Disney Films Hitting Theaters in 2021

2020 was a tough year for the movie industry, due to the ongoing pandemic. 2021 hopes to be a brighter year. Disney has tons of content coming to theaters and Disney+ next year, and today, we will be focusing on Disney’s theatrical slate. Now, obviously, things can change in an instant.

Nomadland

Release date: February 19
Cast: Frances McDormand, David Strathairn, Charlene Swankie, Linda May
Directed by: Chloe Zhao (Eternals)

Nomadland from Searchlight Pictures will kick off Disney’s 2021 theatrical release schedule. The film, which is receiving enormous awards buzz, follows a woman (McDormand) who embarks on a journey through the American West after losing everything during the recession.

Raya and the Last Dragon

Release date: March 5
Cast: Kelly Marie Tran, Awkwafina
Directed by: Don Hall (Big Hero 6) and Carlos Lopez Estrada (Blindspotting)

Raya and the Last Dragon will be Disney’s first high-profile film to hit theaters; however, the film will also go the route of last year’s Mulan, as the animated feature will also debut on Disney+ with “Premier Access” on the same day it hits theaters. The film follows Raya (Marie Tran), who is on a journey to track down the legendary last dragon (Awkwafina) to restore the fractured land of Kumandra and its divided people.

The King’s Man

Release date: March 12
Cast: Harris Dickinson, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Stanley Tucci, Ralph Fiennes, Gemma Arterton, Daniel Brühl, Djimon Hounsou
Directed by: Matthew Vaughn (X-Men: First Class)

The third film in the hit Kingsman franchise, takes us back to how the Kingsman came to be. As a collection of history’s worst tyrants and criminal masterminds gather to plot a war to wipe out millions, one man (Fiennes) must race against time to stop them.

Bob’s Burgers

Release date: April 9
Cast: H. Jon Benjamin, Dan Mintz, Eugene Mirman, Larry Murphy, John Roberts, Kristen Schaal
Directed by: Loren Bouchard

Much like The Simpson’s Movie, Bob’s Burger’s is the further adventures of hamburger restaurateur Bob Belcher and his quirky family.

Ron’s Gone Wrong

Release date: April 23
Cast: Ava Morse, Iara Nemiorovsky
Directed by: J. P. Vine, Octavio E. Rodriguez

Pixar vets Vine and Rodriguez, tackle this animated/live-action hybrid that is set in a world where walking, talking, digitally connected bots have become children’s best friends, Ron’s Gone Wrong tells the story of an 11-year-old boy who finds that his robot buddy doesn’t quite work.

Black Widow

Release date: May 7
Cast: Scarlett Johansson, Florence Pugh, David Harbour, Rachel Weisz
Directed by: Cate Shortland (Lore)

After multiple delays in 2020, Marvel Studios returns to the big screen with Black Widow. The action thriller sees Natasha Romanoff aka Black Widow confronts the darker parts of her ledger when a dangerous conspiracy with ties to her past arises. Pursued by a force that will stop at nothing to bring her down, Natasha must deal with her history as a spy and the broken relationships left in her wake long before she became an Avenger.

Free Guy

Release date: May 21
Cast: Ryan Reynolds, Jodi Comer, Joe Keery, Lil Rel Howery, Utkarsh Ambudkar, Taika Waititi
Directed by: Shawn Levy (Night at the Museum)

Ryan Reynolds stars as a bank teller who discovers he is actually a background player in an open-world video game and decides to become the hero of his own story—one he rewrites himself. Now in a world where there are no limits, he is determined to be the guy who saves his world his way, before it is too late. Think Wreck-It Ralph meets Grand Theft Auto.

Cruella

Release date: May 28
Cast: Emma Stone, Emma Thompson, Mark Strong, Paul Walter Hauser, Joel Fry
Directed by: Craig Gillespie (I, Tonya)

The next film in Disney’s villain origin live-action reboot sees Cruella (Stone) explore 1970’s london as she takes to the streets with her friends turned henchmen Horace (Hauser) and Jasper (Fry).

Luca

Release date: June 18
Cast: Unannounced
Directed by: Enrico Casarosa (La Luna)

Set in a beautiful seaside town on the Italian Riviera, the original animated feature is a coming-of-age story about one young boy experiencing an unforgettable summer filled with gelato, pasta and endless scooter rides. Luca shares these adventures with his newfound best friend, but all the fun is threatened by a deeply-held secret: he is a sea monster from another world just below the water’s surface.

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings

Release date: July 9
Cast: Simu Liu, Tony Leung, Awkwafina, Michelle Yeoh, Florian Munteanu, Ronnie Chieng
Directed by: Destin Daniel Cretton (Just Mercy)

The second film from Marvel Studios in 2021 will see Shang-Chi confront the past he thought he left behind when he is drawn into the web of the mysterious Ten Rings organization.

Jungle Cruise

Release date: July 30
Cast: Dwayne Johnson, Emily Blunt, Jack Whitehall, Jesse Plemons, Paul Giamatti
Directed by: Jaume Collet-Serra (The Shallows)

Set during the early 20th century, a riverboat captain named Frank takes a scientist and her brother on a mission into a jungle to find the Tree of Life which is believed to possess healing powers. All the while, the trio must fight against dangerous wild animals and a competing German expedition.

Deep Water

Release date: August 13
Cast: Ben Affleck, Ana de Armas, Finn Whitrock, Rachel Blanchard
Directed by: Adrian Lyne (Fatal Attraction)

Based on the 1957 novel of the same name, the film follows a well-to-do husband who allows his wife to have affairs in order to avoid a divorce becomes a prime suspect in the disappearance of her lovers.

Beatles: The Get Back

Release date: August 27
Cast: Features archive footage of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr
Directed by: Peter Jackson (Lord of the Rings franchise)

The documentary is a unique cinematic experience that takes audiences back in time to The Beatles’ intimate recording sessions during a pivotal moment in music history.

Death on the Nile

Release date: September 17
Cast: Gal Gadot, Armie Hammer, Letitia Wright, Russell Brand, Jodi Comer, Annette Benning
Directed by: Kenneth Branagh (Cinderella)

Death on the Nile reunites the filmmaking team behind 2017’s global hit Murder on the Orient Express, and follows Belgian sleuth Hercule Poirot’s (Branagh) Egyptian vacation aboard a glamorous river steamer turns into a terrifying search for a murderer when a picture-perfect couple’s idyllic honeymoon is tragically cut short.

The Last Duel

Release date: October 15
Cast: Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, Adam Driver, Jodi Comer
Directed by: Ridley Scott (Prometheus)

The film is set in 14th Century France and tells the story of a man (Damon) who goes off to war, and when he returns he learns that his friend (Driver) had done bad things to his wife (Comer). No one will believe the woman, and the soldier appeals to the king of France and says he wants to fight a duel to the death to decide the man’s fate, becoming the last legally sanctioned duel in France.

Eternals

Release date: November 5
Cast: Richard Madden, Kit Harrington, Ma-Dong Seok, Kumail Nanjiani, Salma Hayek, Lauren Ridloff, Lia McHugh, Brian Tyree Henry, Gemma Chan, Barry Keoghan, Angelina Jolie
Directed by: Chloe Zhao (Nomadland)

Following the events of Avengers: Endgame, an unexpected tragedy forces them out of the shadows to reunite against mankind’s most ancient enemy, The Deviants.

Encanto

Release date: November 24
Cast: Stephanie Beatriz
Directed by: Byron Howard, Jared Bush (Zootopia)

Disney Animation’s newest original film, Encanto takes you to Colombia, where a magical family lives in a magical home.

West Side Story

Release date: December 10
Cast: Rachel Zegler, Ansel Elgort, Ana Isabelle, Corey Stoll, Brian d’Arcy James, Curtiss Cook
Directed by: Steven Spielberg (Ready Player One)

An adaptation of the 1957 musical, West Side Story explores forbidden love, and the rivalry between the Jets and the Sharks, two teenage street gangs of different ethnic backgrounds.

Untitled Disney Live-Action

This part is just speculation based on what I have heard, but Disney does have an untitled live-action projected dated for December 17. What I was told was this is for Peter Pan and Wendy, which starts production in March and should wrap by June. Another possibility would be Pinocchio, slated for production in April, but a December release would be cutting it close. The Little Mermaid starts production in a week and a half, but that is slated for a 2022 release.

What project are you most looking forward to seeing next year? Let us know!

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