Animals (2021 film)

Animals is an upcoming American animated comedy adventure action film directed by Pierre Coffin. It is produced by Sony Pictures Animation and distributed by Columbia Pictures. It stars an ensemble cast, featuring the voices of Colbi Shofler, Alayna Johnson, Gabriel Combs, and J.K. Simmons as the main roles.

The film is scheduled to be released theatrically in the United States on January 15, 2021.

Premise
Tom is a lion that is going to be the future king, but he doesn’t have what it takes to rule. His friends, Mary (Alayna Johnson) and Josh (Gabriel Combs) do whatever it takes to help him out. When a saber-toothed lion named Saber (J.K. Simmons) plots to destroy the Jungle, Tom and his friends must go on a journey to save the jungle before it is destroyed.

Voice Cast

 * Colbi Shofler as Tom, a lion who is the future King of the Jungle and has control issues. He is also friends with Mary and Josh.
 * Alayna Johnson as Mary, a Tiger who has a crush on Tom and loves action. She is also friends with Tom and Josh.
 * Gabriel Combs as Josh, a Bear who is bullied for his anxiety issues. He is also friends with Tom and Mary.
 * J.K. Simmons as Saber, a sabertooth lion who plots to destroy the Jungle in an act of vengeance for his dark past.
 * London Atkins as Dorky, a bullied porcupine who has a stutter.
 * Kyle Snow as Monkey, a monkey who loves peanut butter.
 * Lennon Richardson as Dino, a turtle who is bullied for being slow.
 * Dylan Bond as Bouncer, a frog who loves to bounce and is friends with Dino.
 * Niko Lovett as Rio, a parrot who loves to poop on other animals.
 * Kadence Lovett as Stallion, a unicorn who is enemies with Rio.
 * DJ Khaled as Stinker, a skunk who loves to spray people.
 * Kevin Hart as JoJo, a killer rabbit who is a prison guard.
 * Keanu Reeves as BonBon, a crab who is a prison guard.

Production
The film was officially announced in June 2017, with Coffin set to direct. The script was written in July, and the film was officially greenlit. In October, Colbi Shofler, Alayna Johnson, and Gabriel Combs were announced to have joined the cast as the lead roles, with J.K. Simmons announced as the villain the same month. London Atkins, Kyle Snow, Lennon Richardson, Dylan Bond, and Niko Lovett joined the cast in December. The film was delayed due to a script change. In June 2020, Kadence Lovett, DJ Khaled, Kevin Hart, and Keanu Reeves were announced to have joined the cast. Filming took place between July and August 2020. A trailer was released in November 2020, with the plot and title revealed.

Release
The film is scheduled to be released theatrically in the United States on January 15, 2021.

Future
The film is intended to set up a trilogy of films, but there were no sequels announced during production, and Coffin stated that “a sequel would depend on the success of the film”.