel. In cinemas now. The perfect date movie? Discuss.

Read our Gnomeo and Juliet review

Tangled

Of all the mainstream animated movies in 2011, Tangled is one the earliest to come out and one of the anifilms we’re most looking forward to. Could Disney be back on its feet? This re-envisioning of Grimm’s Rapunzel will hopefully be as full-bodied musically as it is follically. In cinemas January 28, 2011.

Read our Tangled review

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Rango

A chameleon that aspires to be a swashbuckling hero finds himself in a Western town plagued by bandits and is forced to literally play the role in order to protect it. The chameleon, Rango himself, will be voiced by Johnny Depp and we love how the character artwork makes Rango look like Depp is reprising his role in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, right down to the wired expression and hawaii holiday attire. Should be interesting. In cinemas March 18th, 2011.

Read our Rango review

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Rio

This animated movie stars a Minnesotan macaw called Blue who believes he’s the last of his kind, but discovers there’s a beautiful girl-macaw in Rio de Janeiro he just has to meet. Please, please let it be better than Alpha and Omega. In cinemas April 8, 2011.

Read our Rio review

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Winnie the Pooh

This will only be the fourth time that Disney has produced an animation sequel based on one of their classics. Of all the upcoming animated movies of 2011, Winnie the Pooh appears to be the only one using traditional animation techniques, which is most right and fitting – with sweet old Pooh, the last thing we’d want to see is a glossy 3D abomination along the lines of Garfield. In cinemas April 15, 2011.

Read our Winnie the Pooh review

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Mars Needs Moms

Possibly the first kids’ movie to be overtly parent-friendly, the tagline of this animated offering from Disney / Adult Swim is “mom needs a little space”. Milo is a little boy who doesn’t appreciate his mum’s vegetable and bedtime-enforcing ways, but changes his tune when she is abducted by Martians and he has to go on an adventure to rescue her. In cinemas April 22, 2011.

Read our Mars Needs Moms review

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Kung Fu Panda 2

Po joins forces with a group of new kung-fu masters to take on an old enemy with a deadly new weapon. The list of voice actors in this DreamWorks animation reads like a who’s who of Hollywood: Angelina Jolie, Dustin Hoffman, Jack Black, Gary Oldman, Seth Rogan… as incredible a list as a panda that does kung fu. In cinemas June 17, 2011.

Read our Kung Fu Panda 2 review

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The Smurfs

When the evil wizard Gargamel chases the tiny blue Smurfs out of their village, they tumble from their magical world and into ours. Brilliant! Even better? The tagline: “Smurf happens”. But will they address the mystery of many smurfs spawned, yet only a single smurfette? In cinemas August 3, 2011.

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Hotel Transylvania

This animated comedy has Dracula, the Mummy, the Werewolf and Frankenstein buddying up in an Eastern Bloc hotel after being made extraneous by modern technology and outlook. Or is a monster-themed Romeo & Juliet? The plot keeps changing. Currently in development hell, but billed on IMDB to be released in cinemas September 30th, 2011.

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Cars 2

Any four year old boy addicted to sugar and allergic to all sweets coloured orange will disagree with much stamping of fist, but Best For Film believes that Cars was the weakest venture from Pixar Animations. And we’re adults, so kids have to agree with us and do what we say. Racing star Lightning McQueen teams up with his best friend Mater for an international adventure as they go up against the world’s fastest cars. Owen Wilson will provide one of the voices. In cinemas October 22, 2011.

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The Adventures of Tintin: Secret of the Unicorn

This image is fan art… official movie art tbc

Ah, Tintin! Now this really should be good. Styled as an animated motion capture 3D film, it’s directed by Steven Spielberg and stars Daniel Craig, Jamie Bell, Andy Serkis, Nick Frost, Simon Pegg, Toby Jones and Mackenzie Crook. You should all know the story… a young reporter gets into crazy (and originally quite racist in an old-fashioned way) adventures aided by his dog Snowy and hampered by his aides the Thompson Twins. In cinemas October 26, 2011.

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Puss in Boots

There will be plenty of lucrative animated sequels in 2011. A Shrek prequel (pretty much the same thing in terms of box-office friendly franchising), Puss in Boots will ditch the ogre and the donkey to replace them with a sexy kitty (Salma Hayek) and Humpty Dumpty (Zach Galifianakis). Arguably the most charming character in the Shrek franchise, Puss goes on a quest to steal the goose that lays the golden eggs. In cinemas November 4, 2011.

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Arthur Christmas

Arthur Christmas will be a godsend for parents because it’s an animated movie that answers the sensitive question: “How exactly does Father Christmas delivers all his presents in one night?”. Due to a tiny and most rare mistake on the part of Santa, it is up to his son Arthur to deliver an overlooked present before a child is disappointed on Christmas morning. In cinemas November 11, 2011. Ooh, looky here – the date works out as 11112011! If only this movie had been released precisely 900 years earlier…

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Happy Feet 2 in 3-D

This toon sequel will be a 3-D animated affair. Little Elijah Wood’s dancing feet coming atcha, right in your FACE! The movie’s in post-production stage so we should know more about the plot soon. Elijah Wood will be joined by Brad Pitt and Robin William, and Pink has written a happy foot-tapping song for the feature. In cinemas December 2, 2011.

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Brave (was: The Bear and the Bow)

Oh, hurrah! This is going to be an absolutely fantastic animated movie – but we’ll have to wait a whole year to see it! This Disney / Pixar Christmas movie features a princess who would rather be an archer and seeks to lift a curse that has fallen on her mother and her kingdom. In cinemas December 31st, 2011. STOP PRESS: News just in! The Bear and the Bow now has the working title Brave and is scheduled for a 2012 release. Dagnabbit.

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Upcoming animated movies in 2012…

We couldn’t resist a sneak peek. Animated films in 2012 look even more promising: Frankenweenie by Tim Burton and Monkeys of Bollywood. Now, these are two animations we can’t wait to see…