The Best Movies Being Added To Disney Plus This Year

Coming in April, this supernatural horror film centres on an American woman sent to work at a church in Rome, although she winds up discovering a dark conspiracy surrounding the birth of an Antichrist.

Described as a prequel to The Omen, The First Omen stars Bill Nighy, Nell Tiger Free, Tawfeek Barhom, Sonia Braga and Ralph Ineson.

The fourth instalment in the Planet of the Apes franchise, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is set almost 300 years after 2017's War for the Planet of the Apes. The story picks up after Caesar's reign when the apes are the dominant species, with humans now living in the shadows as Proximus Caesar perverts his predecessor's teachings.

The film is expected to be released in cinemas on May and on the streaming service shortly afterwards.

Coming in June is Inside Out 2, which sees Riley having reached adolescence. Her subconscious now finds itself being forced to adjust to a couple of new emotions moving in and making their presence felt, particularly anxiety.

Amy Poehler, Phyllis Smith and Lewis Black are all returning, with Maya Hawke, Tony Hale and Liza Lapira joining the cast.

Expected to arrive on Disney Plus in July, Descendants: The Rise of Red is the fourth of the Descendants films which originally starred Dove Cameron and Kristen Chenoweth.

This time around viewers are back in the magical kingdom of Auradon and have headed down the rabbit hole to the hostile territory of Wonderland. There we're introduced to Red - played by Kylie Cantrall - the unruly daughter of the Queen of Hearts - set to be played by Rita Ora (iconic) - who will reluctantly join forces with Chloe - played by Malia Baker - the daughter of Cinderella (exciting news: Brandy is back!) and Prince Charming aka Paolo Montalbano and travel back in time using the White Rabbit’s pocket watch to prevent an impending coup in Auradon.

Ryan Reynolds returns as Marvel superhero Deadpool for the third instalment in the Deadpool franchise in July. Not much is known about the plot of the film so far, but it has been confirmed that Hugh Jackman will be making an appearance as Wolverine.

Another year, another adaptation of The Lion King.

Coming in December, this time around the film is a prequel, telling the story of the rise of one of the greatest kings of the Pride Lands: Mufasa (Aaron Pierre). The plot sees Rafiki (John Kani) tell Kiara - daughter of Simba and Nala - the story of her grandfather, while Timon (Billy Eichner) and Pumbaa (Seth Rogen) provide comical additions to the tale. Also, it's a musical...

As well as being the voice behind the iconic Disney princess Elsa from Frozen, Idina Menzel has been a staple on Broadway for years.

In this documentary, the star takes fans through her life from her first Tony Award right to her latest album via her divorce, struggles with fertility and relationship with religion. It's an intimate look at the Let It Go singer and whilst she may be a Disney princess, this Disney movie is one for the grown-ups.

Featuring footage of and interviews with stars like Elton John and Paul McCartney, If These Walls Could Sing tells the story of the iconic Abbey Road Studios in London on its 90th anniversary and how it came to be one of the most famous recording venues in the world.

Prom Pact is a light-hearted Disney original movie, very much aimed at teenagers, but perfect for a bit of escapism. It's a classic tale of nerdy girl and handsome jock pretend to date before catching some very real feelings for each other.

Nothing you haven't seen before, but still a great watch.

Another re-imagining of the Disney classic Peter Pan, this version sees Jude Law take on the role of Captain Hook - the pirate antagonist to the boy who refuses to grow up, played by Alexander Molony.

It's not the first live-action reboot of Peter Pan, but Peter Pan & Wendy is definitely one of the darkest. If you're looking for a more lighthearted version, the classic animated Disney movie Peter Pan, Robin William's comical version Hook and the commercially unsuccessful but surprisingly good Pan are all available to watch on Disney Plus.

Starring Ralph Fiennes, Ana Taylor Joy and Nicholas Hoult, The Menu is a comedy-horror film about celebrity chef Slowik (Fiennes) who hosts an exclusive restaurant opening that serves as a pretence for him to reveal the truth about his diners, with disastrous consequences.

This latest Disney princess film - starring Ariana DeBose and Chris Pine - features the first Disney princess to rock braids.

In an attempt to overcome the evil rising in the Kingdom of Rosas, 17 year old Asha (DeBose) makes a wish to the stars, not realising that they have the power to make it come true. This sets off a whole chain of events that could have disastrous consequences if she doesn't act quickly.

Following its hugely successful cinematic release, the live-action reimagining of the classic Disney princess film The Little Mermaid has arrived on Disney Plus.

Telling the story of Ariel - brilliantly played by Halle Bailey - this musical film follows the red headed mermaid as she dreams of being part of the human world.

Plus, once you've finished watching this version, you can go back and watch the classic Disney version which came out in 1989 and is also available on Disney Plus.

Part of the National Geographic's contribution to Disney Plus, The Flagmakers is a short documentary film about the workers at one of America's leading flag producers, including the refugees and immigrants who have risked their lives to make it into the country. Makes for a fascinating viewing.

The heartbreaking sequel to the original Black Panther Disney movie, this Marvel film tells of the struggles of the country of Wakanda following the death of its leader The Black Panther.

Mirroring the devastating passing of actor Chadwick Boseman, this action film is a real tearjerker. Angela Bassett most definitely did the thing.

Starring Keira Knightley as Loretta McLaughlin, the real-life reporter who broke the story of the Boston Strangler, this gripping drama follows her investigation into the serial killer all whilst she navigating the sexist world of 1960s journalism.

Over 10 years after the first came the second instalment of the Avatar franchise and following its record-breaking cinematic release in 2022 - it was the highest-grossing film of the year and the third highest-grossing film of all time - the fantasy action movie is now available to watch on Disney Plus.

Avatar The Way of Water follows Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) - a blue-skinned humanoid Na'vi - as he and his family come under threat from humans, forcing them to seek refuge with the aquatic Metkayina clan of Pandora.

Eva Longoria's directorial debut Flamin' Hot tells the story of janitor Richard Montanez who supposedly came up with the idea for Flamin' Hot Cheetos.

Based on a - much disputed - true story, this film is completely mad at points, but well worth a watch.

Set in a world inhabited by the elements of nature, Disney's latest animation Elemental follows fire element Ember Lumen (Leah Lewis) and water element Wade Ripple (Mamoudou Athie), who meet and fall in love after Wade is summoned following a plumbing accident at a convenience store owned by Ember's father, Bernie (Ronnie Del Carmen).

Like most Disney and Pixar movies, this film is aimed at children, but still makes for an enjoyable watch for adults too.

The fifth and final instalment of the Indiana Jones franchise will soon be available to watch on Disney Plus following its cinematic release.

As well as Harrison Ford returning as the iconic whip-wielding hero, there are also plenty of new famous faces joining the cast including Phoebe Waller Bridge as the archaeologist's estranged Goddaughter, who joins him on his quest to find the Dial of Destiny before the Nazis get their hands on it.

Perhaps the most star-studded of all the movies that arrived on Disney Plus in 2023, Haunted Mansion is a supernatural horror comedy about a family who hire a team of unofficial ghostbusters (LaKeith Stanfield, Tiffany Haddish, Owen Wilson and Danny DeVito) to rid their home of the supernatural.

Based on the novel Hallowe'en Party by Agatha Christie, A Haunting in Venice is the third of Kenneth Branagh's well-received Poirot reimaginings.

The plot follows a retired Hercule Poirot (Branagh) who most solve the murder of a guest at the seance he has just attended.

Famous faces like Jamie Dornan, Tina Fey and Michelle Yeoh also star.