The Finest Hours – January 29, 2016

Zootopia – March 4, 2016

The Jungle Book – April 15, 2016

Captain America: Civil War – May 6, 2016

Alice Through the Looking Glass – May 27, 2016

Finding Dory – June 17, 2016

The BFG – July 1, 2016

There isn’t a trailer out yet for Queen of Katwe, which I’m very excited to see when it comes out this fall for three reasons:
1. I love Mira Nair, director of the film;
2. I love Lupita N’yongo who is starring in the film;
3. I love the story of the film, that of a young girl from Uganda trains to become a world chess champion.

Event just this photo from the film simultaneously tugs at my heart strings and makes me feel a surge of girl power:

Finally, there’s Moana, the anticipated animated film about a teenager from Oceana who sails out on a daring mission to prove herself a master wayfinder and fulfill her ancestors’ unfinished quest that will be released in November.

I’m excited to head to the cinema often this coming year and see these compelling, wonderful stories. Which movies are you most excited about this coming year?

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I’m not the only one who is looking forward to future Disney films. John Lasseter, chief creative officer of Walt Disney and Pixar Animation Studios, led the presentations and said, “We really have an unbelievable range of movies in production at our studios right now. The stories are dynamic, fresh and so much fun; the characters new and old are so appealing. I’m excited to share some of our long-held secrets for the first time at the D23 EXPO.” Here are my favorite tidbits and fun news about  5 upcoming Disney films that promise to be great for the whole family.

FINDING DORY

“Helllloooooooo, whaaaaallllle!” Who hasn’t been wondering how Dory learned to speak whale since they first saw Finding Nemo? The answer to that question will be revealed next June when “Finding Dory,” is released on June 17, 2016. We’ll learn more than just that about the blue tang fish’s past, and meet some of her friends, including this guy.

Oscar®-winning Director Andrew Stanton (“Finding Nemo,” “WALL•E”) said, “In Finding Dory, we can expect to address the one emotionally open-ended issue that remained from the first movie: Where is Dory’s family, and will this overly-optimistic fish with short-term memory loss ever be able to find them again? Her issue has also given us the opportunity to travel to very different locations, on land and sea, and meet a variety of new sea creatures that expand the world of Nemo, Marlin and Dory.”

Audiences also learned that Ed O’Neill (“Modern Family”), lends his voice to Hank, a cantankerous octopus; Ty Burrell (“Modern Family”), will be the voice of Bailey, a misguided beluga whale; and Kaitlin Olson (“Always Sunny in Philadelphia”), is the voice of Destiny, a kind whale shark.

THE GOOD DINOSAUR

Frequent readers know that I’m already very excited to get to see “The Good Dinosaur” this Christmas and that I’ve already put in a request for an Arlo toy for Christmas. Arlo is the cutest, and our family cannot wait to meet him! (Yes, we have scheduled our Thanksgiving plans around his debut on November 25, 2015. That’s normal, right?)

At D23, we got our first sight of the three T-Rexes who help Arlo learn the meaning of family and discover his own strength. (You can see the trailer here.)

MOANA

It’s possible that I’m excited for next Thanksgiving, too, because that’s when “Moana” will sail into theaters. The animated “Moana” introduces a spirited teenager who sails out on a daring mission to fulfill her ancestors’ unfinished quest. She meets the once-mighty demi-god Maui (voice of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson), and together, they traverse the open ocean on an action-packed voyage. Directed by the renowned filmmaking team of Ron Clements and John Musker (“The Little Mermaid,” “Aladdin,” “The Princess & the Frog”).

It should be a wonderful way to explore the South Pacific, both visually and musically. The team behind the film’s music is impressive and includes Tony®-winner Lin-Manuel Miranda (Broadway’s hottest new hit “Hamilton,” Tony-winning “In the Heights”), Grammy®-winning composer Mark Mancina (“Speed”, “Tarzan” “The Lion King”) and Opetaia Foa’i (founder and lead singer of the world music award-winning band Te Vaka).

TOY STORY 4

Toy Story 4 will be directed by Lasseter and he was joined on the D23 Expo stage by Screenwriters Rashida Jones and Will McCormack as well as Buzz, Woody and Bo Peep for the celebration of the 20^th Anniversary of TOY STORY this year.  Toy Story 4 is slated for release on June 16, 2017.

I think Lasseter spoke for many, many people when he said, “All the characters from ‘Toy Story’—especially Woody and Buzz—are so close to us. They seem more like family members than just creations. Not only do we dearly love the characters, but we also love the world of ‘Toy Story’—the world where toys come to life when people are not in the room has always been rich with many story possibilities.”

GIGANTIC

One great aspect of D23 is getting an idea of movies that are years ago, such as Gigantic which won’t be released until 2018. Gigantic is Disney’s spin on “Jack and the Beanstalk,” and will feature music from Oscar®-winning songwriters Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez.

Set in Spain during the Age of Exploration, Gigantic follows adventure-seeker Jack as he discovers a world of giants hidden within the clouds. He hatches a grand plan with Inma, a 60-foot-tall, 11-year-old girl, and agrees to help her find her way home. But he doesn’t account for her super-sized personality—and who knew giants were so down to earth?

Which Disney film are you most excited to see?

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