Disney appears to be releasing a new movie every month across many platforms, thanks to Walt Disney Pictures, Pixar, Marvel, and Disney+ originals. Following the success of Encanto and Jungle Cruise in 2021, fans of the magical film producers have been anticipating what’s in store for 2022.
In 2022, two Pixar films, a slew of Marvel flicks, and a slew of Disney sequels will hit theaters, bringing with them fresh stars and beloved characters, nostalgia for familiar blue faces and witch’s brooms, and a much-anticipated memorial to the late Chadwick Boseman.
Avatar 2 – December 16, 2022 in Theatres
Names like Pandora, Na’vi, and Jake Sully haven’t been heard in over a decade, but they’re all back in this long-awaited sequel to 2009’s Avatar. When an unforeseen threat confronts Jake and his newfound family on Pandora, he must join forces with the Na’vi army to combat the humans.
The first of four planned sequels will hit theaters in December 2022, opening up a slew of new opportunities for Disney’s Animal Kingdom’s Pandora — The World of Avatar land in Walt Disney World.
Better Nate Than Never – April 1, 2022 on Disney+
With the release of Better Nate Than Never on Disney+ in early April 2022, Disney is bringing musicals back. Nate Foster, a middle schooler who has struggled to obtain roles in school shows, sneaks away to New York City with his closest buddy with the intention of auditioning for the Broadway adaptation of Lilo and Stitch.
While Lilo and Stitch is not, and never has been, a Broadway musical, the tribute to the animated classic adds a touch of nostalgia to this current Disney film.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever – November 11, 2022 in Theatres
The sequel to Black Panther will be released in November 2022, and it is expected to continue exploring Wakanda and all of its characters, as well as pay honor to Black Panther and his late actor Chadwick Boseman.
Despite the fact that the script was already in the works when Boseman died unexpectedly in 2020, film execs have stated that they have no plans to recast or digitally add his character because, as executive producer Victoria Alonso put it, “there’s only one Chadwick Boseman.”
Chip ‘N Dale: Rescue Rangers – May 20, 2022 on Disney+
Chip ‘n Dale: Rescue Rangers was a Disney Channel series that starred the chipmunk detective pair in the late 1980s and early 1990s. In May 2022, Disney+ will bring the concept back as a film, but with an unexpected twist.
The upcoming Disney live-action/animated picture will be set in the same universe as the previous Disney live-action/animated film, Who Framed Roger Bunny, and will feature a cameo from the cartoon rabbit.
Disenchanted – Date not yet confirmed
Enchanted by Disney included everything: fantasy, romance, live-action, animation, and music. It’s returning with a Disney+ sequel set 15 years after the first film, starring the original cast. Nancy Tremaine and Robert Philip will be played by Idina Menzel and Patrick Dempsey, respectively, while Amy Adams will not only feature as Giselle but also serve as a producer for the picture.
Disenchanted, which premieres in the fall of 2022, follows Giselle as she relocates from New York City to the suburbs, where she begins to question whether she actually found her happily ever after.
Hocus Pocus 2 – Date not yet confirmed
The nearly 30-year-in-the-making sequel to everyone’s favorite spooky time film is set to premiere on Disney+ in time for Halloween 2022. The Sanderson Sisters will be seen running amuck, amuck, amuck in modern-day Salem.
While Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy will reprise their roles as the evil witches, not every performer, notably Thora Birch as the sweet little sister Dani, will return for the sequel.
Lightyear – June 17, 2022 in Theatres
Just when you thought the Toy Story narrative was ended, Pixar releases Lightyear, an apparent prequel to the Toy Story movie that centers on the real-life Buzz Lightyear who inspired the action figure. Not only will the film tell the origin of Buzz Lightyear and contain Disney’s first-ever same-sex kiss, but it will also have to include one of Toy Story’s most famous Easter eggs in space: the Pizza Planet truck.
This highly anticipated film is expected to hit theaters in June 2022, unlike its three predecessors — Soul, Luca, and Turning Red — which all skipped theaters in favor of Disney+.
Thor: Love And Thunder – July 8, 2022 in Theatres
With a sequel to his first three starring flicks, Thor, Thor: The Dark World, and Thor: Ragnarok, the Marvel hottie returns to the big screen. Chris Hemsworth, alongside Chris Pratt, Natalie Portman, Vin Diesel, Tessa Thompson, and others, will star in Thor: Love and Thunder.
The plot of the fourth Thor film, which has been in development since July 2019 and will be released three years later in July 2022, is still unknown.
