As the cooler temperatures stick around, and you don’t want to trudge outside, head to the theaters to catch features that could be this year’s blockbusters.
Your little ones may have been asking when Elsa and Anna will take on the enchanted forest once again, or when they can jump back into the dangerous world of Jumanji for a new adventure. With release dates in just a few short weeks, you’ll want to grab tickets and plan a night fill of family fun.
Here are five films headed to local theaters that will help you cozy up with a bucket of popcorn and enjoy entertainment for the whole family.
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Arctic Dogs
Opening: Friday, Nov. 1
Rated: PG
Swifty the Arctic fox (voiced by Jeremy Renner) has always wanted to be Top Dog. But rather than racing toward a finish line with the Arctic’s husky couriers, Swifty finds himself racing to save the Arctic altogether. When he discovers Otto Von Walrus’ evil plan to melt the Arctic and rule the world, he taps the shoulders of his friends: PB, a polar bear voiced by Alec Baldwin; Jade Fox, a smart fox voiced by Heidi Klum; and Lemmy the albatross, voiced by James Franco. This star-studded cast is sure to entertain the whole family in this wintery feature film.
Playing with Fire
Opening: Friday, Nov. 8
Rating: PG
An elite team of firefighters are about to get a rude awakening in what they can truly handle. When Jake Carson (played by John Cena) and his fire squad (including comedian Keegan-Michael Key and others) rescue three rambunctious siblings from a fire, the team is assigned to a new task: babysitting. Everything from items around the firehouse to the mental capacity of the team gets turned upside down, and the men soon learn that the children are just as challenging—if not more so—than chasing and putting out fires.
Frozen II
Opening: Friday, Nov. 22
Rating: PG
Frozen, the ever-popular Disney princess film from 2013 that had kids around the world belting Idina Menzels’ rendition of “Let it Go,” and spinning around in bright-blue dresses, grossed an estimated $400.7 million in profits in North America alone, bringing in a global gross estimate of $1.2 billion for the company. (Not including all of those fun toys and merchandise, of course). But the long-awaited sequel has arrived, and stars Anna, Elsa, Kristoff, Olaf and Sven are back for a new adventure: finding the origins of Elsa’s powers, in order to save their kingdom. This time, the crew will journey through an autumn-bound forest and surely stir up some fun and chaos along the way.
Jumanji: The Next Level
Opening: Friday, Dec. 13
Rating: PG-13
In the 2017 film Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, four high school teens find an old video game console and quickly realize it isn’t just a game—they become the adult avatars they have chosen and embark on a journey of survival. In the 2019 sequel, the four players return (including Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart, Jack Black and Karen Gillan, with appearances from Nick Jonas, Danny DeVito and more. It’s time to save the terrifying and electrifying game that is Jumanji.
Spies in Disguise
Opening: Wednesday, Dec. 25
Rating: PG
If you mention the upcoming release of a kid-friendly Disney movie this season, the first response you’ll hear is Frozen II. But the powerhouse media company is releasing another kid-focused animated film before the end of the year that doesn’t have to do with the ice princess. In Spies in Disguise, Lance Sterling, the smooth and suave super spy voiced by Will Smith, and the socially awkward scientist Walter Beckett, voiced by Tom Holland (a breakout star from Spider-Man: Far From Home, earlier this year), will use their technology, experience and a little bit of finesse to tackle a new challenge: an unfortunate transformation when Lance takes a sip of one of Walter’s science experiments.
