Disney looks to return to its previous levels of success with five new animated movies coming to theaters over the next two years.
2023 saw only two animated features from Disney and its subsidiaries, with Pixar's Elemental hitting the big screen in May before Wish made its debut in November.
2024 will continue that trend with half a dozen new entries across the studio's various franchises, and 2025 already has multiple potential hits being prepped.
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5 Animated Disney Movies in the Next 2 Years
As of writing, Disney has five titled animated movies confirmed for theatrical release in the next two years that it will distribute.
These five films, developed under both Walt Disney Animation Studios and Pixar Studios, will be detailed ahead:
Inside Out 2
Nine years after the original Inside Out gave fans a look into young Riley's mind and the emotions who live there, Inside Out 2 will follow up with the young lady as she moves through adolescence.
Following the first film, the emotions appear to be in harmony with one another, although Inside Out 2 director Kelsey Mann confirmed that puberty will play a major role in the film, shaking things up significantly.
This includes new emotions coming into the spotlight as Riley becomes a teenager, with Anxiety, Embarrassment, Ennui, and Envy entering the young girl's life for the first time.
While trailers have kept the specific plot mostly under wraps for the time being, excitement is already building to see this new sequel push the team of emotions into uncharted territory...emotionally speaking.
The Disney/Pixar sequel hits theaters on June 14, 2024.
Moana 2
The studio's second sequel of 2024 will bring one of the most popular Disney princesses back to theaters in Moana 2.
Bringing back Auli'i Cravalho as Moana and Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson as Maui, along with other memorable characters from the original, the sequel is said to take place three years after Moana saved her island from disaster.
The story is confirmed to feature a brand-new group of seafarers who are introduced to Moana, with the synopsis teasing her receiving "an unexpected call from her wayfinding ancestors" as she travels to new locales.
As only the fourth Disney animated sequel to hit theaters, the company hopes to replicate the success seen with 2016's Moana as new music and magic enhance the adventure further.
Moana 2 is confirmed to sail into theaters on November 27, 2024.
Elio
Pixar's next original film will come with Elio, telling the story of an 11-year-old boy who is abducted from Earth by aliens.
This leads to the youngster becoming an ambassador for his home planet as he is beamed up to an interplanetary organization looking over countless galaxies in the universe.
13-year-old Yonas Kibreab takes on the leading role of Elio, and he is joined by America Ferrera (Barbie), Jameela Jamil (She-Hulk: Attorney at Law), and Brad Garrett (Everybody Loves Raymond) in the voice cast.
No marketing material for the film has been released yet (other than a brief trailer), but it is due for release in theaters on June 13, 2025.
Zootopia 2
In early February, Disney CEO Bob Iger confirmed plans for Zootopia 2, following up on the events of 2016's Zootopia.
Speaking exclusively with The Direct, Disney Animation producer Brad Simonsen commented that he knows "this next one’s going to take it to another level," hyping the sequel to be "as good or better" than its predecessor.
Currently, there are no official details on Zootopia 2' plot, although fans are expecting Ginnifer Goodwin’s Judy Hopps and Jason Bateman’s Nick Wilde to be back at the center of the next addition to this story.
This sequel is currently being prepped for a November 26, 2025 theatrical debut.
Toy Story 5
Alongside the announcement for Zootopia 2 and Frozen 3, Disney confirmed plans for Toy Story 5 to be developed, marking the first movie in the franchise since 2019's Toy Story 4.
Although specific details remain a mystery, Pixar CEO Pete Docter teased that the new sequel includes "some really cool stuff that [audiences] haven’t seen before."
Buzz Lightyear star Tim Allen already shared his own idea of what should happen in the movie, wanting to see Andy "as an adult" in a story that sees him searching for his old toys after giving them away at the end of Toy Story 3.
Iger initially gave a wide 2026 release window before Disney nailed down a June 19, 2026 debut in theaters.
