From the Screen to the Shelves: Top Movies Coming to the Big Screen in 2024

The entertainment market is teeming with more fan-favorite franchises than ever, so to celebrate the upcoming titles coming to screens this year, we take a toyetic look at the biggest kids’ (and kidult) opportunities for the toy aisle.

“Lilo & Stitch”

Among the list of movies coming to streaming platforms and cinemas worldwide in 2024 is a slate of anticipated productions from Disney. The most toyetic among the list include “Inside Out 2” and live-action remakes, “Mufasa: The Lion King,” “Disney’s Snow White” and “Lilo & Stitch.” Expected for release on Disney+ in 2024, the live-action remake of the beloved 2002 animated motion picture brings Lilo (played by Maia Kealoha) and a CGI Stitch (voiced by creator, Chris Sanders) back together with director, Dean Fleischer Camp.

“Despicable Me 4”

Gru hit our screens for the first time in 2020 with “Despicable Me,” a story of an ambitious supervillain side-tracked by family life. What audiences did not expect was the breakthrough arrival of Gru’s aptly named Minions. The small yellow menace of Bob and company created chaos across the “Despicable Me” universe. They became an immediate hit, spawning countless licensed products and appearances and cementing minions in the cultural zeitgeist for some time. After numerous spin-offs, shorts and sequels, the cast is back for a fourth installment with Universal Pictures and an inevitable continuation of brand licensing success.

Related:Kids' Films Special Report: ‘Hey Kids! Let’s Go to the Movies’

“Sonic the Hedgehog 3”

Bringing Ben Schwartz back as the Blue Blur, Paramount Pictures’ “Sonic the Hedgehog 3” is a follow-up from the TV mini-series, “Knuckles,” based on Knuckles the Echidna (voiced by Idris Elba). A new character is rumored to appear in the third edition of the motion picture in the form of Shadow the Hedgehog, with video games, “Sonic Adventure 2” and “Shadow the Hedgehog,” reportedly acting as inspiration for the movie. Licensed by Sega, the “Sonic the Hedgehog” film franchise is not only a nod to the gamers of the first iterations of “Sonic” but a successful on-ramp for new generations of fans.

Plush toys in front of a movie, avtk, iStock / Getty Images Plus

“Paddington in Peru”

Directed by Dougal Wilson, the third installment of the Paddington live-action franchise, “Paddington in Peru,” comes almost eight years after the release of the critically acclaimed “Paddington 2.” In the movie, Paddington and the Brown family travel to Peru to visit Aunt Lucy, who is now in a Home for Retired Bears, before uncovering a mystery that takes them across the Amazon jungle. The Paddington franchise, both film and historic, is a multigenerational fan-favorite steeped in nostalgia and expert storytelling, making the arrival of another touchpoint for fans of all ages a hot prospect for brands looking to collaborate. There is, however, a catch: U.K. and European audiences will be able to watch this movie in cinemas in November; however, viewers in North America will have to wait until January 2025.

Related:The Biggest Box Office Movies Coming to Theaters This Decade

Honorable Mention: Fan-Driven Franchises

Kidults are also covered for entertainment opportunities for this year, with the pending launch of untitled Avatar and Alien projects, as well as MCU’s “Deadpool 3” and “Blade” and Warner Bros. Pictures’ “Godzilla vs. Kong 2.” Each property and franchise has a huge following, collectibles and licensed opportunities are already on display, with a new motion picture moment spurring on new creative consumer products across 2024.

This article was taken from February's issue of License Global.