Sony says COVID-19 will lead to a boom in R-rated animated movies
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Kristine Belson, president of Sony Pictures Animation, has said that she believes there will be a boom in animated titles aimed at older audiences as a result of the coronavirus crisis.
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Speaking at the Collision From Home virtual conference on Thursday (June 2), Belson said that the challenges of filming during the pandemic have led to production companies placing a greater emphasis on animated titles.
“I don’t think you’re going to see more family animated movies because that’s very saturated,” Belson said, according to Deadline. “There will be more R-rated animated movies.”
Although Sony have not released an animated film aimed at adults, Belson revealed: “There are a couple we’re working on and we’re really excited about releasing our first one. I think you’re going to see PG-13 animated movies, which is something you haven’t seen before. Harder action-adventure sort of stuff.”
Sony Pictures Animation have released 19 films since their first, 2006’s Open Season, all of which have been family-oriented. They include Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs, the Hotel Transylvania franchise, and the universally-panned The Emoji Movie.
2018’s Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse is considered the studio’s biggest success to date, receiving critical acclaim and winning Best Animated Feature Film at both the Golden Globes and The Academy Awards in 2019. A sequel is planned for 2022.
The next Sony Pictures Animation movie will be the science-fiction comedy Connected, starring Abbi Jacobson, Maya Rudolph and Danny McBride, which concerns an uprising of tech appliances. It’s due to be released this year on October 23.
