On the heels of Pixar announcing Toy Story 4 and last week’s release of Big Hero 6, Disney Animation Studios announced release dates for its 2016 animated films. The animal-caper Zootopia will hit theaters March 4th and their newest princess-film, Moana, will open November 26th, just in time for the holidays.
Zootopia is set in a fictional world of the same name and centers on a fast-talking fox trying to make it big, who has to go on the run when he’s framed for a crime. He meets a straight-laced police rabbit who reluctantly joins him to clear his name. The whodunnit is being directed by Byron Howard who co-directed Disney’s 2010’s hit, Tangled.
Moana focuses on a young Polynesian woman who sets sail for a legendary island with her hero, the demi-god Maui. That film is being directed by Ron Clements and John Musker, the guys who helped revive the studio’s animation department when they directed The Little Mermaid in 1989. Disney Animation has found its groove releasing its princess pictures in the fall. Their last two, Tangled and Frozen, both came out in November, and so they will look to repeat that success with Moana.