Best Animated Films and Anime movies of 2012: Featuring the new trailer for Madagascar 3, and Beauty & Beast rerelease

For those that are familiar with usual preview hubs, I've taken the liberty of organizing them into different categories this year to better help my readers find the films that they wish to see better. In this new entry of preview hubs, we will be going over some of the animated films that are set to be released next year. Along with the cast, directorial, and writing credits listed, you'll also find a brief plot synopsis for each film as well, and some trailers. Granted, not all these films will have trailers, as some have yet to put one out, but I will be updating these preview hubs throughout the year until December 31, 2011, so be sure to check back later. Anyway, without further delay, lets get down to business with our listings of animated films and anime movies that are set to be released in 2012.

Please take note that release dates are subject to change, so be sure to check your local listings for details.

UPDATE #1: After the abysmal box office results of "Mars Needs Moms", Disney has officially pulled the plug on the remake of "Yellow Submarine." Although Robert Zemeckis (director of Yellow Submarine remake) did go on record to say that the film is being currently shopped around other studios for distribution, as the film is only in it's post production phase. However, there doesn't seem to be any bidders thus far for the project. Rest assured, I will be updating this hub if anything changes, and I apologize for the inconvenience.

On a lighter note though, Disney also announced recently that they would be re-releasing "Beauty and the Beast" next year in 3-D, due to the recent success of the "Lion King" being re-released in 3-D.

Directors: Gary Trousdale, Kirk Wise

Writers: Linda Woolverton, Roger Allers, Brenda Chapman, Burny Mattinson, Brian Pimental, Joe Ranft, Kelly Asbury, Chris Sanders, Kevin Harkey, Bruce Woodside, Tom Ellery, Robert Lence, Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont

Voice Cast: Paige O'Hara, Robby Benson, Richard White, Jerry Orbach, David Ogden Stiers, Angela Lansbury, Bradley Pierce, Rex Everhart, Jesse Corti, Hal Smith, Jo Anne Worley, Mary Kay Bergman, Brian Cummings, Alvin Epstein, Alec Murphy, Tony Jay, Kimmy Robertson, Kath Soucie, Frank Welker

Synopsis: Belle, whose father is imprisoned by the Beast, offers herself instead and discovers her captor to be an enchanted prince.

Release Date: January 13, 2012

Directors: Brenda Chapman, Mark Andrews

Writers: Brenda Chapman, Irene Mecchi

Voice Cast: Kelly Macdonald, Kevin McKidd, Emma Thompson, Robbie Coltrane, Billy Connolly, Craig Ferguson, Julie Walters

Synopsis: Set in Scotland in a rugged and mythical time, "Brave" features Merida, an aspiring archer and impetuous daughter of royalty. Merida makes a reckless choice that unleashes unintended peril and forces her to spring into action to set things right.

Release Date: June 22, 2012

Director: Eric Darnell

Writer: Noah Baumbach

Voice Cast: Ben Stiller, Jada Pinkett-Smith, David Schwimmer, Frances McDormand, Chris Rock

Synopsis: Alex the Lion, Marty the Zebra, Melman the Giraffe and Gloria the Hippo join a traveling circus in an effort to get back home to New York.

Release Date: June 8, 2012

Directors: Steve Martino, Mike Thurmeier

Writers: Michael Burg, Mike Reiss, Jason Fuchs

Voice Cast: Ray Romano, Queen Latifah, Dennis Leary, Josh Peck, John Leguizamo, Chris Wedge, Jeremy Renner, Nick Frost, Jennifer Lopez, Seann William Scott

Synopsis: As of right now, there's no official plot synopsis for this film. However, I will add it later to this hub once it becomes available. I do apologize for the inconvenience. However, it is set to be in 3-D though.

Release Date: July 13, 2012

Director: Tim Burton

Writers: Tim Burton, Leonard Ripps, John August

Voice Cast: Winona Ryder, Catherine O'Hara, Conchata Ferrell, Martin Short, Tom Kenny, Martin Landau, Robert Capron, Atticus Shaffer, James Hiroyuki Liao

Synopsis: When young Victor's pet dog Sparky (who stars in Victor's home-made monster movies) is hit by a car, Victor decides to bring him back to life the only way he knows how. But when the bolt-necked "monster" wreaks havoc and terror in the hearts of Victor's neighbors, he has to convince them (and his parents) that despite his appearance, Sparky's still the good loyal friend he's always been.

The film is essentially a stop motion black and white animated film set to be a remake of the original 1984 short of the same name. Tim Burton coincidentally was involved in that film as well.

Release Date: October 5, 2012

Directors: Chris Renaud, Kyle Balda

Writers: Ken Daurio, Cinco Paul, Dr. Suess

Voice Cast: Zac Efron, Danny DeVito, Taylor Swift, Ed Helms, Betty White, Willow Smith, Rob Riggle, Sherry Lynn

Synopsis: An environmentalist tries to save the forest from a greedy clothing manufacturer.

Based off the classic children's story by Dr. Suess.

Release Date: March 2, 2012

Director: Dan St. Pierre

Writers: Adam Balsam, Randi Barnes, Roger S. Baum, Barry Glasser

Voice Cast: Lea Michele, Hugh Dancy, Patrick Stewart, Dan Aykroyd, Kelsey Grammer, James Belushi, Oliver Platt, Megan Hilty, Martin Short, Betsy Roth, Tacey Adams, Michael Krawic

Synopsis: Back in Kansas, Dorothy Gale decides to return to Oz in order to help her friends.

Release Date: TBA 2012

Directors: Peter Lord, Jeff Newitt

Writer: Gideon Defoe

Voice Cast: Hugh Grant, Brendan Gleeson, Jeremy Piven, Brian Blessed, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Salma Hayek, Martin Freeman, David Tennant, Ashley Jensen, Imelda Staunton, Russell Tovey

Synopsis: Pirate Captain (Grant) sets out on a mission to defeat his rivals, Black Bellamy (Piven) and Cutlass Liz (Hayek),for the Pirate of the year Award. The quest takes the Captain and his crew from the shores of exotic Blood Island to the foggy streets of Victorian London.

Release Date: March 30, 2012

Directors: Peter Ramsey, William Joyce

Writers: William Joyce, David Lindsay-Abaire

Voice Cast: Hugh Jackman, Chris Pine, Jude Law, Isla Fisher, Alec Baldwin, Dakota Goyo

Synopsis: Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, the Tooth Fairy, Jack Frost and the Sandman band together to form a united front against the Bogeyman.

Release Date: November 21, 2012

Director: Rich Moore

Writer(s): N/A

Voice Cast: John C. Reilly, Jack McBrayer, Jane Lynch, Sarah Silverman

Synopsis: Wreck-It Ralph (voice of Reilly) longs to be as beloved as his game's perfect Good Guy, Fix-It Felix (voice of McBrayer). Problem is, nobody loves a Bad Guy. But they do love heroes... so when a modern, first-person shooter game arrives featuring tough-as-nails Sergeant Calhoun (voice of Lynch), Ralph sees it as his ticket to heroism and happiness. He sneaks into the game with a simple plan -- win a medal -- but soon wrecks everything, and accidentally unleashes a deadly enemy that threatens every game in the arcade. Ralph's only hope? Vanellope von Schweetz (voice of Silverman), a young troublemaking "glitch" from a candy-coated cart racing game who might just be the one to teach Ralph what it means to be a Good Guy. But will he realize he is good enough to become a hero before it's "Game Over" for the entire arcade?

Release Date: November 12, 2012

Directors: Chris Butler, Sam Fell

Writer: Chris Butler

Voice Cast: Leslie Mann, Anna Kendrick, John Goodman, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Casey Affleck, Jodelle Ferland, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Bernard Hill, Jeff Garlin, Tempestt Bledsoe, Elaine Stritch, Tucker Albrizzi

Synopsis: A misunderstood boy who can speak with the dead, takes on ghosts, zombies and moronic grown-ups to save his town from a centuries-old curse.

Release Date: August 17, 2012

Director: Hiromasa Yonebayashi

Writers: Mary Norton, Hayao Miyazaki, Keiko Niwa

Original Japanese Voice Cast: Mirai Shida, Ryûnosuke Kamiki, Shinobu Ohtake, Keiko Takeshita, Tatsuya Fujiwara, Tomokazu Miura, Kirin Kiki

UK Voice Cast: Luke Allen-Gale, Olivia Colman, Shin'ichi Hatori, Tom Holland, Phyllida Law, Geraldine McEwan, Mark Strong, Saoirse Ronan

U.S. Voice Cast: Will Arnett, Carol Burnett, Shin'ichi Hatori, David Henrie, Peter Jason, Amy Poehler, Saoirse Ronan

Synopsis: 14-year-old Arrietty and the rest of the Clock family live in peaceful anonymity as they make their own home from items "borrowed" from the house's human inhabitants. However, life changes for the Clocks when a human boy discovers Arrietty.

Release Date: February 17, 2012

Director: Genndy Tartakovsky

Writers: Dan Hageman, Kevin Hageman, David I. Stern

Voice Cast: Adam Sandler, Steve Buscemi, Andy Samberg, Kevin James, Molly Shannon, David Spade, Cee-Lo, Fran Drescher, Miley Cyrus

Synopsis: Dracula, who operates a high-end resort away from the human world, goes into overprotective mode when a boy discovers the resort and falls for the count's teen-aged daughter.

Release Date: September 21, 2012

Director: Tom Walsh

Writers: Jeffrey Delman, Tom Walsh

Voice Cast: N/A

Synopsis: When the mother of two kids has to go away on business trip , the kids are left to stay with their grandmother who lives in a fantasy world like no one has ever seen before.

Release Date: December 7, 2012

Director: Shannon McGee

Writers: Erik von Wodtke, Hal M. Williams

Voice Cast: N/A

Synopsis: The true story of Christmas from Dutch folklore.

Release Date: November 5, 2012

Director: Brent Dawes

Writer: Brent Dawes

Voice Cast: N/A

Synopsis: "An African Tale" is set to be the first CGI animated feature produced from Africa. Although very little information has been given out about the official plot for this movie, but Brent Dawes, along with his staff, continually persist this film will be a heartfelt story about Africa. One that will not only open the eyes of it's audience, but one that will heavily focus on the story aspect of how beautiful Africa is. Of course, once an official plot synopsis is released, then I will gladly post it up here shortly. I do apologize for the inconvenience.

Release Date: October 2012

Director: Barrett Esposito

Writer: David I. Stern

Voice Cast: Richard Gere, Luis Guzman, Chazz Palminteri, Danny Aiello, Lucie Arnaz, Cyndi Lauper, Paul Simon, Nick Swisher, Austin Williams, Alex Rodriguez, Reggie Jackson, Mark Teixeira, Joseph Gian, Yogi Berra, Joe Girardi

Synopsis: A young boy, Jack, is battling and undergoing treatment for cancer. A young girl helps Jack find his own unique, Yankee-filled fantasy. Jack travels through Yankee history from the past to the present with Henry as his guide.

Release Date: TBA 2012

Director: Tom Walsh

Writers: Tom Walsh, Adriana Walsh

Voice Cast: Melissa Leo, Maggie Wheeler, Joey D. Vieira, R. Martin Klein, Thomas Francis Walsh III, John DeMita, Jacqueline Lovell, Mark Lewis, Steven Memel, Keyna Darling, Wally Smojver

Synopsis: Family inherits an old house and to their surprise, finds the home filled with wonderful colorful creatures that brings the family together.

Release Date: February 16, 2012

Director(s): N/A

Writers: Avi Melman, Mallory Reaves, Michael Reaves

Voice Cast: Kellan Lutz, John Noble, Booboo Stewart, Xzibit, David Naughton, Kyle Hebert, Daisuke Suzuki

Synopsis: One thousand years ago, an ancient race of shape-shifters -- known as the Gurrn -- fought to protect their home from warring human invaders. When they were defeated, their souls became trapped between the Earth and the Moon, bringing a curse upon the city of Steelhenge. To this day -- on the eve of each full moon -- a werewolf menace plagues Steelhenge, terrorizing its citizens and shaking the city to its core.

In the present, a young man named Carson Stone is drawn to Steelhenge by a mysterious letter from the father who abandoned him as a child. Carson soon discovers his bloodline connection to the Gurrn and becomes embroiled in their fight. To protect the trapped and tortured souls from city leaders intent on harnessing their ancient powers for nefarious purposes, Carson teams up with three of his fellow werewolves -- and some even stranger allies -- only to discover that the humans may not be his only enemy.

Release Date: TBA 2012

Director: Callan Brunker

Writers: Cory Edwards, Bob Barlen, Callan Brunker, Tony Leech

Voice Cast: Jessica Alba, Brendan Fraser, Sarah Jessica Parker, James Gandolfini, Rob Corddry, Craig Robinson, Joshua Rush, Jonathan Morgan Heit, Tim Dadabo

Synopsis: The story takes place on planet Baab where admired astronaut Scorch Supernova (Brendan Fraser) is a national hero to the blue alien population. A master of daring rescues, Scorch pulls off astonishing feats with the quiet aid of his nerdy brother, Gary (Rob Corddry), head of mission control at BASA.

Release Date: TBA 2012

Directors: Bobby Ciraldo, Andrew Swant

Writers: Bobby Ciraldo, Andrew Swant, William Shakespeare

Cast: Bobby Ciraldo, Andrew Swant, Dustin Diamond, Robert Richard Jorge, Mark Metcalf, Majel Barrett, Mark Borchardt, Neil Hamburger, Michael Q. Schmidt, Leslie Hall, Sam Norman, Harmony Murphy, Xav Leplae, Laura Klein, David Robbins, Jerod Duris, Eric Gerber, Sarah Price, Eric Ziegeweid, Ayesha Mohan

Voice Cast: Trace Beaulieu, Kevin Murphy

Synopsis: Hamlet is an easily distracted prince who is not quite ready to do the task at hand. Challenged to kill his uncle Claudius by the ghost of his recently dead dad, Hamlet enthusiastically proceeds to do everything but. From practicing stage acting in the 1800s to producing a television drama in the 1950s, from dancing at the discotheque in the 1970s to culinary prankery in the distant future, Hamlet always manages to find something to distract himself from taking revenge for his father's murder. Shot entirely in front of a green screen, HAMLET A.D.D. features live-action characters in a colorful cartoon world.

Release Date: TBA 2012

Director: Ganit Orian

Writer: Ganit Orian

Voice Cast: Aylam Orian, Kay Ramczyk, Amiram Eini

Synopsis: 5 IVF embryos embark on a journey to find their mother.

Release Date: TBA 2012