Araceli II

Araceli II is an upcoming American computer-animated fantasy comedy film produced by Sony Pictures Animation and Frenzy Animation. The sequel to 2019's Araceli, is scheduled to be released in the United States on August 18, 2023, delayed from an initial May 2022 date due to the COVID-19 pandemic, by Columbia Pictures. Set three years after the events of the first film, Araceli and her newfound friends receive a new quest where they must take a long journey to a mysterious village to recover a lost potion as a evil conqueror intends to overthrow Araceli's hometown.

Sony and Frenzy began developing a sequel to Araceli before the film's release in March 2019, with the writing and directing team attached. The sequel was officially announced a week after the first film was released and animation work began in January 2021.

Cast

 * Bella Thorne as Araceli, a Latina girl.
 * Elijah Wood as Harold, a teenage boy who is Araceli's boyfriend.
 * Tati Gabrielle as Regan, Araceli's good friend.
 * Benjamin Bratt as Burro, Araceli's father.
 * Carla Gugino as Lexa, Araceli's mother.
 * Minnie Driver as Kayla, Araceli's caretaker and mentor.
 * Tenoch Huerta Mejía
 * Whoopi Goldberg
 * Stephanie Beatriz
 * Eugenio Derbez
 * Madelaine Petsch
 * Wiz Khalifa
 * Ian McKellen

Production
On March 7, 2019, it was announced that a sequel to Araceli is in development with Henri Dosclz returning to direct from a screenplay by himself. On April 10, 2019, Sony Pictures Animation announced that the sequel is scheduled to be released on May 27, 2022, with Thorne reprising her role as Araceli. By November 1, the release date was pushed back again to July 15, 2022. In April 2020, the release date was pushed back once again, this time to April 14, 2023 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. On December 18, 2020, Darren Lemke and Pamela Ribon were announced as the film's new screenwriters alongside Dosclz. On August 3, 2021, the release date was moved back to March 31, 2023. On November 8, 2021, Elijah Wood expressed hope that he could reprise his role as Harold from the first film in the sequel. He later confirmed that he would be returning for the sequel a month later, along with Tati Gabrielle.

Music
Lorne Balfe confirmed in August 2021 that he would return from the previous film to compose the sequel's score.

Release
Araceli II is scheduled to be released in the United States on August 18, 2023, in premium large formats and IMAX. It was originally scheduled for May 27, 2022, before being pushed back to July 15, 2022. The film was delayed again to April 14, 2023, before being moved up to March 31, 2023. On September 16, 2022, the film's release was then delayed once more to August 18, 2023.

Marketing
A exclusive first look of the film, as well as the first 10 minutes of the film (albeit with unfinished animation) was shown at Sony's CinemaCon panel on April 25, 2022.

Home media
In April 2021, Sony signed deals with Netflix and Disney for the rights to their 2022 to 2026 film slate, following the films' theatrical and home media windows. Netflix signed for exclusive "pay 1 window" streaming rights, which is typically an 18-month window and included the sequel to Araceli; this deal built on an existing output deal that Netflix had signed with Sony Pictures Animation in 2014. Disney signed for "pay 2 window" rights for the films, which would be streamed on Disney+ and Hulu as well as broadcast on Disney's linear television networks.