Netflix has dropped a list of animated films and shows that are slated to hit the streamer this year. From Zack Snyder’s Twilight of the Gods to the second season of Arcane, this lineup includes content from various genres including superhero, fantasy and sci-fi. Here’s a look.
Ultraman: Rising (film)
When Tokyo faces a surge in monster attacks, baseball sensation Ken Sato hesitantly takes on the role of Ultraman to defend his city. However, his superhero duties become daunting as he confronts a formidable challenge — babysitting a 35-foot-tall infant kaiju with fiery breath.
Release date: June 14
Spellbound (film)
With a voice cast including Rachel Zegler and John Lithgow, Spellbound follows the adventures of Ellian, the princess of Lumbria, who embarks on a journey to save her family and kingdom from a spell that transforms her parents into monsters.
Release date: November 22
That Christmas (film)
Adapted from Richard Curtis’ trilogy of children’s books of the same name, That Christmas is a heartwarming comedy that explores tales of family, friends, love and loneliness during the festive season. A twist in the tale comes after Santa Claus makes a mistake during Christmas. Brian Cox, Fiona Shaw, Jodie Whittaker and Lolly Adefope have lent their voices to the characters in the film.
Release date: December
Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon Cosmos The Movie (anime)
Covering the final chapter of the Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon manga series, the film will show Sailor Moon battling a new enemy, an organisation called Shadow Galactica, which begins killing her friends one by one in order to take over the universe. The film will capture a different side of the beloved character, as her loneliness starts to interfere with her ability to persevere.
Release date: August 22
Tokyo Overdrive (anime)
Directed by Yusuke Fukada and Veerapatra Jinanavin, the series imagines Tokyo 100 years in the future, where Artificial Intelligence has enhanced the condition of living. In such a time, an orphaned teenage hacker seamlessly fits in with the crowd until her only friend pulls her into a gang of outcast motorcyclists. Together, they uncover the city's dark side while investigating a murder linked to a drug syndicate.
Release date: Not announced yet
Exploding Kittens (series)
Voiced by Tom Ellis, God is sent down to earth to reconnect with humanity in the form of a house cat. After being rehabilitated, he starts living with a dysfunctional family and tries to solve their problems. To add to his misery, a cat living next door to Godcat, turns out to be his greatest enemy — the Antichrist. “The result is the ultimate fight between good versus evil … except, Godcat (Ellis) is distracted by a pigeon he saw in the yard and Devilcat (Sasheer Zamata) is busy napping on someone’s laptop,” a snippet from Netflix’s synopsis reads.
Release date: July 12
Terminator Zero (series)
In 2022, a futuristic war rages between human survivors and machines. A soldier is sent back to 1997 to protect scientist Malcolm Lee, who is developing an AI to counter Skynet, an AI that has gained self-awareness and declared war against humanity. As Lee faces moral dilemmas, a relentless future assassin targets him, altering his children’s destinies forever.
Release date: August 29
Twilight of the Gods (series)
Zack Snyder brings his vision of Norse mythology to life in Twilight of the Gods which features an ensemble voice cast including Sylvia Hoeks as Sigrid, Pilou Asbæk as Thor, Stuart Martin as Leif, John Noble as Odin, Paterson Joseph as Loki and Rahul Kohli as Egill. Without officially revealing the plot, the DC film director said in an interview that the series will be set in a small Viking village, where a king and his queen-to-be, Sigrid, the child of giants, want to marry each other. However, an event at their wedding prompts Sigrid to go on a wild quest for revenge.
Release date: Not announced yet
Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft (series)
The series will pick up after the events of the 2013 video game Tomb Raider which explores the origin story of Lara Croft and her rise from a young girl to a strong survivor. The game, which focuses on survival in a hostile world, follows Croft travelling around the world in search of lost artefacts.
Release date: October 10
Arcane Season 2 (series)
Based on the MOBA game League of Legends, Arcane explores the origin stories of two champions, sisters Jinx (Ella Purnell) and Vi (Hailee Steinfeld). While Jinx lives in the technologically advanced Piltover, Vi comes from the crime-ridden city of Zaun. The sisters find themselves on opposing sides of a brewing war. Plot details of the second season of the series have not been revealed.
Release date: Sometime in November