Walt Disney Studios Adjusts Release Calendar

Walt Disney Studios has made a notable update to their upcoming release schedule, revealing that this summer’s highly anticipated Pixar original, Elio, will now debut on June 20, a week later than originally planned. This strategic shift breaks away from Pixar’s traditional Father’s Day Weekend release slot and allows Disney to avoid a direct competition with Universal’s live-action adaptation of the beloved DreamWorks classic, How to Train Your Dragon, directed by Dean DeBlois.

Additionally, the studio has either removed or rescheduled several “Untitled Disney” project reservations, indicating a refined focus on their upcoming slate.

The new release date for Elio also provides a broader window for Disney’s own live-action remake of Lilo & Stitch, which is set to premiere on May 23, helmed by Oscar-nominated director Dean Fleisher Camp (Marcel the Shell with Shoes On). Notably, Elio stands as the only fully-animated major studio release between The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie (March 14; Ketchup Ent.) and Smurfs (July 18; Paramount).

Disney appears to be making calculated moves, especially following a successful 2024 where their titles dominated the global box office, with Pixar’s Inside Out 2, Marvel’s Deadpool & Wolverine, and Walt Disney Animation Studios’ Moana 2 taking the top three spots.

Elio is directed by a talented trio: Madeline Sharafian (Burrow SparkShort), Domee Shi (Bao short, Turning Red), and Adrian Molina (co-screenwriter/co-director of Coco), with production led by Mary Alice Drumm (associate producer of Coco). The film follows an alien-obsessed boy who is mistakenly identified as Earth’s leader and whisked away to the intergalactic “Communiverse,” where he forms friendships with extraterrestrial beings and plays a crucial role in preventing an interplanetary disaster.

Upcoming Disney Animation and Related Films

• Snow White (live action) – March 21
• Lilo & Stitch (live action) – May 23
• Elio (Pixar) – June 20
• Zootopia 2 (Disney) – November 26
• Hoppers (Pixar) – March 6, 2026
• Toy Story 5 (Pixar) – June 19, 2026
• Moana (live action) – July 10, 2026
• Ice Age 6 (20th Century Animation) – December 18, 2026
• Frozen III (Disney) – November 24, 2027