Missed something from CinemaCon 2025? Check out the animated film highlights

From March 31 to April 3, major film studios brought highlights of their upcoming releases to CinemaCon 2025. Although the convention isn’t open to the public, many moviegoers followed the news from the event, held at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. It all added up to four action-packed days filled with announcements and sneak peeks at some of the year’s most anticipated films. Some presentations amped up the excitement — like Warner Bros. Animation teasing its upcoming slate with a surprise appearance by Bugs Bunny. That could mean another Looney Tunes movie is in the works — great news, if only we weren’t still thinking about what they did with Coyote vs. Acme and The Day The Earth Blew Up. Still, we found out that Meet the Flintstones and a new Tom and Jerry movie (?) are in development. Sony blessed us with new looks at the threequel Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse. Disney, meanwhile, finally dropped a trailer for Zootopia 2 — and there was much more.

Here's a roundup of the key animation highlights from Hollywood's biggest studios.

SONY – March 31

Sony confirmed that Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse will hit theaters on June 4, 2027. Attendees were treated to a teaser for the final chapter of the trilogy.

Although no footage from Goat was shown, the studio unveiled several pieces of concept art. The film is said to feature an animation style reminiscent of Spider-Verse. Goat follows the story of Will Harris, an anthropomorphic “underdog” basketball player striving to make it into the big leagues of animal sports.

Sony also announced that it has acquired the worldwide theatrical rights to Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc, which is set to premiere in U.S. theaters on October 29.

LIONSGATE – April 1

Lionsgate revealed that an anime-style John Wick prequel is in the works, with Keanu Reeves on board to reprise his role as the iconic hitman. The studio says the film is part of a broader franchise expansion. Shannon Tindle — known for co-writing and directing Ultraman: Rising — is attached to direct, while Vanessa Taylor, acclaimed for The Shape of Water, will write the screenplay.

WARNER BROS. – April 1

Warner Bros. Pictures Animation showcased an unfinished trailer for Dr. Seuss’s The Cat in the Hat animated film, with Bill Hader voicing the titular feline. As part of its expanding “Seussiverse,” the studio also announced that Oh, the Places You’ll Go! is set to be released on March 17, 2028.

Audience members were treated to early glimpses of the reboots Meet the Flintstones and Emily the Strange. On the original projects front, Locksmith Animation is behind The Lunar Chronicles, based on Marissa Meyer’s bestselling novels, and Bad Fairies, a musical comedy about a badass gang of fairies in present-day London. Another musical comedy, Margie Claus, marks Melissa McCarthy’s first animated feature. Last but not least, the studio offered a first look at Dynamic Duo, a Batman spinoff centered on Jason Todd and Dick Grayson.

Rumors swirled on social media and entertainment websites suggesting that WB had announced updates on Looney Tunes and Tom and Jerry movies. However, that seemingly turned out to be speculation — maybe an April Fools’ prank, or perhaps just more WB write-offs. Who knows?

UNIVERSAL – April 2

On the third day of CinemaCon, attendees got a first look at the new trailer for The Bad Guys 2. According to those who saw it, a gang called the Bad Girls is joining the team — but the partnership might not be what it seems.

Unfortunately, no trailer for The Super Mario Bros. Movie 2 was shown. Still, Universal’s President of Domestic Theatrical Distribution, Jim Orr, teased: “Expect more thrills, laughs, and mayhem from these beloved Mario characters.”Alright — we can’t wait!

PARAMOUNT – April 3

CinemaCon audiences were treated to a new trailer for Smurfs, but honestly, there’s not much more to say beyond what we already saw last time. And yep — the Smurf Influencer is still there!

Tom Kenny, the voice of SpongeBob, and Mark Hamill, who voices the Flying Dutchman, took the stage to present the first footage from The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants, which is being described as a coming-of-age story.

Paramount didn’t unveil a trailer for the upcoming Avatar animated film, but they did reveal its official title: The Legend of Aang: The Last Airbender. It’s set to hit theaters on January 20, 2026. Hyped!

As for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem 2, the film got a brief mention — but unfortunately, no new updates were shared.

DISNEY – April 3

The final day of CinemaCon came with high expectations — it was time for the House of Mouse to take the stage with a flurry of announcements and updates. While the studio did showcase footage from its most anticipated live-action projects, like The Fantastic Four: The First Steps, only two animated titles were highlighted.

Disney unveiled an exclusive sneak peek at Elio, the only original Pixar movie this year, and released a brand-new trailer for Zootopia 2. From what we saw, Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde seem to be struggling as partners — so much so that they end up in partner therapy.

That same day — though not as part of CinemaCon — reports emerged that Disney had put the live-action Tangled remake on hold. Could this signal a slowdown in the live-action remake trend? The answer might be “yes” — and for many animation fans, that wouldn’t be bad news at all. Thoughts?