This return to A. A. Milne’s Hundred Acre Wood comes courtesy of writers Allison Shroeder (Hidden Figures) and Tom McCarthy (Spotlight), with Marc Forster (Finding Neverland) directing. Ewan McGregor stars as a grown-up Christopher Robin looking to Pooh and pals to restore his childlike wonder.
Look for it: August 3, 2018
Mozart in the Jungle writer Alex Timbers is taking on Dodie Smith’s classic adventure that saw animated success with the Mouse House. A villainous origin story (think Maleficent) dedicated to the tale’s puppy-stealing wretch, the comedy stars Emma Stone as Cru-ella, Cru-ella de Vil *hums song*.
Look for it: TBD 2018
Though typically associated with all things dead, visionary filmmaker Tim Burton is right at home bringing the story of a flying baby circus elephant to life. The cast is top of the big top —Eva Green, Colin Farrell, Michael Keaton, Danny DeVito—and the film feature a combination of live-action and animated elements.
Look for it: March 29, 2019
Guy Ritchie, whose distinctly slick style infuses everything he touches, is locked, stocked, and ready to show you the world. Will Smith as Genie, Naomi Scott as Jasmine, and Mena Massoud as the titular street urchin are also along for the carpet ride.
Look for it: May 24, 2019
Jon Favreau does spectacular things in the jungle. Specifically, showing the animal kingdom compassion by turning to CGI creation rather than forcing actual animals to perform. And his cast? Just as thoughtful. See: Beyoncé as Nala, Donald Glover as Simba, and the return of James Earl Jones as Mufasa.
Look for it: July 19, 2019
Niki Caro, whose resume is full of brilliant indie crowd-pleasers—Whale Rider, North Country, McFarland USA—will helm the tale of a maiden, played by actress Liu Yifei, who goes undercover as a warrior to save her father. Caro will be the fourth female to solo-direct a live-action film with a $100 million+ budget.
Look for it: November 2019
Not to be confused with the circus sea lady movie that sent Ariel fans into a fit, Disney’s adventure is a reboot of the waterlogged story about a willful mermaid and her human prince, and will feature songs from Hamilton’s Lin-Manuel Miranda and Alan Menken. Directing? Disney wants Chicago’s Rob Marshall.
Look for it: TBD
Flown there, done that? Not so fast. David Lowery is guiding this trip to Neverland Island, and you can bet it’ll be as moody as it is magical, much like Lowery’s ethereal Pete’s Dragon. The film’s cast and plot have yet to be detailed, and with no real rush to get things completed, we’ll just hang here in the wait-and-see.
Look for it: TBD
Disney’s very first animated classic (1937) has tapped The Girl on the Train’s screenwriter, Erin Cressida Wilson, to craft a reimagined tale about the fairest of them all. Also on deck? La La Land lyricists Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, to compose an entirely new and enchanting soundtrack.
Look for it: TBD
After Sam Mendes hopped off Dumbo, he hopped on to direct Pinocchio, and then exited stage left, leaving the story about a puppet who just wants to be a real boy as a movie that just wants a real director. The script, however, seems to be in good hands with Rogue One’s Chris Weitz.
Look for it: TBD
Didn’t get what you wanted from Guy Ritchie’s King Arthur? Perhaps the retelling penned by Game of Thrones writer Bryan Cogman will have what you seek. Here’s hoping Merlin, Archimedes, and the marvelous Madam Mim are all properly represented.
Look for it: TBD
Princesses can’t have all the fun. Stephen Chbosky, the heart and soul behind tearjerkers The Perks of Being a Wallflower and Wonder, is giving the prince the royal treatment, with his own story told from the POV of his mediocre brother.
Look for it: TBD
The role of Tinker Bell in her very own film—touted as “the story you don’t know”—couldn’t have gone to a more fitting sprite: Reese Witherspoon will get her wings as the beloved fairy sidekick to the boy who never wants to grow up. Finding Dory’s Victoria Strouse is writing the script.
Look for it: TBD
Remember Chernabog from Fantasia? Of course, you don’t. No one does. But he’s the winged devil creature featured in the 11-minute finale sequence in a film that’s mostly about magic and classical music. A brow-raising origin fairytale, the film will hopefully answer, "Dang, why so angry?"
Look for it: TBD
Now, yes, the animated roots from which we are referring here is Disney’s Oliver and Company, an animated take on the Charles Dickens pickpocket tale. But rather than spin a four-legged odyssey IRL, Hamilton director Tommy Kail is taking the hip-hop route and enlisting Ice Cube to star and produce.
Look for it: TBD
Early word connected Sam Mendes to Roald Dahl’s macabre whimsy about a boy, a fuzzy fruit, and the chatty critters who inhabit it. However, he’s left the peach, and we can only hope early attached writer Nick Hornby, who penned Wild, Brooklyn, and An Education, does not follow suit.
Look for it: TBD