#FIRSTLOOK: WALT DISNEY STUDIOS MOTION PICTURES CANADA 2016 HOLIDAY PREVIEW

By Siobhán Rich for Mr. Will Wong

If you’re anything like me then you like to plan ahead. Luckily our friends at Walt Disney Studios feel the same way and have already mapped out what can only be described as an epic 2016. Whether you like animated animals, space operas in far away galaxies, comic book superheroes, or all of the above then Disney has just the Movie for you.

The year will kick off with The Finest Hours starring Chris Pine and Casey Affleck. This IMAX 3D adventure is based on the true story a daring Coast Guard rescue mission.

Jon Favreau helms the new remake of the 1967 animated classic The Jungle Book. Neel Sethi ‘s Mowgli is the only live action character in a CGI jungle populated with a voice cast that includes Bill Murray, Idris Elba, Ben Kingsley and Scarlett Johansson.

Johnny Depp fans will rejoice when he returns as the Mad Hatter in Alice Through the Looking Glass. Sacha Baron Cohen will join the Wonderland family as Time in this Tim Burton-produced Sequel.

Later in the year another remake will hit the screen: Pete’s Dragon starring Robert Redford and Bryce Dallas Howard.

July 1st will be more than simply Canada day in 2016 as it is also the day Steven Spielberg‘s The BFG will finally hit the big screen. Based on the beloved children’s classic by Roald Dahl this Movie is sure to be a hit with both kids and adults.

If superheroes are more your thing then you have probably been salivating for news about Captain America: Civil War. The new trailer is scheduled to play in theatres before Star Wars: The Force Awakens and is sure to electrify fans.

Benedict Cumberbatch will also be joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe in November as Doctor Strange.

December 2016 will bring a new Star Wars Movie: Rogue One: A Star Wars Story tells the tale of the rebels who stole the plans for the Death Star. The Movie takes place between the events in Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope.

Finally, nothing says Disney like animation. In June, Pixar will return to a familiar family of fish in Finding Dory.

November finds Disney in Hawaii for Moana, the story of a girl in search of a fabled island. Moana is helped along the way by a demi-god voiced by Dwayne Johnson. Broadway fans may be intrigued to hear that music by Lin-Manuel Miranda will be featured.

The biggest Canadian news from Disney Animation is Zootopia. Set in a world completely devoid of humans, Zootopia’s anthropomorphic residents live in a modern world where animals just happen to walk, talk, and dress like people. One of the inhabitants of this animal world is newscaster Peter Moosebridge voiced by the CBC’s own Peter Mansbridge.

With these must-see Movies on your radar 2016 is sure to be a movie-tastic year.