[UPDATED] (Very) Early Oscar Predictions for Best Animated Feature

I know most animated films scheduled for this year haven't even been released yet, but I think it'll be fun to make some predictions based on what we know of each film and weigh up their chances of receiving a nod next year for the next Oscar ceremony. So, without much further ado, here are my (very) early predictions for next year's Academy Awards.

Rio 2 Trailer: Into the Wild

Back in 2011, Rio told the story of the unable-to-fly macaw Blu getting lost in Rio de Janeiro and having to survive in the hostile environment. But the sequel's latest trailer reveals that Rio 2 will go out of the city, as most of the plot will apparently take place in the jungle; that doesn't mean things will be any easier for Blu though, now father of three baby birds.

Watch the new trailer after the jump.

First Look: Bright New Stills from Rio 2

USA Today have got a sneak peek at the next film from Munir's favourite studio, Blue Sky. Rio 2, a sequel to the 2011 hit starring Jesse Eisenberg and Anne Hathaway, flies into cinemas next year (this, unlike The Good Dinosaur and Minions hasn't been pushed back yet); we've seen a few teaser trailers for the Sambaing sequel, but this is our first proper look at the film's returning and expanded cast of characters.

This Week on A113Animation (29th July - 4th August, 2013)

While no life altering developments happened this week, we still had some pretty exciting news, Blu-ray announcements, teaser trailers and more. And of course we got the latest features, one guest review and the latest podcast episode. Check out the full breakdown of this mildly busy week.

New Teaser Trailer for Rio 2

Blue Sky Studios and Fox just released a new teaser trailer for Rio 2, their next animated installment due for release next year. While no real footage is included, the new teaser emphasizes the colorful and playful tone that was prevalent in the original film matched with some catchy music.

Watch: Another Rio 2 Teaser Trailer

Well, this is a little curious. Despite already having released a musical teaser for Rio 2 back in May, Yahoo! Movies have got another teaser for the Blue Sky Studios sequel, due next year. This latest teaser again focuses on the film's rhythmic sensibilities, this time having various animals belting out "Memories" from Cats.

The film doesn't look like it's going to set the world on fire with innovation, but it looks fun, and if director Carlos Saldanha and co. can recapture the same toe-tapping light-heartedness the first film had, Rio 2 should be an entertaining romp.

The film rolls out internationally on 20th March, 2014, before opening in the UK on 4h April and State-side on 11th.

[UPDATED] Watch: Portuguese Teaser for Rio 2

Blue Sky Studios' 8th feature film, Epic (directed by Chris Wedge), is in cinemas on 24th May, so the Ice Age studio is looking towards the future, as they've put together a musical teaser for their upcoming sequel, Rio 2, which appears to have leaked online early - in Spanish Portugese (my ignorance has been pointed out. It's actually Portuguese, not Spanish)!

Fox at CinemaCon: Dragon 2, Peabody, Epic, Peanuts and More!

Disney had a very packed showing at CinemaCon this week, splashing details and footage from their Star Wars, Marvel and Pixar properties (although very little from their own animated films), but 20th Century Fox weren't slouching with the promotion for their own powerful animation stable either.

Rio 2 Cast and Crew Revealed; Due for 2014

Blue Sky Studios, who will release Epic later this year, return to sequels in 2014, with a follow up to their 2011 Brazilian-bird film, Rio. Yesterday, details of the film's voice cast were revealed in a press release by the studio's parent company, Fox.

The original voice cast are returning, which includes Jesse Eisenberg, Anne Hathaway and will.i.am; added to the cast are Kristin Chenoweth (Pushing Daisies), Bruno Mars, Amandla Stenberg (The Hunger Games) and Pierce Gagnon (Looper), amongst others. Carlos Saldanha is returning to direct, as are producers Bruce Anderson and John C. Donkin. Sergio Mendes and John Powell are also returning to handle the film's music.

Blue Sky get a lot of flack sometimes - it is a fair point that they should stop casting bloody singers in their films - but Rio was a really good and really fun film, and with almost all of the original crew returning, I have no doubt the sequel can be just as good.

In terms of a release date "Twentieth Century Fox's international rollout begins March 20, 2014, followed by its domestic release on April 11, 2014".

Turbo, Rio 2, Cloudy 2 and More At the Licensing Expo

Yesterday we posted the first look at Blue Sky Studios' upcoming animated feature, Epic, out of this year's Licensing Expo, however it seems we overlooked lots of others. /Film and comingsoon.net bring us some other great first looks, posters and promotional material for upcoming animated films.

Firstly, (top) we have our first look at DreamWorks' Turbo, which follows "an ordinary garden snail who dreams of becoming the fastest snail in the world". While I was greatly looking forward to this film, I'm somewhat more cautious now. The animation is very bright and vibrant, and it looks like a lot of fun; but it also looks very goofy, and the main character is dangerously close to pulling the "DreamWorks face" (see above). I also found a recently released poster for the film (top), which does nothing to allay my fears.

We also get posters for a lot of sequels. Including Blue Sky's Rio 2 (above), Sony's Cloudy 2: Revenge of the Leftovers (above) and The Smurfs 2 (below) and Illumination Entertainment's Despicable Me 2 (below - we actually got a large display for this one). All of what we see for these films, though, gives us nothing new; it merely displays a '2' and the characters from the original - I suppose Cloudy 2 gives us a subtitle...

I loved Rio and Despicable Me - they were both phenomenal - but, at this point, I'm not really that excited to see sequels. I'm sure they'll be handled well, but I'm going to need some more details before I invest in the projects. I haven't seen, and don't particularly want to see, The Smurfs and have zero interest in a sequel. However, the one I'm particularly excited for is Cloudy 2. Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs was a surprise hit, it was a lot, lot better than the advertising led us to think it would be - and Sony Pictures Animation will presumably handle a sequel well.

And finally, we get another poster (above) for Sony's impending release, Hotel Transylvania.

Turbo is released on 19th July, 2013 (US) and 18th October, 2013 (UK); Rio 2 will premiere in Brazil on 28th March and on 4th April, 2014 worldwide; Cloudy 2 is due for release on 14th February, 2014; Despicable Me 2 is due on 28th June, 2013 (UK) and 3rd July (US); The Smurfs 2 will be in cinemas on 31st July 2013; finally, Hotel Transylvania is out much sooner, on 28th September (US) and 12th October (UK), of this year.

All release dates are via IMDb and are correct at the time of publishing.