The Lunar Chronicles Movie Trilogy: Everything We Know So Far

Fantasy and animation are a perfect match that, for whatever reason, Hollywood has yet to fully tap into. Sure, there are plenty of animated fairy tale movies; they used to be Disney's bread and butter, after all. However, when it comes to more serious, high fantasy animated films, they are severely lacking, with "The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim" being the rare exception (one that married the epic "Lord of the Rings" universe with anime).

This is not to say there aren't other examples, but they are rare enough that any announcement involving a new animated fantasy movie is exciting. Case in point, Warner Bros. Animation and Locksmith Animation are working to bring Marissa Meyer's best-selling book series "The Lunar Chronicles" to the big screen as a trilogy of animated features — and the first book already has a release date.

This is an interesting move on behalf of Warner Bros. Animation, which is additionally set to release the fantasy musical movie "Bad Fairies" from Megan Nicole Dong (who created the wonderful "Centaurworld"). It's also some much-needed encouraging news for the studio on the animation front, given the bad reputation Warner Bros. has earned after canning not one but two "Looney Tunes" features in recent years (both of which were then saved by Ketchup Entertainment).

In case you haven't heard of the original literary series by Marissa Meyer, "The Lunar Chronicles" is a six-book saga set where each story is essentially a retelling of a classic fairy tale — think "Cinderella" or "Snow White" — but with a science-fiction twist. These stories also take place in a futuristic universe — a setting full of cyborgs and assorted fantastical powers and abilities — where Earth and its former space colony Luna are in open conflict, even as they try to manage an ongoing pandemic.

As mentioned, each book re-imagines a different fairy tale. Because of this, they work as standalone stories while also crafting an overarching narrative that's all about overcoming tyranny and fighting oppression.

"The Lunar Chronicles" embodies the kind of storytelling that, in live-action, could easily look cheap or derivative. In animation, however, the only limit is that of the imaginations of the artists tasked with bringing it to life. Moreover, given we've never really gotten the proper "Fables" adaptation we deserved and "The Wolf Among Us" is still nowhere to be seen, "The Lunar Chronicles" has the chance to become the next big animated fairy tale franchise.

Now, this is where things go from intriguing to exciting. Directing the first "Lunar Chronicles" movie is Noëlle Raffaele (who worked as a story artist on "The LEGO Ninjago Movie"), drawing from a script stage writer Lindsey Ferrentino penned with Kalen Egan and Travis Sentell ("The Man in the High Castle"). "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse" producer Christina Steinberg is also on board to produce the upcoming adaptation.

What really makes the film interesting is that the press release makes mention of a legendary studio coming on board to help with the visuals. According to the release, "Visual effects and animation powerhouse Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) has boarded the project" to "further elevate the film's epic scale." That's right, the same ILM that's worked on so many major live-actions from the last 50 years and which just returned to animation in 2024 with the phenomenal one-two punch of "Ultraman Rising" and "Transformers One." Having ILM and its unique sensibilities on board is a great sign, as it has a live-action skillset and influence that can help set any animated project apart.

Indeed, it appears Warner Bros. Animation and Locksmith are intent on turning "The Lunar Chronicles" into something more than just a run-of-the-mill animated film, which is why they're bringing in people from unconventional backgrounds to work on it. Take acclaimed fashion designers Laura and Kate Mulleavy from the label Rodarte, who will be working on the movie's costume design, or Tony Award-winning stage designer Es Devlin, who is serving as a production designer along with "Rise of the Guardians" veteran Patrick Hanenberger. When an animated movie brings in people from outside the medium, it makes for a unique-looking film, and that approach makes "The Lunar Chronicles" sound promising.

Warner Bros. Animation intends to release the first "Lunar Chronicles" movie on November 3, 2028. The studio is also set to release "The Cat in the Hat," a new animated adaptation of the Dr. Seuss story (since there is a ban on live-action adaptations of his books) on February 27, 2026, followed by "Bad Fairies" on July 23, 2027. The film "Margie Claus," which originated as a proposed live-action movie, will additionally hit theaters that year on November 5, 2027.

After that, 2028 sees the release of another Seuss adaptation in the form of "Oh, the Places You'll Go!" on March 17, 2028, as well as the anticipated release of "Dynamic Duo" (the very first DC movie focused entirely on Robin) on June 30, 2028. (More accurately, "Dynamic Duo" is about two Robins in the shapes of Dick Grayson and Jason Todd.) This is one of the most exciting DC movies in the works, as it is set to be a mixture of computer animation, stop-motion, and live-action material. How any of that will work on the screen is anyone's guess, but it's a tantalizing prospect all the same.