As a passionate cinephile, I was thrilled to be among the Annecy crowds in 2025, eagerly anticipating Ramsey Naito’s grand unveiling. Being the President of Paramount Animation and Nickelodeon Animation, he is no stranger to this festival, having been a longtime supporter. He kicked off the studios’ showcase for the year by offering us a tantalizing sneak peek into their upcoming projects, making me excited about what’s in store!
Here are three animated films in production: “PAW Patrol: The Dino Adventure,” “The Legend Reborn: Airbender’s Journey,” and “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtle Turmoil 2.” The PAW Patrol movie is scheduled to premiere in theaters on July 24, 2026, then Aang makes his animated comeback on Oct. 9. Fans eagerly awaiting the pizza-loving turtle warriors must hold on a bit longer; their next big-screen appearance is set for Sept. 27, 2027 — but keep reading to find out if that’s the final wait!
Naito, a well-known figure in Hollywood’s animation industry, is eagerly looking forward to her return to Annecy. Furthermore, she revealed fresh faces joining the cast of “The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants.” Alongside the established cast and Mark Hamill, we now have Regina Hall (known for “Scary Movie” and “Girls Trip”), Sherry Cola (“Nobody Wants This” and “Shrinking”), Arturo Castro (“Tron: Ares” and “Matchbox”), George Lopez (“Lopez vs Lopez” and “The Underdoggs”), and four-time Grammy-nominated, multi-platinum rapper Isis “Ice Spice” Gaston. Additionally, Ice Spice has contributed an original song to the movie.
Prior to delving into the world of SpongeBob, Naito shifted focus towards a minuscule mushroom hamlet nestled within an enchanted woodland. This was the abode of the bluest and most renowned residents our planet has ever known (with due respect to Pandora’s inhabitants).
Director Chris Miller made a comeback to Annecy to share the initial 20 minutes of his upcoming blockbuster “Smurfs,” which is set to hit theaters on July 18, 2025. Last year, he previewed some early clips at MIFA. With the movie nearing completion, Miller discussed the film’s distinctive mix of computer-generated (CG) and traditional two-dimensional (2D) animation.
Miller expressed his excitement about resurrecting the Smurfs on the big screen using a unique blend of CG and 2D animation. To him, animation goes beyond just pixels and keyframes; it’s about evoking emotions and filling each frame with the same warmth, vibrancy, and enchantment that Peyo initially envisioned over 60 years ago.
Work has begun on Season 4 of the computer-generated animated television show. Nele De Wilde, Chief Creative Officer at Peyo Company, highlighted the close partnership that their studio has established with Paramount, a collaboration that follows eight years after Sony Pictures Animation’s “Smurfs: The Lost Village.
De Wilde stated that Paramount showed great regard for our suggestions,” said he. “Values like friendship, mutual aid, and respect for nature are eternal cornerstones of the Smurfs’ personality. Paramount was dedicated to conveying these concepts in a contemporary, action-filled movie.
These values resonated with Rihanna, the voice behind Smurfette, as her partner A$AP Rocky expressed earlier this year: “That’s cool and tough,” to EbMaster.
The movie’s lively music and detailed medieval-fantasy atmosphere, created by Cinesite Montreal’s animation team, are sure to have children immersed for hours on end, enjoying the experience of “Smurfing all day.” The narrative revolves around a nameless Smurf on a quest to uncover his unique personality, with the help of Smurfette, Hefty, and other familiar characters. Jokes such as “Quiet,” “Soundtrack,” and “Shark-Taming Smurf” left the Annecy audience in fits of laughter.
In one scene, Razamel, who’s just as clumsy as his brother Gargamel, was introduced as the latest antagonist. As the movie wrapped up, the Smurfs found themselves being swept through a dimensional gateway into modern-day Paris, much to the chagrin of the grumpy one (Grouchy).
The movie is set to debut in Brussels on June 28, 2025, with the city taking on a blue hue as part of its worldwide release kickoff.
As a movie reviewer, I recently got an exclusive peek into the making of “The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants,” courtesy of director Derek Drymon. Having been part of the SpongeBob family before, Drymon revisited this beloved franchise, having co-directed “Hotel Transylvania 4” in 2022.
Drymon expressed that they aimed to rekindle the essence of the initial season. He’s grateful to Paramount for supporting a creative initiative. In the end, it’s all about embracing one’s inner child, which is exactly what we’ve incorporated into this production,” said Drymon.
Spectators enjoyed the entire opening act where SpongeBob reached a height that allowed him to ride a rollercoaster initially, but at the very end, he hesitated and instead found himself thrust into an even more terrifying pirate escapade with the Flying Dutchman. He eventually agreed to his destiny and tumbled into the Underworld.
Merging advanced 3D with captivating 2D graphics, this visually thrilling sequel mirrors the stylistic approach of “The Mitchells vs. The Machines” and “Spider-Verse.” It’s set to premiere in cinemas on December 19, 2025.
After a quick question-and-answer session between Miller and Drymon, overseen by Emily Nordwind from Paramount, the audience received an unexpected treat: two previously unseen short films.
The dialogue-free SpongeBob short titled ‘Order Up,’ directed by Sean Charmatz (‘Orion and the Dark’), is set to premiere before ‘Smurfs’ in July. This entertaining short, which has been stored away in Nickelodeon/Paramount’s vault for close to a decade, finally makes its way to the screen.
The sequel, titled “Chrome Alone 2: Lost in New Jersey,” is a comedy centered around the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, helmed by director Kent Seki. Reminiscent of Jeff Rowe’s “Mutant Mayhem,” it explores the theme of artificial intelligence and is set to debut alongside the latest SpongeBob movie in December.
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2025-06-10 20:18