Disney Animation Studios set the golden standard for the medium in 1937 when Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs became a landmark and instant classic. Of course, this trend would continue throughout the decades, with the studio branching out to include Pixar films, which would handle their computer-graphic animated features. Between the two production companies, they have produced an abundance of modern, critically acclaimed, modern classics, like Encanto and Wall-E, alongside fan favorites like Frozen and Moana.
Disney is also known for its great sequels to their most beloved franchises, and fans of Moana will be able to go on a grand adventure across Oceania once again when Moana 2 hits theaters on November 27, 2024. But what does the 'House of Mouse' have planned beyond? Well, fans can expect more beloved franchises to be making a comeback, including their most successful animated movie about an anthropomorphic crime-fighting duo! Here is everything you can expect to release after Moana 2 and when it is slated to be released.
5 Mufasa: The Lion King
December 20, 2024
Mufasa: The Lion Kingacts as both a prequel and a sequel to the 2019 CGI remake of The Lion King; The story is framed as Rafiki narrating Mufasa's legend to Kiara, Simba's daughter, after the events of The Lion King. The movie tackles Mufasa's origins, from being an orphan cub to finding his home in the Circle of Life and learning his destiny as the future king. The movie also explores the origin of Taka (who later becomes Scar), who acts as Mufasa's best friend and helps him battle against a rival group of lions that threatens their pride. For longtime fans of The Lion King, Mufasa: The Lion King will connect the characters' past to the future Pride Lands under Simba and Kiara's rule, deepening the lore.
Barry Jenkins is a welcome change of pace from director Jon Favreau, who helmed the 2019 remake. Jenkins is best known for his work on the Oscar-winning Moonlight and is coming off directing the well-received TV miniseries The Underground Railroad. Actor Aaron Pierre will voice Mufasa, across from Kelvin Harrison Jr. as Taka. Other notable names attached to the project include Seth Rogen, who will voice Pumbaa; John Kani as Rafiki; and Mads Mikkelsen as Kiros. Mufasa: The Lion King is set to hit theaters on December 20, 2024, after it was initially delayed from a July 5, 2024, release due to the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike.
4 Elio
June 13, 2025
11-year-old Elio Solis finds himself embarking on an epic space journey when he is accidentally beamed to an interplanetary organization called the "Communiverse" and mistaken for Earth's ambassador. Underprepared for the role, Elio must form bonds with various eccentric alien lifeforms and survive a series of grueling trials. The coming-of-age epic sci-fi adventure Elio will hit theaters on June 13, 2025.
Who doesn't love a good underdog story? Adrian Molina's Elio seems poised to become Pixar's next big movie. While directing solo for his first time, Molina has ample experience with animated features, co-directing Coco and working on the creative team for Turning Red, Elemental, and the recently released Inside Out 2. The movie will feature the voice acting talent of young up-and-coming actor Yonas Kibreab (Sweet Tooth, Obi-Wan Kenobi), and the now legendary America Ferrera (Barbie, The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants)
3 Zootopia 2
November 26, 2025
Zootopia was a massive critical and commercial success for Disney, becoming one of the highest-grossing animated films of all time; raking in $1.024 billion at the global box office. It is no surprise that Disney is looking to continue with the franchise. Not much is known about the details yet, with the official synopsis stating that the duo of Judy Hops and Nick Wilde team up to help solve a new case, and both Jason Bateman and Ginnifer Goodwin are slated to return to the lead role of voicing the fan-favorite duo.
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One of the biggest things fans have been clamoring to know about is whether Judy and Nick finally have their own kids in the sequel. While this has not been yet addressed, in an interview with EW, creator Rich Moore revealed, "We will have to take on [the question], what is Nick and Judy’s relationship like? And somebody’s going to be disappointed. It will either be romantic, or it will stay a friendship, and those who ship [them] are going to go crazy, and those who just want them to be friends will say, ‘Why did you make it a romance?’ So we need to gird ourselves for that.”
2 Toy Story 5
June 19, 2026
Toy Story 5 has an announced release date of June 19th, 2026 with few details beyond that. However, fans should be excited about this most recent iteration, which features Andrew Stanton's writing and directing. Stanton is best known for one of the most critically acclaimed Pixar movies ever in Wall-E. It is also the first Pixar movie to be welcomed into the Criterion collection. Will Toy Story 5 reach new heights for the franchise? That remains to be seen, but the promise of both Woody and Buzz returning, especially with Tim Allen likely in the lead role instead of Chris Evans, who voiced the iconic astronaut in 2022's Lightyear.
1 Disney Projects in the Works
Disney and Pixar have films set for release dates with titles that have yet to be announced. Disney is set to release a yet-titled project on November 25, 2026, though, with that date in proximity to Zootopia 2, fans should take this date with a grain of salt until more details are released. Pixar has an untitled movie set for March 6, 2026.
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2026, we will also see a live-action re-imaging of two classic Disney animated features, in Aristocats and Bambi, though the exact release dates are unconfirmed. A third untitled Frozen film should also drop in 2026. Looking further on the horizon, Disney has stated they plan to move forward with a fourth entry in the Frozen franchise. However, the date is unknown, and fans can likely expect a window closer to 2027 or beyond.
Fans can watch Moana 2 in theaters; the film is slated for release on November 27, 2024.
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