10 Upcoming Disney Movies You Need To Watch Out For

It's the House of Mouse — Mickey, to be precise. It's a global multimedia juggernaut, giving us everything from movies to theme parks. It owns every single intellectual property you enjoy, from every iconic cartoon to "Star Wars" to Marvel and more. It's Disney, the most famous studio in the world. And when they put something new out, it's worth paying attention to.

In the year of our Lord 2025, Disney has released "Captain America: Brave New World," "Snow White," "Thunderbolts*," "Lilo & Stitch," "Elio," "The Fantastic Four: First Steps," and "Freakier Friday," with the sure-to-make-a-billion-dollars "Zootopia 2" to come in November (and that's not including films released under labels like 20th Century Studios or Searchlight Pictures). That's ... a lot of stuff.

But there's still more to come! And whether you're a full-fledged Disney adult, someone who needs stuff to show their kid, or just interested in the biggest movie studio's next projects, we've got 10 upcoming Disney movies you need to watch out for.

The third film in Disney's cult sci-fi series, "TRON: Ares" stars Jared Leto as an artificial intelligence called Ares who escapes from the digital world of TRON into our real world with malignant intentions. Trying to stop him is Eve Kim (Greta Lee), who now runs the ubiquitous tech company ENCOM. And while we don't know the extent of his role, we know that franchise leading man Jeff Bridges will be returning as Kevin Flynn.

The first "TRON," released in 1982, was a breakthrough film for visual effects. The next film, "TRON: Legacy," wasn't released until 2010, and with even bolder visuals, an assured style from debut director Joseph Kosinski ("Top Gun: Maverick"), and an incredible Daft Punk score, the "TRON" mystique grew even further.

Now, we've got Disney live-action favorite filmmaker Joachim Rønning at the helm (he's made sequels to both "Maleficent" and "Pirates of the Caribbean") and another unique score from an iconic EDM band, in this case Nine Inch Nails. The release date is October 10, 2025, and I'd implore you to see it on the biggest screen possible.

Any new Pixar film is worthy of our attention, especially when it's hooked on an irresistibly original idea, and double especially when it comes from the mind of the animation auteur behind the irresistibly charming "We Bare Bears".

"Hoppers," scheduled to be released March 6, 2026, takes place in a world where humans can enter, or "hop" into, the minds of realistic robotic animals. So when a construction company plans to destroy a local animal habitat for further expansion, a teenage girl named Mabel Tanaka (Piper Curda) hops into a robot beaver to team up with the animal kingdom and stop these anti-environmental calamities. And yes, this is almost exactly the plot of James Cameron's "Avatar."

After the cult success of 2022's "Hundreds of Beavers," it's clear "beaver comedies" (get your mind out of the gutter) are having a moment, and I'm excited to see what "Bears" creator Daniel Chong does with this interesting premise.

The "Star Wars" universe post-Disney acquisition has generally been met with a mixed response, especially when it comes to the Disney+ television shows. But I think it's fair to say that "The Mandalorian," a TV spinoff from creator Jon Favreau, is one of the more successful gambits, which makes its movie spin-off, scheduled for release on May 22, 2026, worth paying attention to.

"The Mandalorian and Grogu," directed by Favreau from a screenplay he co-wrote with "Star Wars" guru Dave Filoni, brings back the masked bounty hunter Din Djarin, aka The Mandalorian (Pedro Pascal), and his little companion Grogu, aka Baby Yoda (not canonically), a puppeted green creature that captured all of our hearts. This unlikely duo will cross paths with some new characters and actors in the "Star Wars" franchise, including Sigourney Weaver as a veteran Rebel pilot and, most intriguingly, Jeremy Allen White as Jabba the Hutt's son.

Is all of this enough to revive "Star Wars" at the box office? I'll see you in 2026 to find out.

"Toy Story" is a masterpiece that I really didn't think needed a sequel. "Toy Story 2" smashed my expectations and really didn't need a sequel. "Toy Story 3" is maybe the creative peak of the series and really didn't need a sequel. "Toy Story 4" is deeply funny and interesting.

Now, we're staring down the barrel of a "Toy Story 5" from Pixar and Disney on June 19, 2026. Pixar stalwart Andrew Stanton, a credited writer on every "Toy Story" film, is writing and directing. All our favorite characters are returning — Tom Hanks' Woody, Tim Allen's Buzz Lightyear, Joan Cusack's Jessie, and Tony Hale's Forky. Conan O'Brien is playing a role, which for comedy nerds like me is tremendously exciting.

And yet, here I am, like Dr. Manhattan stuck in the existential malaise of time, thinking we really, really don't need another "Toy Story" sequel. But as I've detailed above, I've thought that a lot and been wrong every time. Can Pixar make lightning strike for the fifth time? Based on its strange opening scene, a huge departure for the series, they just might.

I can't think of a stronger finale to a long-running franchise than 2019's "Avengers: Endgame." It brings many of the threads of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, especially the plot of Thanos (Josh Brolin) and his Infinity Stones, to a thrilling and definitive close. Plus — and spoilers in case you've been living under an Infinity Rock — it killed Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), the guy who kickstarted the whole dang enterprise.

It rules, and I still sorta think it should've ended the MCU, an enterprise that hasn't reached anywhere near this creative peak since (a fact acknowledged by "Deadpool & Wolverine"). But superhero movies must continue to be made, and a new climactic "Avengers" movie must be set up. And what better way to jolt the proceedings with any sense of intrigue by bringing back the Russo Brothers, who helmed "Endgame," and RDJ?

But he's not Iron Man anymore. He's Doctor Doom, the villain at the center of "Avengers: Doomsday," scheduled for December 18, 2026, and he'll be facing off against many familiar Marvel faces. Is this cynical nostalgia bait or a new burst of energy for the MCU? And should we be worried that they are still writing the script while filming it?

Parents, their children, and adults without kids can agree on one thing: "Bluey" is really good. An Australian animated series, the show follows the adventures of a little puppy named Bluey and his little sister Bingo as they learn about life with the help of their caring and curious parents, Bandit (David McCormack) and Chilli (Melanie Zanetti). It's sensitive, funny, and smart, even when covering extremely dark topics. It's easily one of the best family programs you can watch today.

While it debuted in Australia, Disney acquired its international rights, airing the series on both Disney Junior and Disney+. Now, the studio has commissioned, alongside the BBC, a film adaptation titled, simply, "Bluey: The Movie" to be released in 2027. The entire voice cast will return alongside series creator Joe Brumm, who will write and direct.

Rather than functioning as a self-contained work, the film will continue where the series left off, so y'all better start catching up now.

Scheduled to be released June 18, 2027, "Gatto" is another original, animal-centric Pixar film coming to capture your hearts and minds.

The movie comes from "Luca" director Enrico Casarosa, who returns to his home country of Italy to tell the tale of a Venetian street cat named Nero who loves sweeping music and a burdenless lifestyle – oh, except for the fact that he's in deep with a local feline mob boss. When he's surprisingly adopted by a street artist named Maya, he just might find some new purpose in his kitty-kat life.

I'm emotionally invested just typing this plot summary. With its unique, European setting and flirtation with unsavory crime elements, it reminds me tangentially of one of my favorite animated films, "The Triplets of Belleville." Plus, based on early animation tests revealed at the 2025 Annecy Animation Festival, it looks like Casarosa is using an engaging, gorgeous animation style, placing hand-drawn character models into 3D background models rendered to resemble impressionistic paintings. Could it be that even Pixar was inspired by "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse"?

Like "Toy Story" before, "Frozen" is an undisputed Disney masterpiece that tells its story succinctly and definitively. It simply did not need a sequel!

And then, "Frozen II" kinda blew me out of the water. For one, its soundtrack is wall-to-wall bangers, especially the genre-blending anthems of "Into the Unknown" and "Lost in the Woods". For another, it's a lot spikier and messier than its predecessor, often to its benefit. It's kind of a dark character study and deconstruction that burrows underneath the surface, and I kind of can't believe Disney released it.

Now, we've got a "Frozen III" coming to us on November 24, 2027, to give our Thanksgiving dinner tables something to talk about. We don't know much about the plot yet, but concept art revealed at Disney's 2024 D23 festival showed Anna (Kristen Bell), Elsa (Idina Menzel), and Olaf (Josh Gad) riding horses toward an unfamiliar castle.

By this point in the article, I shouldn't be surprised that Pixar keeps releasing sequels to incredible films that feel like they don't need any continuation in their stories. But here I am, reckoning with the fact that 2017's "Coco," an Academy Award-winning masterpiece that makes me cry just thinking about it, is getting a second installment in 2029.

The original follows a young boy named Miguel (Anthony Gonzalez) who accidentally travels to the Land of the Dead, where he reunites with his deceased great-great-grandfather (Gael García Bernal) and gains newfound awareness about his family's difficult relationship with music.

I can't stress enough how much closure "Coco" ends with. Even with the return of directors Lee Unkrich and Adrian Molina, what the heck else is there to say? Well, during his shareholders' meeting, Disney CEO Bob Iger simply said, "While the film is just in the initial stages, we know it will be full of humor, heart and adventure." And I suppose I do like those things, so I suppose I shall be returning to see what's in store.

Finally, we have a Pixar sequel that I think makes a lot of sense to make! Brad Bird's 2004 "The Incredibles" is a phenomenal computer-animated that also offers as a spectacular superhero deconstruction story. It features a "Fantastic Four"-esque family of heroes that come out of retirement to face a newfound danger, discovering new things about their attitudes toward life in the process.

The 2018 sequel from Bird and his returning cast is an absolute blast; while it may lose some of the novel poignancy of the first film, it's just a triumphant thrill ride of retro-cool action and adventure that sets a great template for turning the property into a fulfilling franchise. Plus, Michael Giacchino goes absolutely ham on the score, and I love that.

There's no exact release date yet for the upcoming "Incredibles 3," but we know that Bird is returning as a writer and producer while regular Pixar director Peter Sohn ("Elemental") takes over the directorial reins. Whether or not Frozone finally finds his super suit is still anyone's guess.