7 Movies Disney Will Release in Theaters in 2021
I’m not much of a duffer, but I do know the golf term “mulligan” all too well.
A mulligan is basically a do-over when something terrible happens, and it’s how I would describe the entire movie industry right now.
2020 went so far awry that it shouldn’t even count. We’re all just going to pretend it didn’t happen and start all over again.
As such, I’m about to discuss some film projects that I may have talked about last year.
Also, with Disney+ becoming more of a factor, some of these titles may eventually debut on the streaming service instead.
Without further ado, here is Disney’s current 2021 theatrical release schedule.
Raya and the Last Dragon – March 5th
First of all, Disney had initially scheduled 18 titles for theatrical release during 2020. Out of those films, only a handful debuted in theaters.
Since the pandemic will have ramifications well into 2021, Disney hasn’t acted as ambitiously for its upcoming film slate.
For now, only seven titles possess a 2021 release date, and one of those will receive what is known as a day-and-date debut.
That project is Raya and the Last Dragon, which comes out in theaters on March 5th.
However, since many people don’t want to return to movie theaters until they’re vaccinated, Disney has provided a second option.
Raya and the Last Dragon will also be available on Disney+ on March 5th as a Premier Access release.
For $29.99, you can watch the latest Walt Disney Animation Studios movie at home. Folks, that’s a bargain, especially if you have a large family.
Raya and the last Dragon tells the story of a warrior and adventurer named Raya. She fears the return of an ancient evil, so she goes in search of help.
Her goal is to find the long-lost race of dragons.
Animated fans should think of this project as Kubo and the Two Strings meets How to Train Your Dragon.
Raya and the Last Dragon is gonna be incredible.
Black Widow – May 7th
This time, Disney means it! Probably.
When the pandemic occurred, Black Widow was mere weeks away from release.
Disney reportedly spent upwards of $200 million on the project and didn’t want to send it straight to Disney+.
So, the studio delayed the film…and then delayed it again. Black Widow has bounced around the release schedule so much she may have a concussion.
However, during Investor Day, Disney firmly stated that it has committed to the theatrical experience. It wants its best films to debut in theaters.
As such, Black Widow will debut in theaters on May 7th…and not on Premier Access.
The sticking points here come down to how many people have received vaccinations by then and whether herd immunity has started.
Disney may yet kick the can down the road one more time, but I’m hopeful that won’t be necessary.
As for the story, Black Widow works as a prequel to Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame and a sequel to Captain America: Civil War.
With her friends all fighting, Natasha Romanoff returns to the homeland to make peace with her unlikely family of spies.
Photo Credit: Marvel.com
This standalone Black Widow movie should have happened years ago, and it’s had a calendar year to build demand.
Luca – June 18th
Disney has committed to telling less homogeneous stories. As part of this approach, Pixar recently announced four films from rising directors.
Luca will be the first of them, but it’s not the first time you’ve watched one of Enrico Casarosa’s stories.
This gifted artist created the short film, La Luna. This six-minute masterpiece beautifully shows the generational connections among families.
A grandfather, father, and son all climb to the moon and do a bit of sweeping. It’s heartwarming to watch and an Academy Award nominee.
Now, with Luca, Casarosa will direct a full feature for Pixar.
Casarosa has set this coming-of-age story on the Italian Riviera. So, you can already identify potential theming tie-ins.
Disney’s Riviera Resort will undoubtedly feature some aspects of Luca as long as the film does well.
By the way, if you’ve been watching Insider Pixar on Disney+ — and you really should – you already know the surprise here.
Luca encounters a sea monster during his adventures! This story looks fantastic and seems likely to become the next great Pixar movie.
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings – July 9th
Okay, here’s a strange scheduling quirk. Marvel hadn’t intended its Shang-Chi movie to debut this early in Phase Four.
The initial plan called for Eternals to debut first, but those plans have changed.
Now, we’ll get Shang-Chi only two months after Black Widow, and it’s skipped Eternals in line.
The film will complete a story arc that started in 2008! Back then, Tony Stark got imprisoned in a cave.
The terrorists who took Stark worked for a nefarious organization known as The Ten Rings, whose leader is The Mandarin.
Iron Man 3 teased that this character would work as the movie’s villain. However, we all know that turned out to be a swerve.
Now, the very real Mandarin will host a martial arts tournament where Shang-Chi must succeed or face dire consequences.
Simu Liu will portray the first Chinese superhero in the first MCU. However, I should add that the actor’s actually Canadian.
The other cool bit of trivia here is that Bruce Lee inspired the character of Shang-Chi.
Photo: BruceLee.com
At one point in the late 1980s, his son, Brandon Lee, discussed starring in a movie as the character.
The person who asked him to consider the role was none other than Stan Lee. So, I’ll always be somewhat bitter that the movie never happened.
Jungle Cruise – July 30th
The next two projects qualify as holdovers from 2020.
In May of 2018, The Rock and Emily Blunt joined forces to deliver a modern spin on The African Queen.
That film famously inspired Jungle Cruise, the beloved Disney attraction.
So, when the company decided on a theatrical adaptation, it seemed like the perfect source material.
Disney built an entire village on a Hawaiian island, and principal photography went swimmingly.
Jungle Cruise shot in four months and gained tremendous buzz.
Alas, the film’s release date came during June of 2020 and, well, you know.
In one of the studio’s most decisive moves during the pandemic, Disney punted Jungle Cruise back a full year to July 30th.
Early word on the film version of Jungle Cruise is exceptionally positive, and Blunt seems like the perfect complement to The Rock.
She has devilishly clever line delivery that should blend well with his ceaseless machismo.
Photo Credit: MovieWeb.com
Stylistically, Jungle Cruise compares the best to The Mummy franchise and seems like a surefire blockbuster, as long as the movie industry recovers.
Eternals – November 5th
Like Jungle Cruise, Eternals fell back a full year.
This project expands the Marvel Cinematic Universe by introducing an entirely new race of creatures, the Eternals.
These beings represent the genetic modifications of a race known as the Celestials, one of whom is Star-Lord’s dad in the MCU.
In the comics, the Eternals live for thousands of years and try to hide their presence on Earth to avoid drawing the attention of their enemies, the Deviants.
These creatures are genetic abominations stemming from failed Celestial research. They hate the beautiful people as it were.
Photo: ScreenRant.com
In the movie, the Eternals must come out of hiding when one of their kind falls in love with a human who simultaneously unearths their existence.
Disney has such high expectations for Eternals that it’s slotted the film for awards season release for two straight years.
The film’s director, Chloe Zhao, is a strong candidate for a Best Director nod at the 2021 Academy Awards.
Her presence behind the lens for Eternals hints at an extremely high-quality superhero movie. Of course, what else would we expect from Marvel?
Encanto – November 24th
Humans love round numbers for whatever reason, which makes Encanto look important on paper.
When the movie debuts in November, it’ll become the 60th film released by Walt Disney Animated Studios.
If you’re wondering, Tangled was the 50th movie, leaving Encanto with some big shoes (and hair) to fill.
Speaking of which, Byron Howard, the co-director of Tangled, will team up once again with Jared Bush, who wrote the screenplay for Zootopia.
Howard directed that film, too. Of course, Bush’s greatest claim to fame is the Moana screenplay, where he worked with Lin-Manuel Miranda.
Everything ties together here, as Miranda will create the music for Encanto, too.
So, that’s the talents behind Tangled, Zootopia, Moana, and Hamilton all joining together for an animated movie. Disney’s really stacking the deck here.
All we know about the story is that it’s set in Columbia and focuses on the only non-magical girl in a family of wizards.
Okay, that’s Disney’s entire release schedule, at least for the time being. You’ll note that there are three animated titles and four live-action releases.
Jungle Cruise is unusual in that it’s the only non-MCU live-action title for the entire year.
Disney does own 20th Century Studios, which has eight releases scheduled for 2021, but that’s a topic for a different day.
