Disney movie releases announced for 2016 to 2018

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Published on Friday, 08 July 2016 12:10

Last Updated on 16 December 2016

Monica Costa

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Brace yourself mums and children because Disney has 14 movies coming out between the second half of 2016 and early 2018 and they all look incredibly good — here’s what we are looking forward to.

2015 was  a big year for Disney with two Pixar movies, The Avengers sequel, and the return of Star Wars, but 2016  so far has been even bigger with a couple of movies like Zootropolis, The Jungle Book remake by Jon Favreau, Captain America: Civil War (with a staggering number of superheroes), and an impressive Alice Through the Looking Glass feature with the stunning cast from Burton’s Alice in Wonderland that will go down in film history.

The studio has recently released its official list of movies planned for the second half of 2016, 2017 and early 2018. Keep reading to see what Walt’s magic team has in store. Personally I am looking forward to the first standalone Star Wars movie, two Marvel movies, a new Pirates of the Caribbean feature with the iconic Johnny Depp character, and a few classic Disney animated pictures brought to life including Beauty and the Beast.

London Mums will be reporting on all these releases and hopefully get a few exclusive interviews. Watch this space!

2016 – Second half of the year

FINDING DORY – 29th July
PETE’S DRAGON – 12th August
DOCTOR STRANGE –  28th October
QUEEN OF KATWE – 4th November
MOANA – 2nd December
STAR WARS: ROGUE ONE – 16th December

 

FINDING DORY – 29 July

Read our review and watch a vlog by the kids’ club with their first reactions.

The film has already been embraced by critics and fans alike, and has already made a whopping $54.95 million on its first day of release in the US. This result sees Finding Dory surpass Toy Story 3’s $110.3M to become the biggest Disney/Pixar opening film ever.

PETE’S DRAGON – 12 August

Watch this space for our forthcoming review ahead of release. Meantime here is a teaser of what to expect.

STARRING: BRYCE DALLAS HOWARD, OAKES FEGLEY, WES BENTLEY, KARL URBAN, OONA LAURENCE and ROBERT REDFORD – DIRECTED BY DAVID LOWERY
A reimagining of Disney’s cherished family film, “Pete’s Dragon” is the adventure of an orphaned boy named Pete and his best friend Elliott, who just so happens to be a dragon. “Pete’s Dragon” stars Bryce Dallas Howard (“Jurassic World”), Oakes Fegley (“This is Where I Leave You”), Wes Bentley (“The Hunger Games”), Karl Urban (“Star Trek”), Oona Laurence (“Southpaw”) and Oscar® winner Robert Redford (“Captain America: The Winter Soldier”). The film, which is directed by David Lowery (“Ain’t Them Bodies Saints”), is written by Lowery & Toby Halbrooks based on a story by Seton I. Miller and S.S. Field and produced by Jim Whitaker, p.g.a. (“The Finest Hours,” “Friday Night Lights”), with Barrie M. Osborne (“The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring,” “The Great Gatsby”) serving as executive producer.

 

For years, old wood carver Mr. Meacham (Robert Redford) has delighted local children with his tales of the fierce dragon that resides deep in the woods of the Pacific Northwest. To his daughter, Grace (Bryce Dallas Howard), who works as a forest ranger, these stories are little more than tall tales…until she meets Pete (Oakes Fegley). Pete is a mysterious 10-year-old with no family and no home who claims to live in the woods with a giant, green dragon named Elliott. And from Pete’s descriptions, Elliott seems remarkably similar to the dragon from Mr. Meacham’s stories. With the help of Natalie (Oona Laurence), an 11-year-old girl whose father Jack (Wes Bentley) owns the local lumber mill, Grace sets out to determine where Pete came from, where he belongs, and the truth about this dragon. Disney’s “Pete’s Dragon” opens in U.K. cinemas on 12th August 2016.

 

DOCTOR STRANGE  28 October

Read my spoiler-free heads up piece and watch the teaser trailers to see what to expect from Benedict Cumberhatch in his new role. 

 

QUEEN OF KATWE – 4 November

STARRING: LUPITA NYONG’O, DAVID OYELOWO, NTARE GUMA MBAHO MWINE, RUSSEL SAVADIER, MAURICE KIRYA, PETER ODEKE, CHARITY ROSE PIMER, ESTHER TEBANDEKE, TARYN KYAZE – DIRECTED BY MIRA NAIR
Directed by Mira Nair and starring Oscar winner Lupita Nyong’o and David Oyelowo, it tells the true story of Phiona Mutesi, a girl born and raised in the Ugandan slum of Katwe who became Africa’s first female chess champion.

 

MOANA – 2 December

STARRING THE VOICE OF DWAYNE JOHNSON DIRECTED BY RON CLEMENTS AND JOHN MUSKER.

Three thousand years ago, the greatest sailors in the world voyaged across the vast Pacific, discovering the many islands of Oceania. But then, for a millennium, their voyages stopped – and no one today knows why.

From Walt Disney Animation Studios comes “Moana,” a sweeping, CG-animated adventure about a spirited teenager who sails out on a daring mission to prove herself a master wayfinder and fulfill her ancestors’ unfinished quest. During her journey, Moana (voice of Auli’i Cravalho) meets the once-mighty demi-god Maui (voice of Dwayne Johnson), and together, they traverse the open ocean on an action-packed voyage, encountering enormous fiery creatures and impossible odds.

Directed by the renowned filmmaking team of Ron Clements and John Musker (“The Little Mermaid,” “Aladdin,” “The Princess & the Frog”) and produced by Osnat Shurer (“Lifted,” “One Man Band”), “Moana” sails into UK. Cinemas on 2nd December.

 

STAR WARS: ROGUE ONE – 16 December

Read a spoiler-free article about this much expected Star Wars story here.

 

2017

BEAUTY AND THE BEAST – 17 March
GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 2 – 28 April
PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MEN TELL NO TALES – 26 May
CARS 3 – 14 July
THOR: RAGNAROK – 27 October
COCO –  8 December
STAR WARS: EPISODE VIII – 15 December 

 

Disney is keeping most of these films under wrap but I expect a few teaser trailers to be released soon. I am personally looking forward to Johnny Depp‘s return as Jack Sparrow while my 9 year old son is desperate to see Cars 3. And we both look forward to the next Star Wars installment. A new Spiderman movie starring Tom Holland was also announced for 2017 although it did not appear in this official list. I really look forward to it as Tom was absolutely hilarious in Captain America: Civil War.

Watch this space!

 

Beauty and the Beast

Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast” is a live-action re-telling of the studio’s animated classic which refashions the classic characters from the tale as old as time for a contemporary audience, staying true to the original music while updating the score with several new songs. “Beauty and the Beast” is the fantastic journey of Belle, a bright, beautiful and independent young woman who is taken prisoner by a beast in his castle. Despite her fears, she befriends the castle’s enchanted staff and learns to look beyond the Beast’s hideous exterior and realize the kind heart and soul of the true Prince within.

The film stars: Emma Watson as Belle; Dan Stevens as the Beast; Luke Evans as Gaston, the handsome, but shallow villager who woos Belle; Oscar® winner Kevin Kline as Maurice, Belle’s eccentric, but lovable father; Josh Gad as Lefou, Gaston’s long-suffering aide-de-camp; Golden Globe® nominee Ewan McGregor as Lumiere, the candelabra; Oscar nominee Stanley Tucci as Maestro Cadenza, the harpsichord; Gugu Mbatha-Raw as Plumette, the feather duster; six-time Tony Award® winner Audra McDonald as Madame Garderobe, the wardrobe; Oscar nominee Ian McKellen as Cogsworth, the mantel clock; and two-time Academy Award® winner Emma Thompson as the teapot, Mrs. Potts. Out on 17 March 2017.

First look teaser trailer

2018

WRECK-IT RALPH sequel – Spring

MARY POPPINS RETURNS – Christmas

WRECK-IT RALPH

Wreck-It Ralph is heading back to the big screen, and this time, he’s wrecking the internet. The Oscar®-nominated Walt Disney Animation Studios team from the original film is reteaming for the follow-up, including director Rich Moore (“Zootopia,” “The Simpsons”) and producer Clark Spencer (“Zootropolis,” “Bolt”). Phil Johnston (writer, “Wreck-It Ralph,” “Zootopia,” “Cedar Rapids”) joins Moore as director and a writer on the project. John C. Reilly and Sarah Silverman return as the bad-guy-turned-good, Ralph, and the girl with the game-winning glitch, Vanellope von Schweetz. The untitled sequel will hit UK cinemas Spring 2018.

I was lucky to be able to interview Rich Moore when he came to London for the release of Zootropolis. Read my behind the scenes interview here.

Rich has been developing the new Wreck it Ralph since shortly after the release of the first film, and while directing this year’s critically-acclaimed hit “Zootopia” with Byron Howard.

This is what he had to say: “From the moment we started working on the first ‘Wreck-It Ralph,’ we knew there were so many possibilities with these characters. This time, Ralph’s wrecking wreaks havoc on the Web—as only he can do. Characters we loved in the first film are back and we are ecstatic to be working with them—and the actors who voice them—once again.”

When “Wreck-It Ralph” opened on Nov. 2, 2012, it turned in the highest opening weekend ever for a Walt Disney Animation Studios film at the time of release. Nominated for an Oscar® and Golden Globe® for best animated feature, “Wreck-It Ralph” won the PGA Award for outstanding producer of an animated theatrical motion picture as well as five Annie Awards, including best animated feature, director, cast and screenplay. The film was named best animated feature by the Broadcast Film Critics Association, earned outstanding achievement in casting for an animated feature by the Casting Society of America, and won the Kids’ Choice Award for favorite animated movie.

 

MARY POPPINS RETURNS

Emily Blunt is revealed as the new Mary Poppins in Rob Marshall’s MARY POPPINS RETURNS with the release date of Christmas 2018.

 

Mark your diary, mums! Brace yourselves, fasten your seat belts and enjoy the Disney ride! I certainly will.

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