Keep your eyes open for these exciting releases to enjoy in the new year.

2024 brought forth a series of new releases in the form of music, movies, video games, and other media, to the point where it’s impossible to list them all without leaving several out. This year’s Grammys were flooded with amazing albums by several pop culture icons like Taylor Swift, Billie Eilish, and Kendrick Lamar – to such a degree that nobody was ever going to be satisfied with the results of the rewards. Last year also introduced video games like Astrobot and Balatro that will be iconic for years to come  alongside movies like Inside Out 2, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, and Mean Girls (The Musical). 

At first glance… 2025 may seem rather lackluster in comparison. It feels as though artists and producers chose to drop all of their content in one year, leaving us in silence for the next. However, peeking through the curtains of the rocky start to the new year, a decent list of exciting releases are on the horizon in the next several months. Here’s a list of a few highlights.

Phineas and Ferb Season 5

Having supposedly come to an end in June of 2015, Phineas and Ferb is a childhood classic for thousands. The cartoon lingers in the fond memories of adults and kids alike thanks to its clever humor and creative concepts. After 10 full years of absence, the show will finally be revived with two brand new seasons, Disney announced alongside the cartoon’s co-producer Dan Povenmire at the start of 2023. The new season will premiere this summer, as was confirmed recently – fitting perfectly with the “summer vacation” theme of the show. Phineas and Ferb will make its grand return on Disney+ with many of its original voice actors.

Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins

A second standalone prequel for the dystopian trilogy The Hunger Games was announced in June of 2024, following the release of The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes film adaptation from just a few months prior. Sunrise on the Reaping is set 24 years before the events of the first Hunger Games novel and takes place from the perspective of Haymitch Abernathy, the District 12 victor who mentored Peeta and Katniss. The book is available for preorder now and releases on March 18 – and a film adaptation is already in progress. Now is the perfect time to reread the main Hunger Games trilogy in preparation for this new novel!

Wicked: For Good

Filled with magic and set in the whimsical world of Oz, the first of a duology of Wicked film adaptations was released this last November. Originally titled Wicked: Act 2, the second half will premiere later this year with the new name Wicked: For Good. Ariana Grande, who stars as Glinda in the movie, said in an interview with Cinemablend.com that “the second movie really embodies unconditional love and forgiveness and friendship.” The first part was nominated for four Golden Globe awards and won one for Cinematic and Box Office Achievement. Keep an eye out for the release of the second half!

Pokémon Legends: Z-A
Fans would say that the quality of Pokémon’s productions has been inconsistent over the past few years – but arguably, one of their best recent releases was Legends: Arceus, thanks to the introduction of open-world gameplay and a more detailed art style. Pokémon Legends: Z-A will presumably take on a similar approach. With a story occurring before the events of the Nintendo 3DS games Pokémon X and Y, this new game will delve into the “legends” of the Kalos region and bring the player through high-action gameplay and a plethora of new Pokémon to catch.

Article by Rainier Cem