About one in four adults watches children's animated content, including family films and cartoons, and more than a quarter of them watch without children present, according to figures cited by Lenta.ru. Animation studios in Russia and abroad release dozens of new projects every year, and 2026 is no exception, bringing new musical hits, original indie animated features and sequels to beloved franchises. While "Frozen 3" and "Shrek 5" will not arrive until 2027, audiences can look forward to new adventures from the Three Bogatyrs, the "Toy Story" gang, Mario and the cats of the Hermitage. Lenta.ru compiled a list of the best animated films of 2026, both already released and still to come.
Hollywood sequels and new adventures
"Hoppers," a Pixar production for Walt Disney Pictures directed by Daniel Chong, creator of the animated series "We Bare Bears," premiered worldwide on February 28, 2026, and holds a 7.5 rating on Kinopoisk. The film imagines a breakthrough that lets human consciousness be placed into robotic animal bodies able to communicate with real wildlife. The heroine, a curious student and animal rights activist named Mabel, uses the technology to save a wilderness area her grandmother loved from a new mayor's highway plans, transferring her mind into a robotic beaver. The filmmakers originally planned to send Mabel into a penguin's body but switched to a beaver, reasoning that penguins already dominate animated films while beavers had been overlooked.
"The Super Mario Galaxy Movie," a Japanese-American production directed by Aaron Horvath, Michael Jelenic and Pierre Leduc, opened worldwide on April 1, 2026, with a 6.6 Kinopoisk rating. The sequel to 2023's "The Super Mario Bros. Movie" follows plumber Mario, voiced again by Chris Pratt, and his brother Luigi as they face Bowser Jr., son of the imprisoned villain Bowser. Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach, a squad of Toads and loyal friend Yoshi set off on an interstellar journey to stop him.
"Swapped," a US-Spanish film directed by Nathan Greno, who previously directed "Tangled" (2010), premiered on May 1, 2026, and holds an 8.0 Kinopoisk score. Set in a valley where predators and prey have followed unwritten survival rules for centuries, the story follows a small forest creature named Olly, voiced by Michael B. Jordan, who has spent his life hiding from a bird of prey named Ivy. A magical event traps the lifelong enemies in each other's bodies, forcing them to cooperate to restore balance to the valley and reclaim their true forms.
"Toy Story 5," directed by McKenna Harris and Andrew Stanton, premiered worldwide on June 19, 2026, marking 31 years since the first film in the Pixar franchise, and carries a 7.5 Kinopoisk rating. Eight-year-old Bonnie still plays with her toys, including Jessie and cowboy Woody, even as other children have moved on to virtual entertainment. Her attention shifts to LilyPad, a smart tablet shaped like a frog, prompting the other toys to prove that imagination and real play still matter.
Russian animation highlights
"Koschei: The Secret of Living Water," directed by Roman Artemyev, premiered in Russia on May 28, 2026, with an 8.0 Kinopoisk rating. The sequel to "Koschei: The Abduction of the Brides" finds the title villain, voiced by Viktor Dobronravov, finally engaged to his chosen bride, Varvara, after 300 years of searching. When a conspiracy puts her in danger, Koschei sets off with a resurrected Kolobok and a young man named Yelisei to find the water of life.
"Hermitage Cats 2: Secret of the Egyptian Hall," directed by Vasily Rovensky, premiered in Russia on March 26, 2026, and scores 7.9 on Kinopoisk. Two years after cat Vincent and mouse Maurice saved the Hermitage museum from an art theft, Vincent has settled into family life with partner Cleopatra and their kittens, while Maurice still craves adventure. He finds an ancient papyrus map leading to an Egyptian genie hidden beneath Luxor, who grants only one wish every thousand years.
"Cinderella: The Secret of Three Wishes," directed by Vladimir Sakov, premiered in Russia on April 9, 2026, with a 7.5 Kinopoisk rating. This Russian reimagining of Charles Perrault's fairy tale follows Cinderella and her best friend, a woodcutter named Severin, who accidentally angers a magic tree and is turned into a talking chipmunk. To restore him and reach the royal ball meant for her stepsister, Cinderella must pass a series of trials alongside Severin and her horse, Krepysh.
"Truckers," directed by Dmitry Grachev, opened in Russia on April 30, 2026, with a 6.9 Kinopoisk score. The first installment of a new franchise clearly inspired by "Cars" follows teenage dump truck Sanya, who lives with his parents in a stone quarry and dreams of becoming a powerful truck. After befriending a seasoned city truck and a cheerful street-washing machine, Sanya must help unite the vehicles when a nearby volcano threatens everything he has come to love.
"Three Bogatyrs: No Day Without a Feat 3," directed by Ekaterina Salabay and Anna Mironova, premiered in Russia on June 25, 2026, with a 7.8 Kinopoisk rating. The third anthology in the long-running Melnitsa studio franchise follows warriors Alyosha Popovich, Dobrynya Nikitich and Ilya Muromets through three short stories: recovering a stolen wish-granting spruce tree, freeing a horse named Yuliy from a love spell, and exposing an impostor at court. Actors Oleg Kulikovich, Valery Solovyov and Dmitry Bykovsky-Romashov reprise their roles as the bogatyrs, with Sergei Makovetsky voicing the Prince.
Comic and book adaptations
"Les Légendaires," directed by Guillaume Ivernel, is a French adaptation of the cult comic book series and holds a 5.9 IMDb rating. It premiered worldwide on November 9, 2025, and opens in Russia on February 19, 2026. Warriors Danael, Jadina, Gryff, Shimy and Razzia once defended the kingdom of Alysia, but a battle with the sorcerer Darkhell shattered the magical Stone of Jovenia, freezing time and trapping the heroes in ten-year-old bodies. When Darkhell rises again to seize a magical tree, Danael must reunite the group to face both him and their own childhood fears.
"Asterix and the Elixir of Youth," directed by Alexandre Heboyan, is set to open in France on October 14, 2026, and in Russia in December 2026. The film sends the characters beyond Gaul for the first time after a rare elixir of youth accidentally falls into druid Panoramix's potion cauldron, turning the entire village into children. A now-childlike Asterix, voiced by Christian Clavier, and Obelix, voiced by François-Xavier Demaison and spared the transformation, travel to the African kingdom of Nubia to find baobab seeds, the only cure.
"Coyote vs. Acme," directed by Dave Green, premieres worldwide on August 20, 2026, and in Russia on September 10, 2026. The first feature film centered on the Looney Tunes character combines live action with hand-drawn animation. After years of failed gadgets from the Acme corporation meant to help him catch the Road Runner, Wile E. Coyote sues the company for producing defective products, represented by unlucky lawyer Kevin, voiced by Will Forte, against corporate lawyer Buddy Krane, voiced by John Cena.
"Wildwood," directed by Travis Knight, who previously directed "Kubo and the Two Strings" (2016), is based on the trilogy by Colin Meloy, frontman of the band The Decemberists. It premieres worldwide on October 23, 2026, and in Russia on December 3, 2026. Twelve-year-old Prue McKeel of Portland watches her younger brother Mac get abducted by a flock of black crows led by a mysterious woman named Alexandra, and travels with her friend Curtis into an enchanted forest of talking animals to rescue him.
"The Cat in the Hat," directed by Alessandro Carloni and Erica Rivinoja, is the first feature-length adaptation of the Dr. Seuss classic and premieres worldwide on November 4, 2026. The Cat, voiced by Bill Hader, works as an agent for an institute devoted to developing imagination and is sent to cheer up siblings Gabby and Sebastian, who are struggling after moving to a new city, sweeping them into a strange fantastical world.
More animated releases in 2026
"Charlie the Wonderdog," a Canadian film directed by Shea Waigman, premiered worldwide on January 16, 2026, with a 7.5 Kinopoisk rating. Nine-year-old Danny loves imagining himself and his dog Charlie as superheroes, and his fantasies edge closer to reality when Charlie vanishes under mysterious circumstances and returns with powers granted by aliens. Together they must stop the neighbor's cat from seizing control of the world.
"Edge of Wonders," directed by Denis Chernov, known for the "Smeshariki" animated series and the film "Finnik" (2022), premieres in Russia on September 10, 2026. A shy young artist named Philip stumbles into a hidden world deep in the Siberian taiga governed by ancient magic, where he meets peaceful forest dwellers called imors. The idyll ends when careless human interference threatens to destroy the world, and Philip must do everything he can to save it and his new friends.
"The Angry Birds Movie 3," directed by John Rice, who also directed the first film in the franchise, premieres worldwide on December 10, 2026. The story follows a grown-up Red facing the challenges of parenthood alongside his usual world-saving duties, with friends Bomb and Chuck still by his side. The screenplay comes from Thurop Van Orman, who worked on the franchise's second film, and the filmmakers have promised to keep the series' signature humor and action while adding themes of family and growing up.
"Hexed," directed by Jason Hand, Josie Trinidad and Fawn Veerasunthorn, is a new Disney fantasy premiering worldwide on November 25, 2026. It follows Billie Dow, an impulsive teenager struggling to connect with her classmates, who discovers a powerful magical gift during a school incident that accidentally opens a portal to Hex, a hidden realm of witches. She and her mother, Alice, travel into this other dimension to uncover long-buried secrets about Billie's ancestors.
