The most highly-anticipated Disney films of 2019

2019 has been a wonderful year for movies generally but Disney has really worn the crown. And the numbers prove it, Frozen 2 scored the biggest animated box office opening ever after making us wait 6 whole years since the first one. This year, we all endured a little shudder over the state of The Lion King live-action and we finally closed the book on (the current) Avengers.

If you missed out on some of these films (HOW?!) or fancy a little stroll down memory lane, we’ve compiled the most highly-anticipated Disney films of 2019.

Captain Marvel

The superhero world has a whole new fanbase with more women and older generations (because we’ve grown up now) enjoying the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). And along with the new fanbase and the world we live in now, can you believe that women do not have to be ‘sexy’ to be paid attention to? This year, we were finally given a female superhero we can actually relate to and don’t have us rolling our eyes into oblivion over a bloody nose with flawless eyeliner. Again, Brie’s eyeliner? Literally all. over. her. face.

Avengers: Endgame

In the most exemplary example of bidding farewell, Endgame took a journey through some of the most memorable moments throughout the Avengers series which saw our heroes confronting the past. This makes for a lovely little walk down memory lane and is an incredible tool for an audience to marry the past with the present.

Aladdin

The live-action version of Disney’s Aladdin stirred up some major attention. The highly anticipated remake has had Disney fans shaking in their slippers over whether the film would completely ruin their childhoods or breathe life into an old favourite. Spoiler alert: it was a total hit.

Toy Story 4

Toy Story has been pretty much tracking our existence. In Toy Story 3, we saw Andy heading to university (much to the heartbreak of the toys and the fans) which was around the same time a lot of us were also partaking on the same journey. Essentially, we all bid farewell to our childhoods when he did. Toy Story 4 concluded an iconic franchise beautifully.

Spiderman: Far From Home

Even though the next phase is still shrouded in mystery, Spider-Man: Far From Home does a fantastic job of latching the door that Endgame closed, while opening a whole new universe of possibilities for Marvel.

Maleficent: Mistress of Evil

Maleficent burst into our hearts with her unapologetic sass in 2014, five years later she returned with warm, fuzzy Disney feelings with a message that hits you right in the heart as well as a hint of betrayal that the character that we knew and loved had “evolved” from an unyielding force to a passing breeze. There’s nothing wrong with maintaining a touch of evil, Disney!

Frozen 2

Frozen 2 is a heartwarming addition to the magic of the Frozen franchise. Complete with stunning graphics, catchy music, an uplifting message about love and moments of absolute hilarity, this film is everything we crave from a Disney film. Walt would be so proud.

The Lion King

Disney took a huge risk this year. They have essentially been given the impossible task of recreating what was already pretty perfect to begin with. Everyone goes into a remake with preconceived notions of exactly what they want to see which can set audiences up for major disappointment. And maybe sometimes, it’s best not to fix what ain’t broke.

Dumbo

Dumbo flew a little under the radar compared to other films and whether that’s why it didn’t do so well or if that’s because it didn’t do so well remains a mystery. As a whole, though, Dumbo ends up feeling more like a sideshow than a main attraction. Medici, a circus ringleader who can’t figure out how to make money off of an adorable baby animal with larger-than-average ears, would probably love that it’s so standard and basic. For the rest of us, though, Dumbo probably would have been better off letting his freak flag fly.