Last year was Disney’s big 100th anniversary, but their animated offering for 2023, Wish, debuted to a very mixed reception.
That wasn’t the only place the studio lost money and goodwill—it was a very bad year for them in general, with everything from The Marvels to Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny underperforming. Maybe their 101st year will work out a bit better? Let’s see what Walt Disney Studios is offering up to theater-goers in 2024.
May 31, 2024 – Young Woman and the Sea
The movie has emerged from development hell (development originally began at Paramount all the way back in 2015) to tell the story of Gertrude Ederle, an Olympic swimmer and the first woman ever to swim across the English Channel. Star Wars‘ Daisy Ridley will play Ederle, and former Doctor Who star Christopher Eccleston will play her trainer Jabez Wolffe.
The film was originally slated for a Disney+ release, but it was shifted to theatrical after positive test screenings.
June 14, 2024 – Inside Out 2
Finally, we’re getting the sequel to Pixar’s 2015 hit Inside Out. We return to the emotions inside young Riley’s mind—Joy, Anger, Sadness, Fear, and Disgust—but now that Riley is a teenager some new ones are coming along. Anxiety, Envy, Embarrassment, and Ennui are among them. And well, we’ve all been there. Expect some touching truths about growing up.
July 26, 2024 – Deadpool and Wolverine
The big Marvel movie this year. Wait… the only Marvel movie this year? Yep, this is a rare year where we get only one cinematic MCU offering. (The year’s other movies starring Marvel characters including Kraven the Hunter and Venom: The Last Dance are coming out of Sony.) Deadpool and Wolverine looks like it’ll have the power of at least three movies, though. We get Deadpool, we get Wolverine (obviously), we get a whole gang of X-Men, we get explosions and blood splatter, and even after that, there’s more! What surprises will be greeting audiences on opening day? Sit down with your gleefully crude popcorn bucket and find out.
September 6, 2024 – Untitled Disney Movie
What is this mysterious movie set to arrive in September?! 9/6/24 was the date set for MCU movie Blade back in 2022—but as we all know, that film has yet to materialize. Some Redditors over on r/boxoffice think there’s a chance Disney will drop its live-action Lilo and Stitch, which already has its cast, on that date, releasing it in cinemas instead of on Disney+ like planned.
Whatever it ends up being, it’ll be opening opposite Warner Bros’ long-awaited Beetlejuice Beetlejuice.
November 29, 2024 – Moana 2
This one was a big surprise! Disney unexpectedly dropped an announcement in early February. Before that, we all thought we were getting a Moana TV series ahead of 2025’s live-action Moana remake, but nope, it’s a movie! The plot is being kept firmly under wraps for now, but we do know it’ll be about Moana journeying “to the far seas of Oceania and into dangerous, long-lost waters for an adventure unlike anything she’s ever faced.”
Both the main actors will be back to reprise their roles: Auli’i Cravalho will return as Moana and Dwayne Johnson will lend his voice to Maui once more.
December 20, 2024 – Mufasa: The Lion King
Say what you will about the Disney live-action movies, but they make a lot of money. And that’s most certainly what Disney was thinking of when they greenlit Mufasa, a prequel to the live-action version of The Lion King. Reactions to the 2019 movie were … mixed, let’s say. But this one is being directed by Moonlight’s Barry Jenkins, so that’s something, right?
At the very least, it’ll be a good film to take your kids/parents to over the holiday season.
(featured image: Walt Disney Studios)
