January Animation Preview

New Year, who dis?

We've got a pretty full January to kick the year off, mostly at home, so let's take a look at what the new year is bringing us on the animation front!

In Theaters

On January 17, MUBI is bringing the critically-acclaimed documentary Grand Theft Hamlet to theaters. This documentary is completely shot within the hugely popular Grand Theft Auto Online. While most people who dive into that game are driving around, committing acts of crazy violence, etc., in this doc, two out-of-work actors attempt to stage a full-scale production of Hamlet. In the game. It sounds so awesome, and I'm a big fan of documentaries that are shot within video games (Knit's Island is a fav). I'll have a review up the week of release, so keep an eye out for that.

After an Oscar-qualifying release in LA, GKIDS is giving The Colors Within its proper theatrical rollout on January 24. I gushed about this one after seeing it at Animation is Film, and I hope it finds the audience it deserves. It follows a girl who sees people's colors (basically, their auras), and ends up forming a band with two new friends. The animation is stunning, the music is great, and the story is super sweet. It ended up ranking pretty high up on my animation list for 2024. Don't sleep on this one.

DreamWorks starts the year off with the fun-looking Dog Man, based on Dav Pilkey's work, which hits theaters on January 31. It's a spin-off of Captain Underpants, and uses a similar visual approach, which really captures the low-key charm of the source material. The premise is super silly: after a police man and a dog get into an accident, a cutting-edge surgery saves their lives by combining them into one, putting the dog's head on the officer's body. Paw Patrol, this is not. I'm really looking forward to it.

(l to r, t to b:Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl, Grand Theft Hamlet,
The Colors Within, Goldbeak, Panda Bear in Africa, Dog Man)

At Home

One of my favorite animated movies of 2024 finally gets its Netflix release in the US on January 3. I'm talking, of course, about Wallace and Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl, which wowed me at its AFI FEST World Premiere a few months ago. It's already made a splashy debut in the UK, and it's been racking up tons of awards attention the past few weeks (an Oscar nomination feels like a given at this point). This time around, the eponymous duo are dealing with a Smart Gnome that's a little too smart, and the return of the nefarious Feathers McGraw. It's such a charmer. You can check out my full review here.

January 28 brings a pair of VOD releases. First up is Panda Bear in Africa, which I've reviewed already and wasn't terribly impressed with. It's cute enough to warrant a rental if you have kids, but otherwise, it doesn't have a lot to offer, unfortunately. The date's other release is called Goldbeak, hailing from Lionsgate. This one has had a long road to its US release, as it originally debuted at the Hong Kong International Film Festival way back in March 2023. It's about an eagle who was raised by chickens, who sets out to find his family (and presumably his destiny). Not sure how it'll shape up, but I'm certainly looking forward to checking it out!

Festivals

The Animation First Festival, which bills itself as the country's largest animation festival, unrolls in New York January 21 - 26. This is a fest that's dedicated specifically to French animation, and their lineup looks great. A couple movies I've reviewed already are playing there, including Harmonie and The Most Precious of Cargoes, which serves as the Opening Night film. Savages is the Centerpiece, and is one of my most-anticipated releases for 2025. This is the film's U.S. premiere, so hopefully we get some distribution news soon. There are also restorations, shorts, artists talks, and lots more, so if you're in NYC, check it out. I'm hoping to be able to do some coverage remotely, but not sure if that's going to be possible. Fingers crossed!