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Two of the biggest franchises in sci-fi take their next steps in May on Disney Plus. The streaming service celebrates Star Wars Day with a new animated series, “Tales of the Empire,” and brings “Doctor Who” fans the show’s first season featuring Ncuti Gatwa in the title role. Fellow Star Wars animated series “The Bad Batch” also concludes its third and final season this month.
The three-part season finale of the breakout hit Marvel animated series “X-Men ’97” and the second season of “Monsters at Work,” based on the Pixar movie “Monsters, Inc.,” also drop in May. Back in the real world, Disney Plus debuts the 1970 Beatles documentary “Let It Be,” available to stream for the first time, plus an all-new documentary about the legendary band the Beach Boys. Here are the May highlights on Disney Plus.
New on Disney Plus in May 2024: Top Picks
'Star Wars: Tales of the Empire'
The follow-up to the 2022 Star Wars anthology series “Tales of the Jedi” flips the perspective, telling stories set within the ruling Galactic Empire during two different periods of Star Wars universe history. Lucasfilm Chief Creative Officer Dave Filoni, who’s the mastermind behind most of Disney Plus’ Star Wars series, creates and writes the series focused on two characters working for the Empire.
Diana Lee Inosanto reprises her role from “The Mandalorian” as Imperial Magistrate Morgan Elsbeth, taking the character from live-action into animation. Meredith Salenger returns from the animated series “The Clone Wars” to voice Barriss Offee, who betrays the Jedi Order for the Empire. The six-episode “Tales of the Empire” will use those two characters to explore the wider world of Star Wars, and specifically its darker side.
Premieres May 4 on Disney Plus
'Doctor Who' season 14
Following a trio of specials celebrating the iconic sci-fi series’ 60th anniversary, plus a Christmas special that premiered this past December, this month “Doctor Who” officially launches the 14th season of its modern incarnation and its first season produced in collaboration with Disney Plus. “Sex Education” star Ncuti Gatwa takes over as the Doctor, the time-traveling alien who periodically regenerates into a new form.
Popular “Doctor Who” writers Russell T Davies and Steven Moffatt both return for the new season, with Davies taking over as showrunner. Gatwa is joined by Millie Gibson as Ruby Sunday, the Doctor’s latest human companion, who will accompany him on his upcoming adventures. Both familiar faces and new characters will help take the venerable series into its current, higher-profile Disney Plus era.
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Premieres May 10 on Disney Plus
'Jim Henson Idea Man'
Although he died long before Disney purchased the rights to his creations the Muppets, Jim Henson has become part of the greater Disney community by default, so it makes sense that Ron Howard’s new documentary feature about Henson’s life and work is a Disney Plus original. In addition to the Muppets, Henson was the creative force behind “Fraggle Rock,” the puppet characters on “Sesame Street,” and the puppet-driven fantasy films “Labyrinth” and “The Dark Crystal.”
Henson’s characters are integral to the childhoods of multiple generations, including many people who were born after he passed away in 1990. Howard is known for crowd-pleasing blockbusters but has also directed documentaries about the Beatles, chef and philanthropist José Andrés and opera singer Luciano Pavarotti, and he knows how to mix audience-friendly anecdotes with real insight into the artistic process.
Premieres May 31 on Disney Plus
Everything new on Disney Plus in May 2024
May 1
- Life Below Zero: First Alaskans (S3, 20 episodes)
- Marvel's Daredevil (2003)
- Star Wars: The Bad Batch (Season 3) - Episode 315 "The Cavalry Has Arrived”
- X-Men '97 - Ep 108 – Tolerance is Extinction – Pt 1
May 3
- Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009)
May 4
- How Not to Draw Shorts (Special R2D2 Episode) (S2, 4 Episodes)
- Star Wars: Tales of the Empire - Premiere - All Episodes Streaming
May 5
- Monsters at Work (Season 2) - All Episodes Streaming
May 7
- Billy & Molly: An Otter Love Story
May 8
- Me & Winnie the Pooh (S1, 7 episodes)
- Playdate with Winnie the Pooh (S1 Batch 2, 4 episodes)
- Let it Be - Premiere
- X-Men '97 - Ep 109 - Tolerance is Extinction – Pt 2
May 10
- Doctor Who - Premiere - Episodes: “The Church on Ruby Road,” “Space Babies” and “Devil’s Chord”
May 15
- Big City Greens (S4, 4 episodes)
- Dino Ranch (S3, 5 episodes)
- X-Men '97 - Ep 110 - Tolerance is Extinction – Pt 3
May 17
- Doctor Who - Episode "Boom"
May 22
- Mickey Mouse Funhouse (S3, 5 episodes)
- Chip 'n' Dale: Park Life (Season 2) - Premiere
- Marvel Studios' Assembled: The Making of X-Men '97 - Premiere
May 24
- The Beach Boys - Premiere
- Doctor Who - Episode “73 Yards”
May 28
- Gordon Ramsay: Uncharted (S4, 6 episodes)
May 31
- Jim Henson Idea Man - Premiere
- Doctor Who - Episode: “Dot and Bubble”
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Josh Bell
Writer
JoshBellis a freelance writer and movie/TV critic based in Las Vegas. He's the former film editor of Las Vegas Weekly and has written about movies and TV for Vulture, Inverse, CBR, Crooked Marquee and more. With comedian Jason Harris, he co-hosts the podcast Awesome Movie Year.
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