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| Author | Zoe Aresti |
DCM's Pete Troiano analyses the 2015 film slate, outlining what cinema has in store for family audiences this year, highlighting the key films to look out for.
It was a triumphant year for family films in 2014. Off the back of Despicable Me 2 being 2013’s highest grossing film, family titles continued to thrive, with titles such as The Lego Movie charming both adults and children alike. Enjoying significant critical and commercial success, it was 2014’s number one film, grossing just over £34m. Elsewhere, Hiccup and Toothless returned for the second instalment of How To Train Your Dragon, taking £25m and 8th position at the end of year box office, while a certain marmalade-loving bear arrived on our shores to a rapturous winter welcome and an extremely impressive haul of £28m (and counting). Two other titles broke the £10m mark in Rio 2 and Mr. Peabody & Sherman, while there were other strong performers such as The Boxtrolls and Muppets Most Wanted, in Kermit and the gang’s latest outing.
2015 is shaping up to be one of cinema’s most exciting years, with blockbusters across all genres scheduled for release throughout the year. And, looking at this year’s film slate, it’s safe to say that family films will once again be in rude health. First out the blocks this year is Big Hero 6, the latest Disney offering from the same team behind Frozen and Wreck It Ralph. Focusing on the relationship between inflatable robot Baymax and young Japanese prodigy Hiro Hamada, it’s already taken over $200m in the US and is released on 30 January.
Hot on its heels a week later on 7 February is Shaun the Sheep, another spin-off from the much loved Wallace and Gromit franchise. StudioCanal’s latest family gem comes off the back of Paddington’s incredible success, with Shaun deciding to take a day off work but getting a lot more wool-raising action than he bargained for. Both the previous Wallace & Gromit releases, The Curse of the Were Rabbit (2005) and Chicken Run (2001), grossed more than £30m, so hopes are high for Shaun’s big screen bow.
Aliens invade Earth on 20 March in Dreamworks’ Home 3D, searching for a new planet to call home, while the classic fairy tale Cinderella is given a reboot one week later with an all-star cast including Helena Bonham-Carter and Cate Blanchette. Rounding out the month on 27 March making a splash is Spongebob in the aptly titled Sponge Out of Water, who arrives in our world and clashes with a pirate over a stolen recipe. The first Nickelodeon film to get a sequel not based on the Rugrats, it comes ten years after the original film was released, meaning the long wait for Spongebob’s loyal fan base will soon be over.
With a strong mix of original titles, anticipated sequels and the return of some much loved, iconic characters, family audiences are in for something special both in these next few months and further on down the line, when treats such as Pixar’s Inside Out and the return of a certain yellow army hit our screens. Time to get excited!