by Micheal Bamford and Zehra Madhavan

As we all solemnly remember our failed resolutions from days past, we look to the future in hopes of finding exciting new movies coming out in the year ahead.  We found some sequels, Marvel movies, and other promising films, but they do sound really good!

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them – November 18

The wizarding world of Harry Potter is back in this new film, which is set in the America in the 1920s.  The story is based on a spin-off book written by J. K. Rowling, and the film stars Eddie Redmayne as Newt Scamander,  a keeper of magical creatures. When he loses the briefcase containing all of his creatures, both the wizarding world and the non-magical world are plunged into danger.  Fans have come to love the Harry Potter series over the years, so expectations are high for this film.

Finding Dory – June 17

Yes, you read that right: Finding Nemo became one of Disney’s most successful films when it premiered in 2003, so it’s no wonder that the company has decided to create a sequel for the film.  The film follows the hilarious amnesiac fish Dory, a supporting character from the original film who is voiced by Ellen Degeneres.  In this installment, Dory embarks on a search to find her long-lost family, and along the way, she encounters some new friends and some new challenges.

Alice Through the Looking Glass – May 27

This year, Alice is back in Wonderland for more adventures with the Mad Hatter and Red Queen.  This film is a continuation of Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland, which was released in 2010.  Like the first installment, this film stars Johnny Depp, Anne Hathaway, and Helena Bonham Carter; however, this film’s director is James Bobin (The Muppets).  We’ll have to hope that Bobin will be able to maintain Burton’s vision from the first film and provide viewers with more enthralling action and whimsical fun.

Captain America: Civil War – May 6

Marvel fans rejoice, for this is a year of joy.  Marvel’s Phase 2 has finally concluded, which begins the next set of action-packed movies.  Phase 3 provides some sequels and new characters, but also starts to tackle some of the heavier storylines from the comics, most notably, the Civil War.  In the comics, unfortunate civilian deaths caused by superheroes culminate in the government passing the Superhuman Registration Act.  The film version seems to hold true to the general plot of the comic, and while the battle scenes won’t be as massive as they are in the comics, the built tension between Captain America (Chris Evans) and Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) should prove utterly thrilling.