By: Ashton Newton

Disney is a smart studio and they generally get things very right. They have Marvel and Lucasfilm under their belt, which have been getting huge amounts of praise and attention, but following the success of “The Jungle Book,” Disney has announced that they are going back to some of their classics.

Disney has announced live-action versions of nine classic tales, and while no official dates have been tied to the films, Disney says the earliest release would be July 2017.

First on Disney’s list is a live-action movie based off of Cruella Deville, simply titled “Cruella” with Emma Stone set to star.

Angelina Jolie is reprising her role as Maleficent in a sequel and Jon Favreau will be returning to direct “The Jungle Book 2.” A “Jungle Book” sequel may get dicey though, with Andy Serkis and Warner Bros. planning a darker version of the film to release next year.

Director Tim Burton is making his return to Disney with a new “Dumbo” film with “Transformers” writer Ehren Kruger penning the script.

Reese Witherspoon will be starring as Tinkerbell in a Tink-centered film, written by “Finding Dory” writer Victoria Strouse.

“A Wrinkle in Time” and “The Nutcracker” films are also being made.

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson will star in “Jungle Cruise,” a film based off of the popular Disneyland ride. “Pirates of the Caribbean” also started off as a Disneyland ride, which inspired the film series.

Emily Blunt is going take on the iconic role of Mary Poppins for a sequel to the 1964 classic.

This lineup of movies is on top of the huge lineup of Marvel films on the way, including “Captain America: Civil War,” which released May 6, and the six “Star Wars” films Disney hopes to release by 2020.

Lastly, “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales” is in development, with Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom, and Keira Knightly all returning. The film is set to release May 2017.

It’s safe to say that Disney knows that they’re doing and have a long-term plan for their films, with both classics and fresh content.

Contact the author at anewton15@wou.edu