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The holiday period is finally here. After a busy 2024, we're getting ready to slow down and embrace the most wonderful time of the year. For cinemagoers and TV fans, this period will include a lot of exciting films and shows to check out, with the main theme of the month seemingly being awesome animation. So, with plenty to look ahead toward, let's dive into the final episode of Screen Time for 2024.
Before we do, one last quick reminder. We've based our choices on a UK release calendar, so be sure to check locally for accurate listings and information.
Star Wars has had an unusual year following The Acolyte arriving and facing criticism and Star Wars Outlaws being in a similar boat. The Lucasfilm sci-fi franchise will be sounding off the year with one final project, with this being an adventure revolving around a cast of young stars as they attempt to travel across the galaxy and return to their homes, all with the aid of a mysterious former Jedi played by Jude Law.
Richard Curtis has become quite synonymous with the Christmas period thanks to the immortal Love Actually, but this year the British filmmaker is looking to add some depth to his festive filmography with the animated flick That Christmas. This film is based on Curtis' own children's book and explores what happens when a mega snowstorm hits the small town of Wellington-on-Sea and throws everyone's Christmas plans into disarray.
The inaugural offering for the James Gunn-led DC Universe. Creature Commandos is an animated series with a supernatural Suicide Squad-like setup. It sees a collection of villains being forced to complete an incredibly dangerous mission all under the orders of Viola Davis' Amanda Waller. With a stacked cast, including the likes of Anya Chalotra, Alan Tudyk, David Harbour, Maria Bakalova, Indira Varma, Frank Grillo, and more, DC fans won't want to miss this one.
One of Netflix's biggest new series for the month of December. Black Doves stars Kiera Knightley as a former spy and espionage agent forced back into the spotlight and being targeted after her secret lover is assassinated. This leads Ben Whishaw's operative and former colleague of Knightley's Sam to step in and serve as protector while determining who wants her dead.
Amy Adams is back on the big screen this December in a comedy flick about a stay-at-home mom whose life takes a turn into the unexpected when she begins experiencing animalistic inhibitions. Nightbitch is perhaps one of the most literally named films of the year, as the film explores how Adams' character turns into a female dog during the night and how that transition creeps into her regular life during the day.
One of a couple of video game adaptations this December. Prime Video's Secret Level is an anthology series that revolves around a collection of different gaming IPs. Between Warhammer, God of War, Concord, Pac-Man, Dungeons & Dragons, Sifu, The Outer Worlds, Spelunky, Honor of Kings, Armored Core, and more, this series will present unique video game stories in a short anthology format.
It is seeming ever likely that Inside Out 2 will go down as the year's biggest film, and this is what makes the arrival of Disney+'s Dream Productions all the more exciting. This animated spinoff series revolves around Paula Persimmon and her team of daydreamers as they make their impact on host Riley and cause havoc for the emotions running her conscience.
One of the most exciting The Lord of the Rings projects we have seen in years. The War of the Rohirrim is an anime-styled movie that explores the infamous battle between the Riders of Rohan and the Dunlending lord that is seeking vengeance for his murdered father. This movie is set almost 200 years before the events of the main trilogy and stars a stacked cast (and some returning faces), including Brian Cox, Christopher Lee, and Miranda Otto.
We won't lie, the odds are stacked against this film's favour. Following a slate of really underwhelming Sony Spider-Verse live-action flicks, which in 2024 have included Madame Web and Venom: The Last Dance, Aaron Taylor-Johnson will now be tasked with bucking the trend and delivering a project that surprises and impresses in Kraven the Hunter. This flick revolves around the famed villain that recently appeared in Marvel's Spider-Man 2, and explores how he transitioned from an innocent child to a ruthless killer.
It was only earlier this year that director Luca Guadagino debuted the amazing Challengers, but in December the filmmaker will be showing off his next project. Known as Queer, this movie sees Daniel Craig as a GI living in Mexico City who becomes infatuated with an expatriate college student played by Drew Starkey. Following his acclaimed effort earlier this year, there will be high expectations on this drama flick.
There's no better way to enjoy a holiday period, which often sees many flocking to airports to embark on vacations or to return home, than to enjoy a thriller about a TSA agent being blackmailed into letting a dangerous package slip through security. Carry-On will star Taron Egerton as this individual in a film that will no doubt be crammed with lots of stress and nerve-wracking moments.
A true titan among men. The amazing folk over at Aardman will be celebrating a second December in a row with a brand-new major film. Following Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget in 2023, 2024 will be known as the year that Feathers McGraw returns to haunt Wallace & Gromit in the anticipated Vengeance Most Fowl. Coming to UK cinemas and UK TV provider BBC first, the movie will be getting a wider global release in January.
You didn't ask for it but Disney delivered it all the same. After the record-breaking theatrical run of The Lion King, the production giant has decided to delve into the origin story of Simba's father Mufasa, in a prequel that uses the same live-action-like animation technique as the remake. While there are many new stars joining this cast, there are some returning faces too, including Donald Glover, Beyonce, Seth Rogen, Billy Eichner, John Kani, and more.
The last Marvel Studios project for the year of 2024 will see the company's animation division tested once again. The alternative universe anthology series will be back for its third and final season this December on Disney+, with plans to debut the entire season before the year's end. Yep, if you've been dying to know how The Watcher and Strange Supreme will save the multiverse from Ultron, you'll be able to catch new episodes on a daily basis from December 22.
The musical biopic space is expanding in December when the story of Robbie Williams' life is told in a theatrical format. Better Man is an unusual biopic however as it sees the popstar and former Take That member replaced by a CGI monkey, who goes through the ringer and rigmarole of adapting to a life as a major global celebrity.
The second video game adaptation and the last thing we're highlighting on this episode of Screen Time takes us back into the live-action world of Sonic the Hedgehog. The anticipated third flick in the series introduces the beloved and famed Shadow the Hedgehog as the next thorn in Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles' sides, with the trio also tasked with stopping Dr. Eggman and another Dr. Eggman...?
That wraps up another year of Screen Time. Be sure to return in January when we look at what the first month of the New Year is bringing to film and TV fans.