Christmas came early for Disney fans yesterday (Thursday, December 10th), when the company revealed a slew of new content coming to Disney+ and theatre’s worldwide well into 2023. And with the state of the world so in flux, nearly 80% of the 100 projects announced to the public will be going directly to Disney+. As expected, most of this new content means a likely price increase for Disney+ subscribers in the coming years, but for those of us in international markets like Canada, they are going to be sure to make it more than worth it.
With the announcement that Disney+ exceeded expectations and currently has a total of 86.8 million subscribers, the Walt Disney Company’s new goal is to see 230-260 million subscribers by 2024. Of course, they know it’s going to take a lot of dedication and new content to make that happen, and with a promise to invest more in their five core brands, we can rest assured knowing that our Disney, Pixar, Star Wars and Marvel loving hearts will be unequivocally full for a very long time.
While there were so many announcements during last night’s presentation, there were a select few that had us itching for it to be a new year already!
1. Raya and the Last Dragon is getting the Premier Access treatment
The last Walt Disney Animated Film released was “Frozen II” back in November 2019, which seems like a million years ago. Fortunately, we finally have more details on Disney’s newest creation. “Raya and the Last Dragon”. The film will get the “Mulan” treatment and be released on Disney+ on March 5th for a Premier Access price of $30 as well as in select theatres. While there were a lot of complaints about the release of “Mulan”, it clearly must’ve worked for Disney to do it again, but at least this film will have the theatre option available for those who can do it safely in 2021.
2. Star
In an effort to compete with Netflix internationally, Disney+ will now offer more adult-oriented content with a new free tier called Star. Star will be the international equivalent of Hulu and will be added as the streaming service’s sixth tile. This will enable previously unavailable films and series such as “Logan”, “Atlanta” and “Family Guy” to be accessible to those outside of the USA. This new addition will come to Disney+ in Europe, Canada and New Zealand on February 23, 2021.
3. All the amazing Star Wars content in development
For those of who were worried about the state of the galaxy with the Skywalker Saga officially over, fret not – 10 new shows and movies are coming in the next three to four years! First up is the newest animated addition to the universe, “The Bad Batch” (see the latest trailer below). The masterminds of “The Mandalorian” will also be bringing two more series to Disney+ set in the same timeline, “Ashoka” (Rosario Dawson will be reprising the role) and “The Rangers of the New Republic”. Fan favourite “Rogue One” character, Andor will also be making his small-screen debut in a new series coming in 2022.
We also got the glorious news that Hayden Christensen will be reprising his role of Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader in the original series, “Obi-Wan Kenobi”. The series will take place 10 years after the events of “Revenge of the Sith”, so we will be sure to get some epic new Obi-Wan-Vader lightsaber duels. A new event series revolving around Lando Calrissian is also in development, although it’s unclear if Donald Glover will be reprising the role. Two new Star Wars films are also in development, one directed by Taika Waititi and the other titled, “Star Wars: Rogue Squadron” will be directed by Patty Jenkins. All this and so much more – the 2020s is the decade for Star Wars fans!
4. Hocus Pocus 2
Bubble, bubble, boil and trouble, after 27 years our Halloween wishes are coming true! The Sanderson Sisters will be back causing trouble and while Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy have not officially signed on to reprise their roles, they have all expressed interest, so it’s pretty much a guarantee. What we do know is that the film will be directly released on Disney+.
5. Chip ‘N’ Dale Rescue Rangers
For the first-time ever, characters from the Mickey Mouse universe will be getting the live-action treatment! “Chip ‘N’ Dale Rescue Rangers” was a syndicated cartoon that began in 1989 and followed the beloved chipmunks who started a detective agency. With the perfect casting of John Mulaney and Andy Samberg, you know this hybrid live-action-animated feature coming to Disney+ is sure to be comedy gold.
6. All the Live-Action remakes on the horizon
Love them or hate them, Disney has a lot of upcoming live-action reimaginings coming to theatres and Disney+ in the next few years including:
- A prequel to the live-action “The Lion King” in development from Barry Jenkins. Hans Zimmer, Pharrell Williams and Nicholas Britell have been tapped to write and produce original music.
- We already knew about this one, but the cast of “The Little Mermaid” has officially been confirmed. Daveed Diggs from “Hamilton” fame will take on the role of Sebastian and relative newcomer Jonah Hauer-King is the new Prince Eric.
- The live-action retelling of “Pinocchio” is coming to Disney+ and will star Tom Hanks.
- Also coming to Disney+ is “Peter Pan & Wendy” with Yara Shahidi attached to play Tinker Bell and Jude Law as Captain Hook.
- The live-action “Beauty and the Beast” will also be getting a prequel, but this time in TV series form. This Disney+ original will follow the origins of Gaston and LeFou with Luke Evans and Josh Gad set to reprise their roles.
This is just the tip of the iceberg of live-action retellings with a rumoured 20 new films planned over the next decade! And personally, we could not be more excited!
7. Disenchanted
Dreams really do come true! A sequel to the 2007 live-action movie which satirized Disney animated princess musicals will be returning to Disney+. Little is known about the sequel other than its title, “Disenchanted” and the fact that Amy Adams is set to reprise her role as Giselle. We’ll be sure to be singing “That’s How You Know…” on repeat until its release.
8. Disney Animation’s first-ever original animated series
Photo: Walt Disney Pictures
For the first time in forever, Walt Disney Animation Studios will be producing four original television series based off of beloved Disney properties. “Baymax” will follow the medical robot from “Big Hero Six” and is set to premiere in 2022 along with “Tiana” and “Zootopia+”. “Moana” the series will debut in 2023. The animation quality for these four series is sure to be on another level and given that Baymax is one of this writer’s favourite Disney characters of all-time, you can imagine the excitement for this new series! And if these weren’t enough, Disney will also be collaborating with a Pan-African entertainment company called Kugali to create an all-new sci-fi series titled “Iwaju”.
9. Encanto
Alongside “Raya and the Last Dragon”, we also got a sneak peak at Disney’s next animated film – “Encanto”. Set to release in the fall of 2021, “Encanto” takes you to Colombia where a magical family lives in a magical home. Lin-Manuel Miranda is back to pen the music and the film is directed by Byron Howard and Jared Bush. Even though we only saw a brief glimpse, the animation simply looks top-notch and the excitement is real!
10. New Pixar series coming to Disney+
Pixar is also joining the original Disney+ series party with three new shows in development to be released in the next three years. The first will be “Dug Days” which is set to be released in Fall 2021 and will follow the loveable pup from “Up” as he discovers the dangers of suburbia. Lightning McQueen and Mater will also be getting the TV treatment on a road trip across the country, set to be released in the Fall 2022. Last up will be Pixar’s first original long-form animated series, “Win or Lose”, which will follow a middle school softball team in the week leading up to their championship game. Coming to Disney+ in Fall 2023, these are sure to follow the Pixar rule of tugging at our heartstrings.
11. Lightyear
Toy Story will be back in a brand new way in the summer of 2022. This spinoff is the definitive story of the original Buzz Lightyear, with Chris Evans voicing the titular role. As if this wasn’t enough to make Pixar fans overjoyed – the animation company also shared details about the next two original movies: “Luca” and “Turning Red”. “Luca” will dive into theatres in June 2021 and will follow the friendship Luca and Alberta during their unforgettable summer. “Turning Red” follow Mei who experiences the awkwardness of being a teenager with an added twist, when she gets too excited she turns into a giant red panda. Coming to theatres March 11, 2022, the next two years will be big for Pixar which will be releasing its next film, “Soul” on Christmas Day on Disney+!
12. New Marvel content is finally coming to Disney+
It feels like it’s been ages since Disney+ came out a year ago and yet we still haven’t received any of the big Marvel series we’ve been anticipating. That’s all about to change this January with “WandaVision” which is set to start streaming on January 15th.
It looks like that’s just the beginning. Just two months later, “WandaVision” will be joined by “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier” on March 19th. While that’ll quench any Marvel fan’s appetite, 2021 still has plans for more. “Loki” will be coming to Disney+ in May 2021 and the streaming service’s first original animated show, “What If?” will premiere just a few months later in the summer. The year of Marvel on Disney+ will wrap up with the new series, “Ms. Marvel” set to arrive at the end of 2021.
To think, this is all just in the span of one year. Jeremy Renner will also be returning to play “Haweye” in a new Disney+ series and Mark Ruffalo will be reprising his role of the Hulk in the new “She-Hulk” series starring Tatiana Maslany. Samuel L Jackson will also be back as Nick Fury in “Secret Invasion”, Don Cheadle will return as James Rhodes as War Machine in “Armor Wars” and two completely new series are also in the works, “Moon Knight” and “Ironheart”. Christmas in 2022 will also be getting a Marvel touch in “The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special.”
And that’s just the Disney+ updates! Release dates have been given for “Black Widow” (May 7, 2021), “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” (March 25, 2022), “Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” (July 9, 2021), “Captain Marvel 2” (November 11, 2022 – also featuring Ms. Marvel), “Thor: Love and Thunder” (May 6, 2022) and “Black Panther 2” (July 8, 2022). New heroes will also be coming to the MCU: Blade (featuring Mahershala Ali) and Fantastic Four!
To quote Disney itself, the next three years will have “New adventures. New Originals. Endless possibilities.”
Which announcement from Disney Investor Day has you the most excited? Let us know in the comments below or on one of our social media channels. And make sure to follow Frozen Mouse Fever for all your Disney needs.
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