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Johannesburg - You don’t have to be a rocket scientist - or a cunning supervillain - to understand why studios love animated movies. For one thing, they’re a merchandise money-pot, and for another they rake in loads at box offices around the world because they’re easy to translate into pretty much any language.
Which means we’re spoiled for choice when it comes to clever, funny, sweet and entertaining animations that are fun for the whole family.
Here’s our pick of animated movies on internet TV that you’ve probably never seen.
Coraline discovers a secret door in their new family home, with a dark secret behind it. Created by stop-motion genius Henry Selick, this is a must-see for animation fans!
Watch the trailer here:
Available on Showmax.
The voice talents of Helena Bonham-Carter and James Corden bring Julia Donaldson’s classic book to life. Pre-schoolers and parents alike will be enchanted by this beautiful, funny short film about a brave little mouse and a fearsome beast, which may or may not exist. The Gruffalo’s Child, the equally charming sequel, is also on Showmax.
Watch the trailer here:
Available on Showmax.
Julia Donaldson’s quirky story about a piece of wood called Stick Man won the Roald Dahl Funny Prize in 2008, and was adapted into this lovely short film, voiced by Martin Freeman and narrated by Jennifer Saunders. Share the magic of winter (especially after this week’s snowfall in the Cape) and Donaldson’s rhymes with your children.
Watch the trailer here:
Available on Showmax.
A young peregrine falcon, Kai (Jeremy Suarez), longs to escape to the bustling bird city of Zambezia, but his overprotective father Tendai (Samuel L Jackson) is determined to keep him safe from harm. This was the first feature-length film by South African Triggerfish Animation Studios.
Watch the trailer here:
Available on Showmax.
The Roald Dahl classic is given a mature spin here by Wes Anderson, and his muses Bill Murray, Willem Dafoe, Owen Wilson and Jason Schwartz join George Clooney and Meryl Streep in the list of talent. Mr Fox is bored with his domesticated life, and plots one more raid on the hen house to relive his life of crime - but it doesn’t go as planned.
Watch the trailer here:
Available on Netflix.
After finally defeating his greatest nemesis, evil genius Megamind decides to create a new good-guy enemy, without realising that he might be setting himself up to … heaven forbid … save the world. Listen out for the voices of some of today’s greatest comedians, including Will Ferrell, Tina Fey, David Cross, Ben Stiller and Jonah Hill.
Watch the trailer here:
Available on Netflix.
The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water
After watching Seasons 1 to 8 of the SpongeBob Squarepants series on Showmax, submerge yourself in a wacky underwater adventure with our favourite pineapple-dweller. SpongeBob is forced to team up with his archenemy to get the secret Krabby Patty formula back from the pirate (voiced by Antonio Banderas) who stole it.
Watch the trailer here:
Available on Netflix.
