Mulan
In the latest Disney live-action remake (and this one actually is live-action), director Niki Caro revisits 1998’s Mulan. It stars Liu Yifei as the title character alongside martial arts stars Donnie Yen, Jet Li and Jason Scott Lee. The film follows Mulan as she joins the Chinese army so her ill father doesn’t have to. Posing as a warrior she ends up gaining the respect of her father and the nation. Gone are the songs from the animation and in their place is a more realistic look and feel. Orignally slated for a cinematic release, it will now head straight to Disney+.
Coming to Disney+ September 4
Trolls World Tour
The sequel to Trolls from 2016 (which is actually pretty great), Trolls World Tour follows the six troll tribes (pop, funk, classical,
techno, country and rock) as they plan a concert to unite their different kinds of music. The only problem is Barb – queen of the hard rock tribe – wants to ruin all the other kinds of music so only rock remains. Serious stuff, we know. The cast is littered with great actors (Anna Kendrick, Sam Rockwell, Zooey Deschanel), bona fide music legends (Ozzy Osborne, George Clinton, Mary J. Blige) and, erm, James Corden.
In cinemas September 10.
Soul
We get very excited when a new Disney Pixar movie hits the big screen and the latest, Soul, looks even more brilliant than usual. School teacher Joe Gardner (Jamie Foxx) longs to be a jazz musician but just as he gets a chance to perform on stage he ends up in a terrible accident – resulting in his soul being separated from his body. He needs to make his way back to his body before it’s too late. Sounds heavy, doesn’t it? Well it doesn’t look too serious and has some top talent on board, including Tina Fey, Angela Bassett and Richard Ayoade alongside musicans including the super-cool Questlove and Cody Chestnutt.
In cinemas November 20.
The Croods: A New Age
No, we weren’t expecting a sequel to The Croods, either, especially not after this movie has been on ice for three years. However, the prehistoric family are back and are now out of their cave. Once in the big bad world outside they come face to face with another family, the Bettermans (with Leslie Mann, Kelly Marie Tran and Peter Dinklage voicing the new gang). The original cast are back, too, with Nicolas Cage, Emma Stone, Ryan Reynolds and Catherine Keener reprising their roles. It’s usually bad news when movies are delayed for so long, but we’re prepared to give this a chance.
In cinemas December 23.
FURTHER AHEAD…
Tom and Jerry
Yes, that Tom and Jerry, the cat and mouse still going strong after 80 years. After seeing how well Alvin & The Chipmunks did in 2009, Warner Bros. decided a half animated/half live action version of the classic cartoon would be a good idea. After 12 long years in production it will finally see the light of day in Spring 2021, with Chloe Grace Moretz, Michael Pena and Ken Jeong among the actors. The film sees Moretz’s Kayla hire the alley cat Tom to try and rid Jerry, the mouse, from the New York hotel she works at. We’re not sure how the mouse got his name.
In cinemas March 2021.
Raya and the Last Dragon
Another Disney film, this time starring Awkwafina and Cassie Steele. It’s set in a mysterious place called Kumadra, where dragons once roamed. Now, Steele’s Raya is on a mission to find the last water dragon called Sisu who can transform in to a human. It was initially due out in November this year but Soul was bumped up the release schedule in its place. It’s based on the landscapes and mythologies of South East Asia and looks like a bit of an epic.
In cinemas March 2021.
Cruella
Do we want to know what happened to 101 Dalmations’ Cruella de Vil when she was younger? One hundred times yes. Set in 1970s London, de Vil is a young fashion designer who becomes obsessed with animal hides, leading her to become a master criminal. The always-excellent Emma Stone is the title character while Emma Thompson, Mark Strong and Emily Beecham pop up in supporting roles.
In cinemas May 2021.
