'Apollo 10 1/2' Touches Down at Netflix, Disney Draws up 'Sketchbook'

New animation offerings on streaming platforms remain remain scant this month, although there are some old favorites being dusted off and brought out for viewers to play with.

Headlining April’s premieres is Richard Linklater’s Apollo 10 1/2: A Space Age Childhood, a standout at last month’s SXSW which received strong reviews and touches down on Netflix today. Spreading out its new offerings, Netflix will also premiere the second season of its popular Ultraman reboot on April 14, before closing out the month with an April 28 launch of Samurai Rabbit: The Usagi Chronicles.

Disney’s animated title launches skew young with Bow-Toons: Party Palace Pals and Scrat Tales coming on April 6 and 13 respectively, but we’re most looking forward to Sketchbook, an instructional documentary series in which different Disney animation artists teach viewers how to draw. The show premieres on April 27.

HBO Max will host the U.S. premiere of Dodo, acquired by Warnermedia from Bristol-based Wildseed Studios in the U.K. The show will also broadcast on Cartoon Network in the U.S.

A note on the list: streamers often announce new animation releases mid-month. Our guide only catalogs what the streamers announce at the beginning of the month, but when possible we try to update the schedule if there are mid-month announcements. If there are other U.S. streaming services you’d like to see added to our line-up, share a comment below.

Here’s a look at the streaming animation release calendar for the month of April:

Netflix

Abby Hatcher S2 (series, Apr 1)
Apollo 10 1/2: A Space Age Childhood (hybrid feature, Apr 1)
Bakugan: Evolutions (series, Apr 1)
Beyblade: Burst Surge (series, Apr 1)
CoComelon S5 (series, Apr 1)
How To Train Your Dragon (feature, Apr 1)
Oddbods S3 (series, Apr 1)
Polly Pocket S5 (Series, Apr 1)
Puss in Boots (feature, Apr 1)
Shrek Forever After: The Final Chapter (feature, Apr 1)
The Nut Job (feature, Apr 1)
Tiger & Bunny: The Beginning (feature, Apr 1)
Tiger & Bunny: The Rising (feature, Apr 1)
Barbie It Takes Two (series, Apr 8)
Green Eggs & Ham S2 (series, Apr 8)
Tiger & Bunny S2 (series, Apr 8)
The Creature Cases (series, Apr 12)
Ultraman S2 (series, Apr 14)
Lego: City (series, Apr 15)
One Piece Film Z (feature, Apr 15)
Strawberry Shortcake Berry in the Big City (series, Apr 15)
LEGO Friends: Girls on a Mission S1-4 (series, Apr 16)
Battle Kitty (series, Apr 19)
Pacific Rim: The Black, S2 (series, Apr 19)
Komi Can’t Communicate S2 (series, Apr 27)
Bubble (feature, Apr 28)
Samurai Rabbit: The Usagi Chronicles (series, Apr 28)

Amazon Prime Video

Shrek Forever After (feature, Apr 1)
Do, Re & Mi – Birdie Bowl Concert Part 5 (feature, Apr 8)
Undone S2 (series, Apr 29)

Disney+

Bow-Toons: Party Palace Pals (series, Apr 6)
Scrat Tales (series, Apr 13)
Sketchbook (documentary series, Apr 27)

HBO Max

Surf’s Up 2: WaveMania (feature, Apr 1)
Close Enough, S3 (series, Apr 7)
Dodo (series, Apr 28)
Lamput, seasons 1-3 (series, Apr 28)

Peacock

Despicable Me (feature, Apr 1)
Despicable Me 2 (feature, Apr 1)
Joseph: King of Dreams (feature, Apr 1)
Megamind (feature, Apr 1)
Madagascar: A Little Wild S7 (series, Apr 4)
The Croods: Family Tree S2 (series, Apr 5)

Paramount+

The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water (feature, Apr 1)
PAW Patrol: Ready, Race, Rescue (feature, Apr 13)
Rugrats, 10 new episodes (series, Apr 15)
Alvinnn!!! and the Chipmunks, S4 (series, Apr 20)

Hulu

Shrek (feature, Apr 1)
Shrek 2 (feature, Apr 1)
Mushoku Tensei – Jobless Reincarnation S2 (series, Apr 3)
Madagascar: A Little Wild S7 (series, Apr 3)
The Croods – Family Tree S2 (series, Apr 5)
Monster Family 2 – Nobody’s Perfect (feature, Apr 5)

Apple TV+

Pinecone and Pony (series, April 8)
It’s the Small Things, Charlie Brown (special, April 8)

Images at top, left to right: “Apollo 10 1/2: A Space Age Childhood,” “Sketchbook,” “Pinecone and Pony”

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