2015’s Animated Movies: Snoopy, Dinosaurs, Minions, and More

2015 Animated Movies Preview
The “emotions’ in ‘Inside Out’ (Photo © 2014 Disney•Pixar)

The slate of animated movies heading to theaters in 2015 looks to be one of the best in years. Pixar’s back, Peanuts finally has its own big-screen feature film, Despicable Me‘s minions get their own movie, and The Little Prince could quite possibly be the most beautiful animated film in decades. Here’s the scoop on 2015’s animated movies, listed in alphabetical order.

2015 Animated Films

B.O.O.: Bureau Of Otherworldly Operations – To Be Determined 2015
Voice Cast: Seth Rogen, Melissa McCarthy, Rashida Jones, Octavia Spencer, Matt Bomer, and Bill Murray
Directed by Tony Leondis
The Plot: Bureau of Otherworldly Operations (B.O.O.) is a top-secret government agency which employs ghosts to protect humans from evil hauntings. When two new agents named Jackson Moss and Watts uncover a plot by the agency’s most wanted haunter Addison Drake to destroy B.O.O., they must use their skills to defeat his ghost army and save the world.

The Good Dinosaur – November 25, 2015
Directed by Peter Sohn
The Plot: The Good Dinosaur asks the generations-old question: What if the asteroid that forever changed life on Earth missed the planet completely and giant dinosaurs never became extinct? In theaters on November 25, 2015, the film is a humorous and exciting original story about Arlo, a lively Apatosaurus with a big heart. After a traumatic event unsettles Arlo’s family, he sets out on a remarkable journey, gaining an unlikely companion along the way – a human boy. The Good Dinosaur is an extraordinary journey of self-discovery full of thrilling adventure, hilarious characters and poignant heart.

Home – March 27, 2015
Voice Cast: Jim Parsons, Rihanna, Jennifer Lopez, and Steve Martin
Directed by Tim Johnson
The Plot: When Earth is taken over by the overly-confident Boov, an alien race in search of a new place to call home, all humans are promptly relocated, while all Boov get busy reorganizing the planet. But when one resourceful girl, Tip, (Rihanna, who also contributes a song) manages to avoid capture, she finds herself the accidental accomplice of a banished Boov named Oh (Parsons). The two fugitives realize there’s a lot more at stake than intergalactic relations as they embark on the road trip of a lifetime.

Hotel Transylvania 2 – September 25, 2015
Voice Cast: Adam Sandler, Mel Brooks, Selena Gomez, Steve Buscemi, Andy Samberg, and Kevin James
Directed by Genndy Tartakovsky
The Plot: Dracula, Mavis, Jonathan and all of their monster friends are back in the brand new comedy adventure: when the old-old-old-fashioned vampire Vlad arrives at the hotel for an impromptu family get-together, Hotel Transylvania is in for a comic collision of supernatural old-school and modern day cool.

Inside Out – June 19, 2015
Voice Cast: Bill Hader, Amy Poehler, Lewis Black, Mindy Kaling, and Phyllis Smith
Directed by Pete Docter and Ronnie del Carmen
The Plot: From an adventurous balloon ride above the clouds to a monster-filled metropolis, Academy Award®-winning director Pete Docter (Monsters, Inc., Up) has taken audiences to unique and imaginative places. In Disney•Pixar’s original movie Inside Out, he will take us to the most extraordinary location of all—inside the mind.

Growing up can be a bumpy road, and it’s no exception for Riley, who is uprooted from her Midwest life when her father starts a new job in San Francisco. Like all of us, Riley is guided by her emotions – Joy (Amy Poehler), Fear (Bill Hader), Anger (Lewis Black), Disgust (Mindy Kaling) and Sadness (Phyllis Smith). The emotions live in Headquarters, the control center inside Riley’s mind, where they help advise her through everyday life. As Riley and her emotions struggle to adjust to a new life in San Francisco, turmoil ensues in Headquarters. Although Joy, Riley’s main and most important emotion, tries to keep things positive, the emotions conflict on how best to navigate a new city, house and school.

The Little Prince – To Be Determined 2015
Voice Cast: Marion Cotillard, James Franco, Rachel McAdams, Jeff Bridges, Paul Giamatti, and Benicio del Toro
Directed by Mark Osborne
The Plot: This is the story of a story. This is the story of a little girl, fearless and curious, who lives in a world of adults. This is the story of an aviator, eccentric and mischievous, who never really grew up. This is the story of the Little Prince that will bring them together in an extraordinary adventure.

Minions – July 10, 2015
Voice Cast: Sandra Bullock, Michael Keaton, Jon Hamm, Steve Coogan, and Allison Janney
Directed by Pierre Coffin
The Plot: The story of Universal Pictures and Illumination Entertainment’s Minions begins at the dawn of time. Starting as single-celled yellow organisms, Minions evolve through the ages, perpetually serving the most despicable of masters. After accidentally killing off so many of them—from T. rex to Napoleon—the Minions find themselves without a master to serve and fall into a deep depression.

But one Minion named Kevin has a plan, and he—alongside teenage rebel Stuart and lovable little Bob—ventures out into the world to find a new evil boss for his brethren to follow.

The trio embarks upon an adventure that ultimately leads them to their next potential master, Scarlet Overkill (Bullock), the world’s first-ever female super-villain. They travel from frigid Antarctica to 1960s New York City, ending in mod London, where they must face their biggest challenge to date: saving all of Minionkind…from annihilation.

Peanuts Movie Teaser Poster with Snoopy
Teaser poster for ‘Peanuts’

The Peanuts Movie – November 6, 2015
Voice Cast: Noah Schnapp, Hadley Belle Miller, Alexander Garfin, and Noah Johnston
Directed by Steve Martino
The Plot: In Peanuts, a 3D, CGI animated comedic adventure, Snoopy, the world’s most lovable beagle – and flying ace! – embarks upon his greatest mission as he and his team take to the skies to pursue their arch-nemesis, while his best pal Charlie Brown begins his own epic quest back home.

Shaun the Sheep The Movie – To Be Determined 2015
Directed by Mark Burton and Richard Starzack
The Plot: When Shaun’s mischief inadvertently leads to the Farmer being taken away from the farm, Shaun, Bitzer, and the flock have to go into the big city to rescue him, setting the stage for an epic adventure.

The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water – February 6, 2015
Voice Cast: Antonio Banderas, Tom Kenny, Clancy Brown, Rodger Bumpass, Bill Fagerbakke, Carolyn Lawrence, and Douglas Lawrence
Directed by Paul Tibbitt
The Plot: SpongeBob SquarePants, the world’s favorite sea dwelling invertebrate, comes ashore to our world for his most super-heroic adventure yet.

Strange Magic – January 23, 2015
Voice Cast: Alan Cumming, Evan Rachel Wood, Kristin Chenoweth, Maya Rudolph, Sam Palladio, Meredith Anne Bull, Alfred Molina, Elijah Kelley, Bob Einstein, and Peter Stormare
Directed by Gary Rydstrom
The Plot: Strange Magic, a new animated film from Lucasfilm, is a madcap fairy tale musical inspired by A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Popular songs from the past six decades help tell the tale of a colorful cast of goblins, elves, fairies and imps, and their hilarious misadventures sparked by the battle over a powerful potion. Lucasfilm Animation Singapore and Industrial Light & Magic bring to life the fanciful forest turned upside down with world-class animation and visual effects.

Underdogs – April 10, 2015
Voice Cast: Matthew Morrison, Ariana Grande, Nicholas Hoult, and Katie Holmes
Directed by Juan José Campanella
The Plot: From Academy Award winning director Campanella comes Underdogs, an animated comedy with a little bit of magic and a whole lot of heart. Jake (Morrison) is a shy, but talented, foosball player. His passion for the game is rivaled only by his love for free-spirited Laura (Grande). With her encouragement, he beats the town bully, Ace (Hoult), in a foosball game. But everything changes when Ace becomes the world’s best soccer player and returns years later to turn their village into a new sports stadium. He starts to destroy everything and kidnaps Laura in the process. Just when it looks like all hope is lost, the toy figures from Jake’s foosball table come to life. He and the players embark on a wild adventure to save Laura and reclaim their village. With the help of his team, his town, and a little bit of magic, Jake will try to save the day.