The Disney Movies Coming Out in Theaters in 2023
Now that 2023 has arrived, The Walt Disney Company can start its huge box office comeback.
While the studio actually earned the most box office in 2022, the year still felt like something of a disappointment.


Photo: CNBC
However, Disney has big plans for 2023. In fact, I’d rank five of Disney’s nine releases as likely blockbusters. Things never work out that well, but that’s how it looks on paper.
Here are all the official Disney movies coming out in 2023!


Walt Disney Studios
Apr. 7 – Chevalier
You likely haven’t heard about this project yet, although it generated much acclaim at the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival.
The best way I can describe this story is a combination of Hamilton, Dangerous Liaisons, and Bridgerton.


Photo: Disney Wiki
This story centers on Chevalier de Saint-Georges, a musician on a par with Mozart. Alas, there was one significant difference between them, at least in the eyes of society.
Chevalier was a French-Caribbean black man who dared to befriend Marie Antoinette before later famously having a falling out with her.


Photo: whatsonDisneyplus.com
This story stars Kelvin Harrison Jr., who dazzled in an underrated pandemic movie, The High Note. This is him:
And this is how he sounds as a musician:
The film also stars Samara Weaving, Hugo Weaving’s niece, who was amazing in Ready Or Not:
Chevalier comes with indie sensibilities and a tremendous lead duo. So, you should be optimistic about it.
May 26 – The Little Mermaid
I don’t need to tell you what this is.


Photo: Disney
Disney fans are well aware of the Renaissance era of the late 1980s and 1990s. At the time, Disney films were failing frequently at the box office and in the eyes of critics.
Then, one royal mermaid decided that she wanted to become a part of our world instead.


Photo Credit: Disney
The Little Mermaid quickly reminded a generation of people why they’d loved Disney stories as children.
In this way, The Little Mermaid earns a spot on the Mount Rushmore of most significant Disney animated movies.


Photo: Disney
Now, Halle Bailey of Grown-ish and Chloe x Halle will play Princess Ariel in a live-action adaptation, and I want to watch this movie so much that my teeth hurt.
The trailer teases Bailey’s performance of Part of Your World, and it’s absolutely perfect:
This is Disney’s next mega-blockbuster.
Jun. 16 – Elemental
Disney and Pixar are aware of the elephant in the living room. The pandemic has damaged both brands, especially when it comes to theatrical releases.


Photo: WHO
Onward had only debuted in theaters a few days before the world shut down in March 2020. Since then, outbreaks forced titles like Luca and Turning Red to debut on Disney+.
Meanwhile, Lightyear disappointed at the box office. Also, while Strange World wasn’t a Pixar movie, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention what a financial disaster it was.


Photo: DIsney+
As such, Pixar has a lot riding on Elemental, a simple tale about a boy and a girl who come from two different worlds.
Well, they’re technically living in the same city, but one’s from the water realm, while the other is from the fire realm. Think a shinier Romeo and Juliet with positivity replacing symbolic deaths.


Photo: totallythebomb.com
The Elemental teaser is impossibly good. Take a look:
Somehow, this clip reminds me in equal parts of Inside Out and Zootopia. Who wouldn’t want to watch something like that?
During the summer of 2023, Ember and Wade fall in love. And it’s gonna be magical!


Photo: Disney
Jun. 30 – Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny
I don’t know you, but it’s a safe bet that I’ve watched Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade more times than you’ve watched a movie over the past five years. It’s one of my favorite things ever.
While Harrison Ford has portrayed many iconic characters in his lifetime, he’ll always be Indiana Jones to me. And the actor’s pride in the role is obvious.


Image: Lucasfilm
Ford has seemed sensitive to the criticisms of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, a movie that I swear is 78 percent fresh on Rotten Tomatoes.
For whatever reason, the internet decided to hate this movie. That somewhat irrational passion has led to a positive outcome. Ford refused to go out that way.


Mandatory Credit: Photo by Invision/AP/REX/Shutterstock
So, we’re getting a fifth Indiana Jones movie this summer! Even better, it’ll co-star Phoebe Waller-Bridge, the brilliant writer/actor responsible for Fleabag and Killing Eve.
Ford and Waller-Bridge obviously bonded during the filming of Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, with the 80-year-old actor getting misty-eyed when he talks about her work.


Photo: Disney/The Nerdy
For this reason, I’m wildly optimistic about the quality of Dial of Destiny, a project that has seemingly satisfied its most important critic: Harrison Ford.
Here’s the trailer, which ends with a killer gag that underscores how Indiana Jones has become a relic himself:
Aug. 11 – Haunted Mansion
Once upon a time, Disney accidentally proved that perfect casting can only get you so far.
In 2003, Eddie Murphy starred in an adaption of the beloved Disney attraction, Haunted Mansion.


Photo: News Break
Critics and audiences alike hated this movie. It’s currently 14 percent fresh on Rotten Tomatoes with a woeful Audience Score of 31 percent. In other words, it’s not a very good film.
Thankfully, Disney is giving the premise another shot 20 years later. A second adaptation of the Haunted Mansion attraction will debut in theaters near the end of summer.


(Photo by Chelsea Guglielmino/Getty Images)
Disney has hired a fascinating cast for this project. Performers include Rosario Dawson, Tiffany Haddish, Winona Ryder, Jared Leto, LaKeith Stanfield, Dan Levy, and Owen Wilson.
The early buzz on this project is quite good, and I stubbornly refuse to believe that Disney could blow a Haunted Mansion movie twice.


Photo: Disney
Sep. 15 – A Haunting in Venice
Hercule Poirot learned a valuable lesson in 2022. There are some things that even the brilliant detective cannot overcome.
For instance, Poirot proved susceptible to pandemic box office restrictions and actors with cannibalism allegations against them.


PHOTO BY BT1 /Brian To/WENN.com
Seriously, if you’ve watched Death on the Nile and know anything about the allegations against Armie Hammer, you understand what an impossible situation Disney faced with this project.
To its credit, Disney acknowledged this by quickly filming another Hercule Poirot project. So, the great Belgian sleuth will return in A Haunting in Venice.


Photo: IMDB
This story counts as a loose – possibly VERY loose – adaptation of Agatha Christie’s Hallowe’en Party. Fittingly, principal photography began on Halloween 2022.
Since this film won’t require much in terms of digital effects, it should debut within a year of filming, a rarity for big-budget Hollywood productions today.


Photo: 20th Century Studios
September 22nd – Next Goal Wins
There are a lot of people who adore soccer. I’m not one of them, as I prefer sports where multiple points are possible on a play.
Still, I’ll confess to two things. One is that soccer’s tremendously fun to play – I always loved “accidentally” kicking opponents.


Photo: IMDB
The other is that Ted Lasso finally sold Americans on the notion that soccer is worth our time.
Now, Disney favorite Taika Waititi will return with another movie for this studio. Thor won’t star in this one (although a cameo won’t surprise me), though.


Source: screenrant.com
Instead, a ragtag bunch of soccer players in American Samoa will suddenly find themselves in competition for a spot in the World Cup.
Yes, this film is like the Cool Runnings of soccer! And yes, Waititi has written and directed the project. As such, Disney fans should give it a chance, no matter how you feel about futbol.


Photo: Searchlight Pictures
Oct. 6 – True Love
Gareth Edwards has directed two wildly different franchise films to date. He handled the 2014 reboot, Godzilla, and followed that up with Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.
Based on the title, you may think that his latest outing, True Love, takes a turn for The Notebook. Unfortunately, I cannot confirm or deny that thought process.


Photo: IMDB
The details of this project have remained a closely guarded secret. However, despite the title, it’s apparently a sci-fi flick rather than a Hallmark movie.
Something we do know is that True Love features one of the best casts of 2023. Gemma Chan, John David Washington, Benedict Wong (Wongers!), and Allison Janney all appear in the film.


Photo: IMDB
Beyond that, we must wait for a trailer to get a sense of what this movie is.
Nov. 22 – Wish
Jennifer Lee created Frozen. For that, all Disney fans will remain in her debt.


The Hollywood Reporter
Since that remarkable achievement, Lee has earned the title of Chief Creative Officer for Walt Disney Animation Studios.
Rather than rest on her laurels and delegate, Lee will return late this year in another film, one with a charming concept.


Photo: Disney/ Wish
Lee has written a story about the proverbial wishing star, the one that drives the plot in other famous Disney movies.
A young woman named Asha wishes upon a star, and it comes true, thanks to a bundle of kinetic energy called…Star.


Photo: Disney/ Wish
The two of them venture to Rosas, the kingdom of wishes. In this place, all wishes come true…which isn’t as good as it sounds.
Lee wrote the screenplay along with her longtime collaborator Chris Buck. Fun fact: he’s the co-director of Frozen and Frozen II!


Photo: Disney
Since Lee is so busy, she has ceded her co-director’s chair to Fawn Veerasunthorn, the Head of Story for Raya and the Last Dragon.
Disney has penciled Wish into the calendar spot usually reserved for the best animated release of the year. That’s the same slot where Frozen and Frozen II performed so well.


Photo: Disney
Of course, Strange World came out on November 23rd, 2022, and we all know how that turned out. So, nothing’s guaranteed here.
Still, I have high hopes for Wish. It could add an entirely new subtext to many existing Disney animated stories!
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