Both Disney Animation and Pixar have a full slate of movies coming up over the next few years. We are getting a mix of original films and sequels (for better or for worse). So, here is my ranking of the upcoming movies from Disney Animation and Pixar ranked by my excitement!
8. Coco 2 (November 2029): This is one that is easily in last place on this list. This movie was first announced back in March 2025, and I did not like the idea of them doing another film then and I still do not like that idea now. To me, this feels like another example of Pixar running out of ideas and seeing the box office for their sequels like Inside Out 2 and Toy Story 5 that made $1 billion and green lighting this film in hope that it makes $1 billion, which very likely could. From there, they teased more of this at D23 this past month and everything they revealed did not really raise my excitement for the film. We know that Ernesto de la Cruz is returning as the villain and Mama Coco will have a role in the film. When that is the only thing we know about the film, that is enough to get me excited. It is also not enough for me to realize the angle for this sequel and what the story is that they are telling. Maybe once we see a trailer for this movie and we see what the story is and what this movie is about, I could be won over, and it could move up on this list. Since we are still three years out, there is not enough here at this moment to get me excited for this movie.
7. Moana 3 (TBA): This is one that we do not really know much about, they did not really talk about it at D23. But when promoting the live action remake of Moana back in July, Dwayne Johnson said that Moana 3 is in the works, so I am including it on this list. On paper, I am not terribly surprised that this film is happening considering Moana 2 made over $1 billion despite not getting the best reviews. Disney loves money and whenever a movie makes $1 billion, they want to capitalize on that and try to make more money. The Moana franchise in terms of the animated movies has never been some of my favorites. Moana (2016) I think is a fun movie; it is a good movie, but it is not one of my favorites. It is far from being one of the best animated movies of all time. Moana 2 was not a bad movie, it was slick and well done but it feels too much like a corporate product, because that is what it was. It is fine, it is not offensively bad or makes any big mistakes. But it is also a film that leaves no impact, it is the true definition of mid. The idea that we are getting a third film is not offensive to me by any means but because they are never my favorites, I cannot put this film higher up on this list.
6. Hexed (November 25th, 2026): Of the eight movies on this list, this is the next one to come out which means that it is the one we know the most about. At the same time, I feel like there has been a lack of marketing for the film. Thus far we only have one trailer, and I thought the trailer was fun enough, but it did not do enough to elevate my excitement for the movie. My biggest concern with the movie is the fact that Disney Animation has not been great this decade. I was not on the Encanto train like many other people. I liked Strange Worlds more than most people, but it still was not great. Moana 2 was mediocre and I did not even see Wish. Going into Hexed, I do not know if this movie is going to be another Zootopia 2 which was good or Moana 2 which was not great. Hopefully, we get another trailer here soon and it teases more of the emotional journey of the film and can move up on this list. At the same time, they got a great cast for this movie with Hailee Steinfeld and Jodie Foster who do a suitable job of picking scripts. I am going in optimistic and I hope it is good, and I hope we get more marketing to sell me what this movie is about.
5. Gatto (March 5th, 2027): The next Pixar film set to release, this time exploring the criminal underworld in Italy starring cats. That pitch right there is interesting to me, and I am curious what exactly this movie is going about. The animation style we have seen for this movie looks very cool and something different for Pixar. Like Hexed, they have recruited some solid actors with Mark Ruffalo and Laurence Fishburne, two actors I enjoy watching on screen. Like Hexed, my excitement for this movie is not super high because Pixar’s reputation has not been great recently, especially with their original films. I think their sequels this decade like Inside Out 2 and Toy Story 5 have been quite solid and films I have rated highly. All their original movies from Soul to Luca to Elio have not been great, and some of the more forgettable and fine Pixar movies. I did like Hoppers this year, and I thought that was their best original film since Coco. I hope Gatto can be another great original film from Pixar, but their track record recently has not given me a lot of hope.
4. Ghost Market (TBA): This is one that is likely to release in June 2029, and it is described as Pixar exploring the supernatural. That right there has me very curious, it is something that Pixar has not explored. Whenever Pixar can do something different and explore something they have not explored before that’s where Pixar has shined. It is why they were so legendary for so many years they created some legendary films that people were able to connect with of all ages. I know that Pixar isn’t going to make a full-on horror movie (but that would be awesome) but I hope they lean into the supernatural and make it spooky, because spooky isn’t something that Pixar has explored all that much. A lot of the concerns I had regarding Gatto do apply to Ghost Market, but the source material of Ghost Market and this film is more interesting to me. But I am also looking at the creative team behind the film, and they do not have many credits that get me excited. I am more optimistic about this film compared to Gatto and the other films lower on the list, but I am still not fully excited for this movie. A trailer for this movie can raise my excitement and move it up on this list.
3. Zootopia 3 (TBA): It should not be a surprise to anybody that Zootopia 3 is happening after the second film made $1.6 billion at the box office and way over-performed what people were expecting it to make, me included. The end of Zootopia 2 teases where a third film could go with introducing birds into the mix. I did not realize until the end-credit scene of Zootopia 2 that birds have not been touched upon, so I am excited to check this movie out because of that. I really dug both previous Zootopia movies, the 2016 original was better as it was fresher. But Zootopia 2 was a solid sequel that still had the charm and magic of the original. It did touch on similar themes and ideas about prejudice, but it still worked for me, and it is why it made a bunch of money. This film does fall into the creatively bankrupt category as they announced this movie less than a year after Zootopia 2 came out and I wish we would be getting more original animated films from Disney, and not just sequels. But I do enjoy the Zootopia characters and being in this world, so as of right now I have no reasons to be skeptical or concerned about the film.
2. Frozen III (November 24th, 2027): If you have seen my rankings in which I have talked about Frozen II then you know that I was not crazy about that film. I was disappointed by it and a big step down from the 2013 original. But there are quite a few things about this movie that have me excited. The important thing about this movie is they are saying that this film and Frozen IV are designed to close out the franchise and they are designing a two-parter film. That is interesting to me, because I do not know if we have ever had an animation franchise that has done that, so Frozen doing that interests me a good bit. And if somebody has earned it then it is of course Frozen had earned that with the 2013 film being a cultural phenomenon with making $1.2 billion as well as Frozen II also making well over $1 billion and being super popular. Like the Zootopia franchise, I am excited to be back in this world with these characters. I find all these characters to be so charming, and it is why Frozen (2013) became a cultural phenomenon because the characters were great by themselves but also together. This comes out next year and I would not be surprised if it ends up being one of the highest grossing movies of 2027.
1. Incredibles 3 (June 16th, 2028): This is my #1 on this list but it is not as clear of a #1 as I hoped it would be. I am still excited for this movie; it will be one of my most anticipated movies of 2028. But I find it weird that we are not doing another time jump. It will have been 24 years between the 2004 original and this film, and all three films would end up taking place close to each other and that is disappointing. There are some interesting stories to tell with Dash and Violet and being older and you have Mr. and Mrs. Incredible as grandparents. Regardless, the 2004 original film is my favorite animated movie of all time. I love how it mixes the heart and emotion of Pixar while also being this great character study and exploring the ideas of a mid-life crisis in the constraints of a superhero movie. I do not view Incredibles 3 happening as creative bankruptcy because the franchise is built around superheroes and there is always another superhero story to tell, so them doing a third one I am fine and happy with. I am excited about what new and fresh ideas they bring to this movie.
Comments