What will the future film output from studios look like post-COVID-19? That’s the question that doesn’t really have much of an answer right now. We know that some studios are beginning to ramp up production on films for the first time since March, but there are now strict regulations that are governing what can and can’t be done on a film set. This means crowd scenes, fight scenes, love scenes, and other close-contact portions of films are likely going to require some creativity to make happen. And for Sony, the studio is also looking at the realm of animation to help carry the load moving forward.
According to Kristine Belson, president of Sony Pictures Animation, Features and Series, who spoke at the Collision From Home conference (via Deadline), the executive expects that one area that is going to greatly change due to COVID-19 is the world of animated features. In fact, she expects that big-screen animated fare won’t just be for families moving forward.
“I don’t think you’re going to see more family animated movies because that’s very saturated,” Belson explained. “There will be more R-rated animated movies.”
She added, “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.”
While Belson didn’t elaborate on which R-rated animated features Sony is working on, the studio isn’t new to the adult-animated genre. In fact, back in 2016, Sony released Seth Rogen’s “Sausage Party,” which would go on to become a box office hit, especially considering its relatively small budget of only $19 million.
Most recently, the biggest success Sony’s animation division has experienced is the Oscar-winning film “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse,” which carries a PG rating, far from anything adult.
That being said, with studios having to adapt to new social distancing regulations for film sets, as well as issues with travel and the health of the cast and crew, in general, due to the pandemic, it’s clear that Sony is hoping that animated features can help fill a void. We’ll just have to see if adults are willing to give animated features a try when the genre has always been seen as geared towards children.