January 10th, 2020 
David Derks 
1. WEATHERING WITH YOU (1/17/20) GKids. D: Makoto Shinkai
2. FARMAGEDDON: A SHAUN THE SHEEP MOVIE (2/14/20) Netflix. D: Will Becher, Richard Phelan
3. ONWARD (3/6/20) Pixar (Disney). D: Dan Scanlon.
4. TROLLS: WORLD TOUR (4/10/20) Dreamworks (Universal). D: Walt Dohrn. (direct to VOD)
5. THE WILLOUGHBYS (4/22/20) Netflix. D: Kris Pearn (direct to streaming)
6. SCOOB! (5/15/20) Warner Bros. D: Tony Cervone (direct to VOD)
7. THE SPONGEBOB MOVIE: SPONGE ON THE RUN (8/14/20) Paramount. D: Tim Hill. Opening wide in Canada, with limited showings in US. This feature made its streaming debut via Paramount+ on March 4th 2021.
8. OVER THE MOON (10/28/20) Pearl (Netflix). D: Glen Keene.
9. WOLFWALKERS (11/13/20) Cartoon Saloon (Apple Original). D: Tomm Moore and Ross Stewart.
10. THE CROODS: A NEW AGE (11/25/20) Dreamworks (Universal). D: Joel Crawford.
11. SOUL (12/25/20) Pixar (Disney). D: Pete Docter. (released direct to Disney+)
2020 LIMITED RELEASE THEATRICALS (movies going Direct-to-Video – for DVD or Streaming, but getting a limited theatrical billboard): Eleven Arts released Keiichi Hara’s THE WONDERLAND on February 6th (in Los Angeles). Funimation released Kenji Nagasaki’s MY HERO ACADEMIA: HEROES RISING on February 26th. Bron Animation’s HENCHMEN (directed by Adam Wood) comes out October 9th in Virtual Cinemas, Digital and On Demand. Gkids will release the CGI feature LUPIN III: THE FIRST (directed by Takashi Yamazaki) on October 18th. Universal will release BOBBLEHEADS: THE MOVIE (directed by Kirk Wise) December 8th via DVD. ON-GAKU: OUR SOUND (directed by Kenji Iwaisawa) was released by GKids on December 11th.
HYBRID FILMS: Paramount Pictures’ live-action/CGI hybrid SONIC THE HEDGEHOG opened on Feb. 14th, 2020. Disney’s live action/CG hybrid THE CALL OF THE WILD (directed by Chris Sanders) opened on February 21st 2020.
QUALIFIYING FOR ACADEMY AWARDS 2020: Normally an animated feature must play in a theater in Los Angeles to qualify for Oscar consideration. This year, due the pandemic, rules were softened to allow more entries with less restrictive qualifying obligations. The following titles made the cut this year, without a US theatrical release or public showing in Los Angeles:
ACCIDENTAL LUXURIANCE OF THE TRANSLUCENT WATERY BLUES D: Dalibor Baric (Croatia)
BOMBAY ROSE D: Gitanjali Rao (India)
CALAMITY D: Rémi Chayé (France)
DEMON SLAYER: INFINITY TRAIN D: Haruo Sotozaki (Japanese)
DREAMBUILDERS D: Kim Hagen Jensen, Tonni Zinck (Danish)
EARWIG AND THE WITCH D: Goro Miyazaki (Japan)
KILL IT OR LEAVE THIS TOWN D: Mariusz Wilczynski (Polish)
LUPIN III: THE FIRST D: Takashi Yamazaki (Japan)
MOSLEY D: Kirby Atkins (New Zealand)
MY FAVORITE WAR D: Ilze Burkovska Jacobsen (Latvia/Russia)
THE NOSE OR THE CONSPIRACY OF MAVERICKS D: Andrey Khrzhanovskiy (Russia)
NO. 7 CHERRY LANE D: Yonfan (China)
ON-GAKU: OUR SOUND D: Kenji Iwaisawa (Japan)
RED SHOES AND THE SEVEN DWARFS D: Sung-ho Hong, Moo-Hyun Jang, Young Sik Uhm (China)
RIDE YOUR WAVE D: Masaaki Yuasa (Japan)
TERRA WILLY D: Eric Tosti (France)
A WHISKER AWAY D: Jun’ichi Satô, Tomotaka Shibayama (Japanese/Netflix)
For further information on all U.S. Animated Feature releases since 1937 Click Here.
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