Everything Coming To Disney+ In 2020
By now, you've probably binged The Mandalorian a few times, rewatched some of your favorite classics, and maybe even given some hidden gems a spin. The big question on the mind of a lot of Disney+ subscribers now is this: "Why should I keep this service over the dozens of other options out there?" The streaming wars are real, folks.
If you're still wondering whether or not to stick by the House of Mouse, we've got you covered. Throughout 2020, we'll be keeping you up to date about everything we know is coming to the streaming service. This is your comprehensive rundown of all the exciting original shows and movies being produced exclusively for Disney+. Bookmark this page and check back often — we'll keep adding things to it as Disney announces new shows and movies. Until next time, here are the things headed to Disney+ this year that you should definitely care about.
The Mandalorian: Season 2
This is the big one. The Mandalorian and Baby Yoda stormed the internet when Disney+ launched in November of 2019, and the show seemed to hit that sweet spot of mainstream success and obsessive fandom that made it a must watch. A second season of the show was obvious — what's surprising is how quickly we'll be able to sit down and watch it.
As soon as the season finale debuted in December, showrunner Jon Favreau revealed that the second season of The Mandalorian is slated to arrive in fall 2020. The show debuted on November 12, 2019, so the follow-up arriving a year later seems like a pretty good bet.
There were quite a few cliffhangers left over at the end of The Mandalorian's first season. We (and the characters) don't know much real information about Baby Yoda, and all signs point to the second season focusing on the search for the child's home. There's also still the threat of Moff Gideon — and his Darksaber — to deal with.
WandaVision
One of the two original MCU shows coming to Disney+ in 2020, WandaVision looks to be a bit of a strange one. It focuses on Wanda Maximoff (a.k.a. Scarlet Witch, played by Elizabeth Olsen) and Vision (played by Paul Bettany). As for what they'll be up to, that's anyone's guess. Remember — Vision is dead, as the Infinity Stones were destroyed at the end of Avengers: Endgame.
So far, the imagery we've seen from WandaVision evokes a strange Leave it to Beaver or Pleasantville vibe. Paul Bettany reportedly told an audience at the D23 expo that the show would have old school sitcom vibes with some serious darkness hidden just below the surface. Some familiar faces from the MCU will appear along the way, including Darcy Lewis (Kat Dennings), Jimmy Woo (Randall Park), and an all-grown-up Monica Rambeau (now played by Teyonah Parris). We're intrigued to see what will bring them all together.
Considering where the MCU appears to be headed with some of its post-Avengers releases, CBR posits that WandaVision will serve as a way to introduce supernatural and horror elements into the greater MCU. Guardians of the Galaxy did something similar with cosmic concepts on its original release, and Doctor Strange opened the door for mysticism to find its way into the franchise. It'll be interesting to see what types of risks Marvel and Disney take with Wanda's reality-bending powers post-Endgame.
Falcon and the Winter Soldier
The second MCU show hitting Disney+ this year is The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. We've got a few details on this one, but the showrunners have generally played it pretty close to the chest.
Anthony Mackie and Sebastian Stan will be reprising their title roles, and a lot of the other cast has been revealed as well. Daniel Bruhl is returning as Captain America: Civil War Helmut Zemo. Emily VanCamp will reprise her role as Sharon Carter. Wyatt Russell, meanwhile, joins the cast as John Walker, a.k.a. U.S. Agent. Other actors announced in recurring roles include Desmond Chaim, Miki Ishikawa, and Adepero Oduye.
The Falcon and the Winter Soldier is slated to consist of six episodes that will release weekly, rather than all at once — a strategy Disney+ is clearly favoring for all of its original series. With director Kari Skogland (The Handmaid's Tale, The Walking Dead) at the helm for every episode,the show looks to follow in the vein of the Captain America films, playing like a spy thriller. It will focus on Sam Wilson adapting to his role as the new Captain America following the events of Avengers: Endgame.
Artemis Fowl
Disney's adaptation of the popular YA novel series Artemis Fowl has gone through a troubled production. The film was supposed to release in August of 2019, but Disney's purchase of Fox reportedly caused a shakeup in release dates, pushing the Artemis Fowl release date back to May 2020. Unfortunately for the movie (which has been in some stage of development since shortly after the first book's publication nearly 20 years ago), the shutdown of theaters across the globe pushed it out of that date, too.
Disney's solution is to release the film directly to Disney+. We don't have a definitive release date, but the film will apparently be part of the streaming platform's summer lineup. Disney CEO Bob Iger has said that other films may follow in Artemis Fowl's footsteps and skip theaters to go directly to streaming.
Artemis Fowl is the story of a boy genius (played by Ferdia Shaw) who sets out to find his father (Colin Farrell) and uncovers an ancient, magical civilization. The movie certainly doesn't lack for talent: Kenneth Branagh directed, and the supporting cast includes Judi Dench and Josh Gad. Look for it this summer.
The Mighty Ducks
Forget it, cake-eater. You wanna play? Play with yourself.
That's right, The Mighty Ducks are coming back. The Hollywood Reporter writes that Disney+ will release a comedy series based on the films that will premiere "late this year." The revival will come as a streaming series rather than a new movie, but it will be a direct sequel to the films. It will be set in modern day Minnesota, where the Mighty Ducks youth hockey team has transformed from a band of scrappy underdogs into a juggernaut of youth hockey. When 12-year-old Evan is cut from the team, he and his mother put together a new bunch of misfits to try to take down this new-look Mighty Ducks.
Just one day after news of the show first broke, Emilio Estevez confirmed his return as Gordon Bombay, excitedly announcing, "Once a Duck, always a Duck!" Brady Noon, one of the breakout leads in the film Good Boys, will take the lead as Evan, with Lauren Graham (Gilmore Girls) as Evan's mother. Steve Brill, who created the original, is the series executive producer.
Muppets Now
The Muppets are coming to Disney+ in 2020, but not in the format you might expect. Originally, fans were expecting a familiar show called Muppets Live Another Day starring Josh Gad, but it never got off the ground. Instead, we can expect a short-form show at some point in 2020 called Muppets Now.
The show will feature celebrity guests and is being touted as unscripted, but there aren't a ton of details available outside of that. The promise of celebrity guests suggests that the project could resemble the original Muppet Show variety series from the 1970s, but we'll have to wait for more details to learn more.
The Muppets last had a show on ABC in 2015, following a pair of feature films in 2011 and 2014. These iterations were largely dedicated to playing on the nostalgia of adults who grew up with the characters. Time will tell if Muppets Now represents a fresh retooling for a streaming audience, but regardless, it will be a welcome return to the spotlight.
The Phineas and Ferb Movie: Candace Against the Universe
This is the type of thing that you love to see on a streaming service. Phineas and Ferb, a cartoon series that ran from 2007 through 2015, is the story of two brothers who are constantly inventing extraordinary ways to pass time during their summer vacation. Their sister, Candace, is always trying to get them in trouble, and their pet platypus moonlights as a James Bond-esque spy, constantly thwarting the villainous plans of Dr. Doofenshmirtz. Pretty standard stuff.
Anyway, the original creators are returning for a feature film called The Phineas and Ferb Movie: Candace Against the Universe. According to Disney's official announcement at D23 in 2019, the plot will feature the two brothers traveling across the galaxy to rescue their sister. Also returning are two of the three main voices: Ashley Tisdale will reprise her role as Candace, with Vincent Martella back again as Phineas. Sadly, Thomas Brodie-Sangster is not returning as the voice of Ferb — though Ferb rarely spoke, so hopefully it won't be too noticeable.
The Phineas and Ferb Movie: Candace Against the Universe will reportedly release in the summer of 2020, though an official date has not yet been announced.
Lizzie McGuire
This one's a bit up in the air at this point in the wake of some behind-the-scenes shake-ups. However, as far as we know, we can still expect a full season of the Lizzie McGuire reboot in 2020. It's too bad the show seems to be on the rocks, because it sounds like a fun return to form.
Hilary Duff is confirmed to return in the title role, with much of her supporting cast expected to be on board as well. The new Lizzie McGuire was set to kick off on Lizzie's 30th birthday in New York City, where she would be working as an interior design apprentice. However, Variety reports that show creator Terri Minsky parted ways with the reboot after only two episodes were filmed. "After filming two episodes, we concluded that we need to move in a different creative direction and are putting a new lens on the show," a Disney spokesperson explained. The show was supposed to release this year, and possibly still will — we just don't have further details yet.
Monsters at Work
Get some more Pixar in your life with Monsters at Work. This series is a direct sequel to the film Monsters, Inc. (Monsters University was a prequel), picking up six months after the events of the film. It will introduce a new character, Tylor Tuskmon, who graduates as the top scarer in his college class. He comes to work at MI on the day the company switches over from scares to laughter, leaving him unsure how to move forward.
Ben Feldman will voice the main role of Tylor as he struggles to adjust to the new company directives. Feldman has appeared in a few films and several television series, including recurring roles on Mad Men and Silicon Valley. Much of the movie's all-star cast, including John Goodman and Billy Crystal, will reunite for the series. New additions to the cast include Aisha Tyler, Kelly Marie Tran, and Henry Winkler.
There's no official release date yet for Monsters at Work, but Disney has announced that we can expect it this year.
Chip 'n' Dale
You might remember these two cartoon chipmunks from the 1989-90 Rescue Rangers cartoon, but Chip and Dale have been around much longer than that. They originally appeared as troublemakers in classic Disney animated shorts starting in the 1940s, frequently antagonizing Donald Duck or Pluto. Disney+ has plans for the chipmunk duo, and is rebooting Chip 'n' Dale in that classic cartoon philosophy.
The new cartoon will be comprised of 39 short episodes of about seven minutes each. It will feature mostly situational, nonverbal comedy focusing on the life of the two characters surviving in the big city. Collider writes that the reboot will be produced by Disney's London-based animation studio in collaboration with Xilam Animation in Paris. The series is directed by Jean Cayrol and produced by Marc du Pontavice. There is no set release date yet, but we do know Chip 'n' Dale is coming at some point in 2020. Until then, go watch the 1952 short "Pluto's Christmas Tree" on Disney+ to see what these Chipmunks are all about.
Star Wars: Jedi Temple Challenge
Remember Legends of the Hidden Temple and Guts? If you've got fond memories of those kid competition shows, you might want to keep your eyes peeled for Star Wars: Jedi Temple Challenge. It's a live action skills-based game show set in the Star Wars universe. It's also hosted by Ahmed Best, who portrayed Jar Jar Binks in the prequel trilogy.
Star Wars: Jedi Temple Challenge will test contestants' skills in three different settings: a forest planet, a star cruiser, and a Jedi temple. Dan Silver, Vice President of Disney Original Unscripted Content, claims "Star Wars: Jedi Temple Challenge brings together the best of Star Wars — competitive spirit, harrowing obstacles and a hero's triumph over challenges — in a totally new format for the franchise."
Best will be joined in his hosting duty by droid companion, voiced by Mary Holland. It's a bit of an odd one, but Star Wars: Jedi Temple Challenge could be pretty fun. There's no concrete release date other than some time this year.
Be Our Chef
The runaway popularity of cooking competition shows in recent years has been hard to miss, so it's no surprise that Disney+ has one on the way in 2020. Be Our Chef will feature two families competing each week to create Disney-themed dishes that fit in the confines of that week's challenge. According to the fanpage The Disney Blog, the winning team's final dish will also be served at Walt Disney World. Given the reference in the title to the iconic "Be Our Guest" musical number, it's a safe bet that the show will carry a Beauty and the Beast theme.
Be Our Chef is hosted by Angela Kinsey, who is probably best known for playing Angela on the U.S. version of The Office. Kinsey now hosts a YouTube cooking show with her husband, Baking with Josh and Ange. Further details about Be Our Chef, including an exact premiere date, are yet to be announced, but we can expect the competition to arrive on Disney+ at some point this year.