Between Disney Animation and live action, Marvel, Pixar, and Star Wars, television has never actually left and movies are definitely back. Disney and Pixar put out two major hits, Inside Out 2 and Moana 2, breaking records and restoring people’s faith in the cinema over the past few months. On top of Skeleton Crew which has already come out on Disney+ with fantastic critical reception for the Star Wars universe, we also have a Pixar series and a major Marvel entry. More is coming to Disney+, but I am keeping this guide to the noteworthy tent-pole entries.
Here’s everything coming to Disney+ and theaters from Disney this month that I think is noteworthy:
Skeleton Crew
Star Wars has given us a new, accessible franchise to sink our teeth into. Jude Law and a group of kids take on some space pirates, and the first two episodes have been very good so far. You can check out our full review of the first two episode here. The show is a lot of fun and doesn’t take itself too seriously, making it clear that it lives within the established Star Wars universe but without bashing us over the head with decades of lore in the first hour. The characters are all written well and the mystery is still being established, giving viewers of the first couple episodes reason to keep tuning in.
You can look forward to an episode a week for the remainder of this series. All I have to say is LFG Neel Nation!
Pixar’s Dream Productions
I loved Inside Out, and Inside Out 2 only reaffirmed my love for the first one and the franchise so although I am a 30 something year old male, I can honestly say I am looking forward to the humor and heart that this show will definitely have. Dream Productions is a spin off from the hugely successful Inside Out franchise that takes the Dream Productions studio from the first movie and turns that premise into a four episode miniseries. The show will have Riley continuing to grow up, and when processing some of her childhood memories turns into a real challenge, Joy (Amy Poehler) sends them to Dream Productions. Here’s the official series tagline: “Riley is growing up and when her memories need some extra processing, Joy and the rest of the Core Emotions send them to Dream Productions.”
The four episode miniseries airs in less than a week on December 11th! This one isn’t going to reinvent any wheels, but I think everyone that enjoyed Inside Out and Inside Out 2 will probably enjoy this series also, and I can’t help but like anything Pixar releases so you know where I’ll be on the 11th.
Marvel’s What If…?
Now this is the show I’m most excited for – season 3 of What If…? This is technically supposed to be the shows final season, but I wouldn’t be surprised if we got more in the future. The show takes the established MCU characters and puts them in different timelines that can bring any number of different story lines. To this day, I stand by this series as having some of the best writing of any Marvel property and the animation is second to none. Season 3 will feature characters from newer franchises like Black Widow and The Eternals, as well as bringing back plenty of fan favorites to create never before seen stories.
If you’re a Marvel fan and not hypt for this show, then I don’t know what to tell you or why you’re reading this page right now. What If…? premiers on December 22nd, right in time to binge watch on Christmas with the family right after Elf and Die Hard.
Kraven the Hunter
Wait a minute. This is Sony, you’re probably thinking to yourself. And while yes, it is, no, I don’t care. Spider-Man might still be owned by Sony, but he’s a Marvel character so his lore is included. Kraven is one of those villains that has a rich backstory with Spider-Man, but for some reason we’ve still never seen translated into live action. ‘Kraven’s Last Hunt’ is one of Spidey’s most well known storylines, and the fact we’ve had 8 Spider-Man movies and not a singly entry included Kraven is almost a crime. Now, this cinematic version of Kraven is rated R and probably not going to be the tone they pull into the MCU (if they ever decide to), but it will give the character an origin and a foundation. If this movie is even half way decent, which I think it will be judging by the trailers and the first 8 minutes of the film that was already released online, then I think both Kraven and Venom have a chance of making their way over to the MCU at some point. This one is definitely the wild card of the bunch, but if the movie delivers then the options for a follow up become almost limitless.
Kraven the Hunter comes out in theaters on December 13th and you can check out the first eight minutes right here if you’re on the fence.
Mufasa: The Lion King
This is a project I have some personal attachment to, as the Lion King was one of my favorite movies growing up and continues to be a core memory (see what I did there, Pixar?) due to my own personal connections with it. I saw the animated Lion King premier in Disney World when I was a kid, and I saw the live action Lion King premier as an adult in the same theater on Disney property thirty years later, and while I don’t see myself doing that for Mufasa it should give you an idea of the pedestal I hold this movie franchise on. Not only that, but the music is being done by Lin-Manual Miranda. COME ON. You know this has got to be good if Moana 2 came out (which was already great) without Lin-Manuel Miranda and he instead did the music for this, coming out only a month after. I will openly admit, I didn’t love the live action Lion King remake, but I have a lot of hope for this one being an all original story with original music. This is Disney’s first real foray into giving their live action remakes a sequel (or prequel in this case), but if it works then we might see more live action remake spin offs in the future.
Mufasa: The Lion King comes out on December 20th, and while most people will probably be watching Sonic 3 on that day I will be happily enjoying my popcorn for this one.
Which of these December Disney releases are you looking the most forward to? Make sure to let us know on social media!