2019 is going to bring out the inner child in all of us. With live-action releases of beloved Disney movies like “Dumbo,” “Aladdin” and “The Lion King” (though I hesitate to call this live-action), it’s hard not to be excited about these movies. There is one movie, however, that is perhaps the most anticipated of the Disney releases, and that is “Toy Story 4,” coming to theaters June 21. The main, and most important, difference between “Toy Story 4” and the other Disney releases is that “Toy Story 4” is not a remake.

Arriving nine years after “Toy Story 3,” “Toy Story 4” continues “Toy Story 3’s” storyline and introduces completely new characters. After being given to Bonnie by Andy, who went off to college, Woody (Tom Hanks) and Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen) have accepted and found new gratitude in their place as Bonnie’s toys. They are soon introduced to Forky (Tony Hale), a spork made into a new toy, and together the toys take a road trip to discover what the world can be like from a toy’s point of view. Along with some new voices, “Toy Story 4” will see the return of Annie Potts as Bo Peep and Joan Cusack as Jessie.

If you aren’t excited for “Toy Story 4” yet, take a look at the teaser trailer for the movie that was released in November to get a quick look into what it’s all about. This release is a huge one, so don’t be surprised when you see a bunch of 18-to-22-year-olds flooding into movie theaters on June 21 fighting over the best seat.

– Carolina Garibay

With a new year comes a long list of anticipated music and films to be released throughout the year. As a music addict, it would come quite naturally to obsess over the 2019 album release list and count down the days until my favorite releases. Upon inspection, however, there was no music that captured my attention this year. That’s not to say there isn’t anything good coming, but the first and second quarters of the year look dry and bland from a rock fan’s perspective. The most anticipated releases of the year for me are not guaranteed but rumored, and very hoped-for. The first is new music from Guns N’ Roses. Rhythm guitarist Richard Fortus, in a recent interview, claimed that Guns N’ Roses would likely have a new album “Faster than you would think.” This news is encouraging for fans of the band, especially as it would be the first album with guitarist Slash and bassist Duff McKagan since 1993, as well as the first Guns N’ Roses album in over ten years. We can only hope we hear any new music in 2019. Additionally, as they are hot on the rise, new music from Greta Van Fleet would make total sense, and be very welcomed. Touring on a very small catalog, the band will likely start releasing more singles throughout the year to lead up to their next album, and will likely drop them sporadically as they previously have.

For film, there are many more exciting options on the table so far. It will be hard to contain our inner child, as the release for Toy Story 4 quickly approaches. While the third film was a big letdown as opposed to the first two classic films, the franchise remains one of the greatest children’s series of all time. Star Wars is also on the horizon, making another end-of-year debut. The next Star Wars will be the final installment of the third trilogy, which has gathered mixed reviews over the past few years. So far, while being entertaining films, it hasn’t seemed like too much has happened in the newest Star Wars adventures. With episode IX, it will be exciting to see how this chapter wraps up, as well as what comes next for the film series. Finally, an unexpected movie I anticipate will be extremely entertaining is Detective Pikachu. After viewing the trailer, I was shocked to see a live-action Pokemon film, and with Ryan Reynolds as the voice of the beloved Pikachu. This film will be one like we’ve never seen, with Marvel-like action scenes, and comedic elements weaved throughout. As the year progresses, we can expect more surprises in the worlds of film and music to complete what looks to be a busy 2019.

– Ben Tschetter

Back back, way back, in early 2017, I declared Vampire Weekend’s yet untitled fourth album to be my most anticipated of the year. Well, here we are in 2019, fourth album nowhere to be seen. That is, until last week, when frontman Ezra Koenig announced that the heavily anticipated, highly secretive fourth album, initialed “FOTB,” (now known as “Father of the Bride”) would be finally dropping in April, a mere 6 years since their stellar “Modern Vampires of the City.” Not much is known about the album, except for one song played live last year titled “Flower Moon,” and that it will be a double LP. That is, unless, you were one of the lucky few to be at their Lollapalooza aftershow last August, where Koenig played the new (unmastered) tracks through the aux cord on his phone (personal note: I was there, it ruled). With two new singles dropping last week, it’s kind of hard not to be hyped about “FOTB,” especially given the band’s solid track record as a whole and as solo artists. And those dismayed by founding member Rostam Batmanglij’s departure back in 2016 need not worry, as he had a large hand in the album’s development and supposedly the final sign off. One of the most promising bands of the late aughts is back to close out the 2010s, and I can’t wait to hear what that sounds like.

– Elani Kaufman