Want to know what animated films are coming in 2008? Check out my handy-dandy list for synopses and release dates.

It's 2008, and the major Hollywood studios are gearing up for another year at the movies.

After the Great CGI Glut of 2006, this year promises to be a relatively slow one in animated film. There are some studios that either aren't releasing any animated flicks this year, or are keeping them firmly under wraps.

Sony Animation, after unleashing Open Season in '06 and Surf's Up in '07, appears to be staying out of the animated game this year. Warner Bros. has also stayed silent on the animation front after their Oscar win for 2006's Happy Feet. Imagi, after their surprising splash with last year's TMNT, is laying low this year while they prepare two films (Gatchaman and Astro Boy) for a 2009 release.

So, unless a foreign animated film goes large (a la Persepolis) or an independent movie hits the jackpot, 2008 is looking to be a quiet year for animated flicks.

Here's a quick run-down on the movies that are coming out this year, and their release dates.

January 11 - The Pirates Who Don’t Do Anything: A VeggieTales Movie (Universal)

The Veggie Tales, an animated series with an implicitly Christian vibe, is hitting the big screen with The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything.

Here's the official synopsis, taken from the website: "From the creators of 2002's wildly successful Jonah: A Veggie Tales Movie comes a new story of heroism in the beloved Veggie Tales world, The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything. Now, we follow the the comic misadventures of three animated veggie pals who reluctantly set sail for adventure and discover that real heroes don't have to be tall, strong, handsome . . . or even human.

"Garrr! Working at the Pieces of Ate dinner theatre is less than exciting when you're a busboy. For three moping misfits -- Elliot, Sedgewick and George (Larry the Cucumber, Mr. Lunt and Pa Grape) all they dream of is the day they can ditch their dishrags and take the stage to star in the big pirate show.

"But with Elliot's timidity, Sedgewick's laziness and George's lack of self-confidence, it seems as if the day to prove who they really are will never come . . ."

There hasn't been a lot of massive promo for this flick but check out this very silly (and I mean that in the best way possible) tune, that pretty much gives you the pirates' life philosophy. "I've never kissed a chipmunk . . ." Indeed.

March 14 - Dr. Seuss’ Horton Hears a Who! (Twentieth Century Fox)

Theodore "Dr. Seuss" Geisel's classic stories have had a rough ride in Hollywood since 1967's The Grinch Who Stole Christmas, which was directed by Chuck Jones and narrated by Boris Karloff. Ron Howard's live-action Grinch was an embarrassing mess and the less said about Mike Myers in The Cat in the Hat, the better. It seems that, in its attempt to be too cool for the room, Hollyweird loses the giddy freshness and heart that made Geisel's books classics with the under-12 set.

Although Fox/Blue Sky is definitely getting the look of Geisel's art onscreen, this flick is hobbled by the horrendous miscasting of Jim Carrey as the titular Horton. Can the manic Carrey accurately portray the slow-witted, sincere Horton? Not if the previews and trailers are any indication. It's a shame because the rest of the voice cast (Steve Carell, Ian McShane, Carol Burnett, etc.) is absolutely top-notch.

June 6 - Kung Fu Panda (Paramount/DreamWorks)

DreamWorks Animation is switching things up this year by releasing their original script movie during the summer blockbuster period, instead of the less-stressful November zone. Hopefully this is a sign of their faith in Kung Fu Panda.

Certainly the film looks very good, and DreamWorks has assembled an all-star cast (Jack Black, Angelina Jolie, Lucy Liu, Dustin Hoffman, Jackie Chan) to voice the story of six martial arts masters who must turn a lazy panda into a mighty warrior. However, all-star casts have often been the downfall of animated movies (Sinbad and The Ant Bully, to name just two) in the past. Quite often, studios will hire a star solely for their star power, and not whether they can convey a character using their voice alone. Will anyone pay just to hear Jackie Chan's voice, minus his kung funny stunts?

Other than the Shrek franchise, no DreamWorks Animation movie has ever crossed the $200 million mark. Will Kung Fu Panda break that streak? Stay tuned.

June 27 - WALL-E (Disney/Pixar)

Even though it's not coming out for another 6 months, many critics are short-listing this film as a must-see in 2008. Like Walt Disney in the 1940's, Pixar is pushing the boundaries of what can be shown in a Hollywood animated movie and, unlike Disney's wartime output, audiences are more-than-willing to go along for the ride.

Ratatouille was a gutsy entrant in the "talking animals" genre, and it eventually became one of the sleeper hits of 2007. Writer/director Andrew Stanton (Finding Nemo) is now bringing the original tale of the last robot on Earth to the big screen, and he deserves top marks for chutzpa if nothing else. How many other films released this year will feature almost no dialogue, and no human characters, for the first 1/3 of the film? There's also a not-so-subtle environmental message in this flick, just to piss off the Rabid Right.

It doesn't hurt that WALL-E features quite possibly the cutest robot since R2-D2 hit the silver screen. If this movie lives up to the buzz generated by the previews and online promo, Pixar may have yet another hit on their hands.

On the other hand, audiences may decide that WALL-E is too high-brow for their taste, and go see Kung Fu Panda instead.

November 7 - Madagascar: The Crate Escape (Paramount/DreamWorks)

The original Madagascar was a moderate hit, borne more by the antics of a pack of paramilitary penguins than by the stars themselves (David Schwimmer, Ben Stiller, Jada Pinkett-Smith, and Chris Rock). The Crate Escape will probably feature more of those wacky penguins, even though the official synopsis features Alex the Lion, Gloria the Hippo, Marty the Zebra and Melman the Giraffe getting off Madagascar and onto the African continent. Much hijinks, including a lot more agonizing over the fact that lions are supposed to eat giraffes, presumably ensue.

DreamWorks will really have to knock one out of the park to justify this sequel. If the script for The Crate Escape is a substantial improvement over the original, then we'll have ourselves a winner. If not, then this sequel may be dead on arrival.

The one thing working in DreamWorks' favour is that the competition in November '08 is not that strong. Which brings us to . . .

November 26 - Bolt (Disney)

This movie has had a well-publicized, and troubled, history. Originally titled American Dog, the flick was the follow-up for acclaimed director Chris Sanders (Lilo and Stitch). After Sanders and Lasseter clashed over creative direction, Sanders was pulled off the flick and eventually left the Disney lot (he's now at DreamWorks). Lasseter handed the project over to Disney veteran script doctor Chris Williams (Mulan, The Emperor's New Groove). He turned it into the story of a television dog who actually believes he has super-powers before getting abandoned in New York City.

The online buzz is fairly negative so far, but many animation pundits are taking a wait-and-see attitude. The script has potential, and Walt Disney Animation is starting to get their game back after the Eisner years, but the presence of John Travolta in this movie (he voices the titular dog) has many worried. The actor has as many stinkers as hits on his resumé, and it's a real toss-up as to whether Bolt is one or the other.

December 19 - The Tale of Despereaux (Universal)

This is the big screen adaptation of Kate DiCamillo's Newbery Medal-winning novel about a mouse who falls in love with a human princess. Dustin Hoffman, Emma Watson (Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix), Matthew Broderick, Sigourney Weaver, Robbie Coltrane and Christopher Lloyd voice various characters, with Broderick taking on the titular mouse and Watson voicing the princess.

Certainly the initial story is solid (they don't hand the Newbery Medal out to just anyone), but it's a question of how faithful Universal plans to be with the story. Of course, the dreaded "all-star cast" syndrome is rather worrying but at least they're going with stars with established stage and screen chops.

The behind-the-camera staff is fair to slightly-worrying: director Sam Fell worked on Flushed Away, co-director Gary Ross has Seabiscuit and Pleasantville to his credit, while scribe Will McRobb wrote the script for Alvin and the Chipmunks.