While the last year hasn’t exactly been smooth sailing for the Walt Disney Company, 2024 and beyond is looking up. Disney is looking to make amends for animated movies that missed theatrical releases during the pandemic, with Turning Red and Luca hitting cineplexes, while also righting the ship with Marvel Studios after a string of sub-par performances. For all the superheroes and Jedi and new 20th Century Studio content that includes Xenomorphs, Na’vi, and talking apes, Disney’s flagship stories are still its family-friendly fare, and it has quite a bit of it on the way.

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1 Inside Out 2

An emotional sequel finally arrives

Inside Out was one of the biggest Pixar successes of the last 10 years, and one of the stronger films that wasn’t based on pre-existing characters (although I would happily argue for both Turning Red and Luca, too). The sequel to that popular coming-of-age story brings in a group of new emotions for Riley to deal with, including envy, embarrassment, ennui, and anxiety. It certainly sounds relatable.

2 Moana 2

This sequel will make waves in the fall

Another sequel — that’s going to be a common theme here — sees the return of the brave ocean-faring teenager Moana alongside demi-god Maui, played again by Dwayne Johnson. Also a producer, Johnson has been vocal about how important the world of Moana is to him, and how passionate he is about bringing his culture to the big screen.

3 Mufasa: The Lion King

An award-winning director takes on the iconic father

Disney

While a prequel to the Lion King about Simba’s father may seem like Disney is venturing to the intellectual property well one too many times, the fact Barry Jenkins is directing lends a great deal of respect and interest. The Oscar-winner has spoken about his love for Mufasa, and he looks to bring a great deal of passion and likely personal identity to the storied leader. I’m also curious to see how the innovative technology used in the first film to varying degrees of success might improve. Will the animals be able to actually sing and dance finally?

4 Snow White

The fair princess returns to the screen

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Rachel Zegler, who broke out in Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story, stars as one of Disney’s earliest and most beloved princesses. There’s a lot of, I’ll say, question marks surrounding how to bring this nostalgic and quite dated story up to acceptable modern times, and it’s going to take seeing it to really know for sure if it actually works. Still, Zegler is an immense talent and will surely bring a lot of emotion and agency to the famed princess.

5 Elio

Young boy meets aliens in an original tale

This is the first (and only) movie on this list that features a new story and characters we’ve never met before! Elio is described as an underdog with an active imagination, and one day he is beamed up into space where comedic misunderstandings take place. It’s giving Onward, Strange World, and Elemental vibes, as I anticipate immersive worlds full of colorful creatures await.

6 Moana

A live-lier take

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In addition to getting an animated sequel, Moana is also getting a live action remake with both Dwayne Johnson and Auliʻi Cravalho reprising their voice acting roles. While it does seem a little bit soon for a remake of a recent film that was beautiful and stirring, the catchy songs and dynamic visuals should make for a worthy retelling. Although, I’m not sure how they will make Hei Hei and the kakamora any more amusing.

7 Zootopia 2

Animals run amok again

Disney

One more sequel on the list, Zooptopia 2 arrives at the end of next year, presumably in part due to the success of the Disney+ anthology series based on the first film. The original was a clever take on the buddy-cop trope, and it boasted some compelling voice acting, including Idris Elba and J.K. Simmons. I’m just not so sure how many out there are excited to return to this world compared with other films on this list.

Disney+

Disney+ is a streaming platform providing content from Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, Nat Geo, and others, with multiple subscription tiers such as Basic with ads at $7.99 per month, a standard no-ads plan at $13.99 per month, and an annual no-ads subscription at $139.99.

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FAQ

Q: What about Disney movies with no release date?

Disney has announced several other films that are either in production or hoping to get rolling sometime soon, but they are without release dates. Robin Hood, Bambi, Hercules, Lilo & Stitch, and The Aristocats look to be getting live action adaptations, while a sequel to Cruella and an Aladdin spinoff with Billy Magnussen as Prince Anders has been reported.

In the animated world, Frozen 5 and Toy Story 3 are both anticipated, continuing stories in the respective successful franchises. All of it adds up to plenty of beloved and familiar characters (and maybe a few new ones) hitting the big screen in the coming months and years.