Netflix details 2023-2024 animated film lineup featuring Nimona, Ultraman, and more

Fresh off of an Oscars win for Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio, Netflix is detailing what other animated films it has in store for this year and next. There are no specific release dates, but the slate includes nine movies in total, with a mix of previously revealed titles and brand-new announcements, including the Spongebob spinoff Saving Bikini Bottom: The Sandy Cheeks Movie and some more details on the much-anticipated Nimona.

Here’s the full lineup:

We already knew that Netflix and Annapurna Pictures had picked up Nimona, an adaptation of ND Stevenson’s graphic novel of the same name, which was previously attached to Disney. Now Netflix has revealed a bit more of the film’s cast. Joining leads Chloë Grace Moretz, Riz Ahmed, and Eugene Lee Yang will be Frances Conroy, Lorraine Toussaint, Beck Bennett, RuPaul Charles, Indya Moore, Julio Torres, and Sarah Sherman.

Helmed by Boxtrolls director Anthony Stacchi, The Monkey King is described as “an action-packed family comedy that follows a charismatic Monkey and his magical fighting Stick on an epic quest for victory over 100 demons, an eccentric Dragon King, and Monkey’s greatest foe of all —his own ego.”

Netflix’s latest Adam Sandler vehicle turns the comedian into a classroom pet, a 74-year-old lizard who has been stuck in a terrarium for a few decades with his turtle pal, played by Bill Burr. The rest of the cast includes Jason Alexander and frequent Sandler collaborator Rob Schneider.

Over a year ago, Netflix made a stop motion splash by announcing that Chicken Run was coming back, and now we have a new image and a release timeframe for the sequel Dawn of the Nugget. The company is also backing a new Wallace & Gromit feature, though details are sparse right now.

One of the brand-new announcements from Netflix was In Your Dreams, a “comedy adventure” from director Alex Woo about two siblings who venture into the realm of dreams in search of the sandman, who will grant them a wish.

SpONgebob is bAcK. The rectangular hero returns to Netflix in a spinoff that takes place “when Bikini Bottom and all its denizens are suddenly scooped out of the ocean, Sandy Cheeks and SpongeBob SquarePants journey to Texas to save the town from a villainous plot.” It’s directed by Liza Johnson, whose most recent credits include HBO’s The Last of Us.

That Christmas is based on a children’s book of the same name, written by Richard Curtis, best-known for iconic romcoms like Notting Hill, Bridget Jones’s Diary, and Love Actually. Unsurprisingly, it’s about “a series of entwined tales about love and loneliness, family and friends” and also Santa.

A story about a glittery unicorn who becomes a global pop star, Thelma the Unicorn is helmed by a pair of directors with interesting comedic experience: Lynn Wang (Unikitty!) and Jared Hess (Napoleon Dynamite).

Last up is Netflix’s previously announced CG adaptation of Ultraman, which you can see in the image at the very top. We still don’t know much about it, but it should be streaming next year.