May 28, 2021

Animated films and series to appear on Netflix, Disney+, HBO Max, Criterion Channel, and Apple TV+ in 2021/6

Welcome to our monthly guide to streaming animation.

We've rounded up the shows and films - new and old alike - coming to Netflix, Disney+, HBO Max, Criterion Channel, and Apple TV+ in June (in the U.S.). Fully animated and hybrid titles are included, as are documentaries about subjects related to animation.

Check out our six picks of the month, then scroll on down for the full list.

Wish Dragon. Boy and magical dragon - who's channeling more than a touch of Disney's genie - venture across Shanghai in this Sony-China co-production, which kicks off a rich month for animated film premieres on streaming. The feature is the first product of SPA's young international initiative, announced in 2019. Netflix acquired it mid-pandemic. (Netflix, June 11)

Luca. Home viewers are spoiled this month: Pixar's latest is the second made-for-theaters animated film to debut on streaming in as many weeks. Controversy over the release strategy notwithstanding, hopes are high for this Italy-set coming-of-age fantasy, the third straight original feature from the studio. The director is longtime Pixar story artist Enrico Casarosa. (Disney+, June 18)

America: The Motion Picture. The first original animated feature that Netflix announced (way back in 2017) is coming out at last. It happens to be R-rated, offering a darkly comic revisionist take on the nation's history. Channing Tatum stars; Archer exec producer Matt Thompson directs; Phil Lord and Chris Miller are among the producers. (Netflix, June 30)

Central Park. Apple TV+'s programming, animated and otherwise, remains paltry. Central Park, whose second season debuts this month, is a bright spot on the slate. The sitcom centers on a family who live in the eponymous New York park, following their struggles against land developers with sweet humor and songs aplenty. The show shares a studio (Bento Box) and creator (Loren Bouchard) with Bob's Burgers. (Apple TV+, June 25)

Super Friends. HBO Max continues to fill out its DC animation back catalogue by adding this, a surefire nostalgia boost for comic fans of a certain stripe. The Hanna-Barbera series, which is based on the Justice League comics, ran to many seasons (under various titles) between 1973 and 1985, and it's unclear exactly which will come to the platform this month. (HBO Max, June 18)

Aya of Yop City. Animation is criminally underrepresented in the Criterion Collection's physical media releases, but the Criterion Channel has been doing a considerably better job of representing both animated features and shorts. This month, the service will make available three European animated features, including this César-nominated effort from 2013 which adapts Marguerite Abouet's graphic novels set against the backdrop of 1970s Ivory Coast. Abouet co-directed the film with her husband, Clément Oubrerie, who illustrated the graphic novels. (Criterion Channel, June 23)

Image at top, left to right: “Luca,” “America: The Motion Picture,” “Aya of Yop City”