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When you think of the Walt Disney Company, you probably think of two significant forms of entertainment: theme parks and movies. But the classic Disney movies we grew up watching are nothing like the movies newer generations are watching.
Back then, a Disney movie was released by Walt Disney Studios, typically traditionally animated, and almost always including musical sequences. Some examples of the best Disney movies we grew up with include The Little Mermaid (1989), Peter Pan (1953), The Jungle Book (1967), and more.
Credit: Disney
But nowadays, Disney movies can mean anything from a classic Walt Disney Studios film to a new Star Wars installment to a movie released by Marvel Studios. Because the Walt Disney Company has acquired so many entertainment studios, there’s always something to look forward to!
Due to the recent Writers Guild of America strikes, production on many upcoming Disney movies was interrupted. The current strike began on May 2 and ended on September 27.
Now that the strike has officially ended, progress will undoubtedly continue on upcoming Disney movies. But there are some movies we’re looking forward to more than others. Here are the top 5 films one Disney Dining author is looking forward to.
In Fifth Place Is Pixar’s Upcoming Toy Story Installment
Credit: Pixar Animation Studios
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First up is the fifth installment of the Toy Story series.
At this point, we know very little about Toy Story 5…besides the fact that it’s happening, as confirmed by Disney CEO Bob Iger. While we can admit that Toy Story 4 (2019) felt more like a spinoff than a sequel, we just can’t help but look forward to another movie about anthropomorphic toys!
Maybe it’s nostalgia, maybe it’s blind hope. Whatever it is, we can’t help but excitedly wait for the next installment in the Toy Story series, even if our hopes aren’t particularly high…
We Just Can’t Wait to See the King! We’re Looking Forward to Mufasa: The Lion King
Credit: Disney
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Up next is Mufasa: The Lion King (2024), directed by Barry Jenkins, who also directed If Beale Street Could Talk (2018) and Moonlight (2016). Those are some fantastic credentials, which is why Mufasa: The Lion King is in fourth place.
A prequel about Mufasa sounds interesting, but it’s no secret that the ‘live-action’ remake of The Lion King (1994) was…kind of a mess. The animals were too lifelike, making it challenging to identify the movie as a classic Disney movie, and the live-action remake lacked so much when compared with the original. It added very little, and, if anything, detracted from the original! Which is a shame considering the film’s fantastic cast.
But we love The Lion King universe too much to pass up another film (even if this prequel takes widely accepted canon and totally throws it out the window, but that’s a conversation for another day).
“The Way of Water Has No Beginning and No End…”
Credit: Disney
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Number three on the list is Avatar 3 (2025), directed by James Cameron.
Avatar 3 was simultaneously filmed with Avatar: The Way of Water (2022), and at first, it was scheduled to be released just two years after the second installment. However, the film has undergone another delay and is now expected to be released in December 2025.
But the world of Pandora is just too captivating not to look forward to! So we’ll wait as long as we have to, and we’ll be waiting from Animal Kingdom’s Pandora – The World of Avatar. Want us to save you a spot in line for Avatar Flight of Passage?
“Spider-Man, Spider-Man! Does Whatever a Spider Can!”
Credit: Marvel
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In second place is Avengers: Secret Wars (2027). While we only know so little about Avengers: Secret Wars, we know that, if this film is even mildly accurate to the comic series it’s based on, Spider-Man will be heavily involved. And who doesn’t love Spider-Man?
If anything, the wall-crawler may be one of the most popular superheroes around. It’s no secret that Spider-Man: Far From Home (2021) is widely regarded as one of the last of the best films by Marvel Studios, with many fans feeling that the franchise has gone downhill afterward.
Maybe it’ll take a superhero like Spidey to reinvigorate the franchise…At least, that’s what we’re hoping for over at Disney Dining.
What Can We Say? We’re Not Ready to “Let It Go”
Credit: Disney
In first place is Frozen 3.
Frozen 3 has a unique spot on the list because…at this point, we don’t even have a release date. We know very little about this movie, but we’re still looking forward to it!
The fantastic thing about the Frozen series is that it perfectly blends the classic Walt Disney Animation fairytale genre with modern conventions, making it the film we’re most looking forward to.
Which upcoming Disney movies are you most looking forward to? Let Disney Dining know in the comments!
