Hardcore Disney fans may know about a few of these upcoming films, but Disney has updated its slate for 2017 with new photos and details. Here’s what to expect from the mega studio that also releases films from Marvel, Pixar and LucasFilm.
MARCH
Coming out on March 17 in the US, Beauty And The Beast is the newest of Disney’s live action remakes, following Tarzan and The Jungle Book. The classic tale of romance, trust, and cursed furniture will be told to viewers in an entirely new way. Belle, played by Emma Watson, is captured by Dan Stevens’ the Beast, a ferocious but misunderstood hermit whose only companions are talking clocks, teapots, and the like.
While Gaston, played by Luke Evans, rushes to save the “damsel”, Belle realises that the Beast is no monster at all, but her newfound true love. The remake also features Stanley Tucci, Ian McKellen, Emma Thompson, Josh Gad, Ewan McGregor and Audra McDonald.
APRIL
While we find out the Beast is actually a cursed prince (sorry for the spoilers!), Disneynature is profiling some real live animals in its new film Born In China. Taking viewers along three animal families’ journey through China’s most remote and unexplored areas, the new True Life Adventure film will be released on Earth Day (April 21).
John Krasinski will narrate as pandas, snow leopards, golden monkeys and more navigate snow-capped mountains and bamboo forests in their quest for survival. The follow-up to Disneynature’s 2015 feature Monkey Kingdom should feature some similarly heart-wrenching and heartwarming scenes displaying the reality of life out in the wild.
MAY
Move over, Deadpool. The cool kids are back in town. The newest installment in the gritty, raunchy, and laugh-out-loud funny superhero series Guardians Of The Galaxy is on its way. Guardians Of The Galaxy, Vol 2 will provide fans with more than enough footage of Chris Pratt, aka Starlord/Peter Quill, to fill the interwebs with endless GIFs.
The team, made up of outcasts like the talking raccoon Rocket and adorable newly sprouted Groot, will continue to jet from planet to planet in an attempt to keep the universe in check. Only this time, they’re also struck with the challenge of finding the truth of Quill’s parentage. Comic book favourites are expected to come to life onscreen in addition to old foes becoming friends. The intergalactic crime-fighting team will hit theaters May 5.
The fifth in the sea-faring Pirates Of The Caribbean franchise arrives May 26. Fans have been left without their pirate fix since the last film came out in 2011, but the wait will soon be over. New additions Brenton Thwaites and Kaya Scodelario will help the hero (as much of a hero as he can be) Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) as he fights his most formidable and savage foe yet.
Another army of the undead, this time ghostly and lead by villain Captain Salazar (Javier Bardem), escape the Devil’s Triangle with a mission Jack cannot ignore … mostly because the mission includes his certain death.
Old favourite and original antagonist Jeffrey Rush will reprise his role as Captain Barbossa, though its unclear whether or not he’ll help this film’s trio stop Captain Salazar from completing his goal: killing every last pirate at sea.
JUNE
It’s been six years since the last Cars movie, but 2017 will place viewers back to the land of talking cars and tractors. Cars 3, premiering June 16, brings the red-hot Lightening McQueen (voiced by Owen Wilson) to life again as the speedster fights to stay relevant while freshly waxed newbies push him off the racetrack and into a premature retirement. With the help of eager race technician Cruz Ramirez (Cristela Alonzo), McQueen will return to the Piston Cup stage for his comeback. For #95, the race isn’t over yet.
NOVEMBER
Chris Hemsworth returns as Asgardian hero Thor in the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s next film Thor: Ragnarok. Following the events of the Avengers: Age Of Ultron, Thor finds himself imprisoned without Mjolnir, his trusty hammer, on the other side of the universe while a new enemy, Hela (Cate Blanchett) and the threat of Ragnarok (the destruction of Asgard and all Asgardian civilisation) loom light-years away.
In the fight to get home, Thor will face old friend the Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) in a gladiatorial battle to end all gladiatorial battles. Also featured are Tessa Thompson, Idris Elba, Jeff Goldblum, Karl Urban, and Anthony Hopkins. Watch Thor save his homeland beginning Nov 3.
Disney-Pixar’s next film Coco arrives Nov 22, revolving around a young aspiring musician stuck in a family with a puzzling decades-old ban on music. Miguel, voiced by newcomer Anthony Gonzalez, in his quest to become as successful as his idol Ernesto de la Cruz (Benjamin Bratt), falls into the colorful and fantastic Land of the Dead. There, Miguel meets Hector, a charming yet sneaky trickster, who joins Miguel on a journey to learn the truth of the family’s history.
DECEMBER
While we don’t know much about the plot of the next episode in the Star Wars saga, Rey, Finn, and Poe are expected to return to the screen alongside Luke Skywalker. Will Rey finally learn the identity of her parents? Will Finn and Poe find romance as so many fans hope for? And it’s not clear how big of a role Princess Leia will have, though she had finished filming scenes before her death. Answers may or may not be revealed when the film heads to theaters Dec 15. – Reuters/Dani Levy
