For movie fans, it’s hard not to be excited for 2015.
This year could shape up to be one for the history books, like 1939 or 1984. The lineup appears jam-packed with good films.
From charming children's movies to sci-fi epics to reboots of classic franchises, there’s something for everyone, including family audiences and content-conscious viewers.
With a disclaimer that there are still uncertainties about many of these films over ratings, objectionable content and quality, here is our best guess at what moviegoing families can look forward to — or, at least be aware of — for 2015.
Films are not yet rated unless otherwise noted.
January
“Paddington” — From the deepest, darkest Peru, Paddington Bear, the marmalade-loving émigré and star of more than 20 children's books by Michael Bond, is brought to life in this live-action/CGI hybrid starring Ben Whishaw and Nicole Kidman.
Release date: Jan. 16
Rating: PG
“Strange Magic” — Largely kept under wraps until just a couple months ago, “Strange Magic” is an animated 3-D musical from the mind of George Lucas and the animation team behind “Rango.” It features goblins, fairies and imps fighting over a love potion.
Release date: Jan. 23
Rating: PG
“Against the Sun” — The true story of three U.S. Navy airmen during World War II who crash in the South Pacific and must survive on a tiny raft while attempting to travel a thousand miles across shark-infested waters to safety. Tom Felton, Garrett Dillahunt and Jake Abel star.
Release date: Jan. 23
Rating: PG
“Project Almanac” — A found footage sci-fi thriller about teens who discover blueprints to build a time machine, which they use for personal gain until their tinkering produces some unforeseen consequences, forcing them to go back one last time and stop it all from ever happening in the first place.
Release date: Jan. 30
Rating: PG-13
February
“Seventh Son” — Originally slated for release nearly two years ago, this adaptation of the first book in Joseph Delaney’s Wardstone Chronicles is finally making its way to theaters. Ben Barnes stars as the titular seventh son of a seventh son, an apprentice to the local Spook (played by a particularly beardy Jeff Bridges) in a battle against things that go bump in the night.
Release date: Feb. 6
Rating: PG-13
“The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water” — SpongeBob and Co. travel to the surface — and the third dimension — to save the secret formula for Krabby Patties from Antonio Banderas’ Burger-Beard the pirate. Slash (of Guns N’ Roses fame) co-stars. Of course.
Release date: Feb. 6
“McFarland, USA” – A Disney sports drama starring Kevin Costner as the coach of a cross country team at a predominantly Latino high school in the late ‘80s.
Release date: Feb. 20
Rating: PG
March
“The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel” — Featuring an ensemble cast sure to please any fan of British TV series like “Downton Abbey,” this second outing takes place as Sonny (Dev Patel) prepares for marriage. Richard Gere joins the cast that already included Bill Nighy, Judi Dench and Maggie Smith, among others.
Release date: March 6
Rating: PG
“Cinderella” — Disney’s live-action retelling of its classic 1950 fairy tale, starring Lily James, Richard Madden and Cate Blanchett and directed by Kenneth Branagh.
Release date: March 13
Rating: PG
“In the Heart of the Sea” — Adapted from Nathaniel Philbrick’s book of the same name, Ron Howard’s “In the Heart of the Sea” tells the story of the whaleship Essex that served as the real-life inspiration for Herman Melville’s “Moby Dick.” Chris Hemsworth stars.
Release date: March 13
Rating: PG-13
“The Divergent Series: Insurgent” — Book two of three in the Divergent Series sees Tris (Shailene Woodley) grappling with her divergence as the threat of war grows stronger.
Release date: March 20
“Home” — An adaptation of the children's book “The True Meaning of Smekday” from DreamWorks Animation in which a human girl goes on the run with one of the alien Boov that have just taken over Earth. Jim Parsons, Rihanna and Steve Martin star.
Release date: March 27
Rating: PG
April
“Monkey Kingdom” – Disneynature’s latest documentary tracks a monkey family living amid the ruins of an ancient temple in the jungles of Sri Lanka.
Release date: April 17
“Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2” — A belated sequel to the 2009 comedy sees Kevin James return, this time thwarting a heist while at a convention in Las Vegas with his teenage daughter.
Release date: April 17
“The Age of Adaline” — Blake Lively stars in this romantic drama as a woman who, after a mysterious accident, remains 29 years old forever. Harrison Ford co-stars.
Release date: April 24
Rating: PG-13
May
“The Avengers: Age of Ultron” — A genuinely creepy rendition of “I’ve Got No Strings” in the trailer points to bad things afoot for the Avengers in this sequel, once again directed by geek hero Joss Whedon.
Release date: May 1
“Tomorrowland” — The sci-fi adventure movie from Disney that Brad Bird (“The Incredibles”) opted to direct instead of “Star Wars: The Force Awakens.” George Clooney stars as a former boy inventor who, together with a young girl (Britt Robertson), embarks on a quest to find a mysterious world of tomorrow.
Release date: May 22
“San Andreas” — An old-school disaster movie starring Dwayne Johnson as a rescue-helicopter pilot trying to navigate California after a massive earthquake.
Release date: May 29
June
“B.O.O.: Bureau of Otherworldly Operations” — Seth Rogen, Melissa McCarthy and Bill Murray lend their voices to this feature from DreamWorks Animation that sounds like a mix of “Ghostbusters” and “Men in Black” — in other words, “R.I.P.D.”
Release date: June 5
“Jurassic World” — Chris Pratt (aka Star-Lord) stars in this sequel to “Jurassic Park,” set 22 years after the original film in a fully functional dinosaur park. Once again, though, man’s attempts to play God spiral out of control — then there’s running and screaming.
Release date: June 12
“Inside Out” — Pixar’s first film in two years, “Inside Out” takes place inside the mind of a little girl and follows her competing emotions, including Joy (Amy Poehler), Fear (Bill Hader), Disgust (Mindy Kaling) and Sadness (Phyllis Smith).
Release date: June 19
July
“Minions” — The best characters from “Despicable Me” finally get their own movie. “Minions” charts the titular, banana-obsessed creatures' long history of trying to find a master evil enough to serve — without getting him or her killed first, that is.
Release date: July 10
“Ant-Man” — The first film in Marvel’s Phase 3 rewrites the history of one of the Avengers’ founding members. Part superhero movie, part heist film, it stars Paul Rudd and Michael Douglas.
Release date: July 17
“Pan” — A prequel to J.M. Barrie’s familiar Peter Pan story that follows the titular character from an orphanage in London to Neverland, where he befriends a young James T. Hook (played by Garrett Hedlund) and battles Blackbeard the pirate (Hugh Jackman).
Release date: July 24
August
“The Fantastic Four” — “Gritty,” “grounded” and “real” are the key words being tossed around by the cast to describe this reboot of Marvel’s first family, which has already generated some controversy over alleged changes made to the team’s backstory.
Release date: Aug. 7
“The Man from U.N.C.L.E.” — Henry Cavill and Armie Hammer star as Napoleon Solo and Illya Kuryakin in this reboot, directed by Guy Richie (“Sherlock Holmes”), of the 1960s spy TV series.
Release date: Aug. 14
Rating: PG-13
“Masterminds” — “Napoleon Dynamite” and “Nacho Libre” writer/director and BYU alumni Jared Hess’ latest, “Masterminds” stars Zach Galifianakis, Owen Wilson, Jason Sudeikis and Kristen Wiig and is based on the true story of the 1997 Loomis Fargo Robbery in North Carolina, one of the biggest heists in American history.
Release date: Aug. 14
September
“The Maze Runner: Scorch Trials” — The follow-up to last year’s “Maze Runner,” based on the successful young adult sci-fi books by Utah resident James Dashner.
Release date: Sept. 18
“Hotel Transylvania 2” — Dracula’s father, voiced by Mel Brooks, arrives for an impromptu family get-together in this sequel to 2012’s “Hotel Transylvania.”
Release date: Sep. 25
October
“The Jungle Book” — The live-action updates of classic Disney movies continue with “The Jungle Book,” directed by Jon Favreau and starring Bill Murray, Ben Kingsley, Idris Elba, Scarlett Johansson, Lupita Nyong’o and Christopher Walken.
Release date: Oct. 9
“Jem and the Holograms” — Fresh off of directing another Hasbro property, “G.I. Joe: Retaliation,” Jon Chu’s latest is an adaptation of the cult 1980s toy line and cartoon about a girl who uses a high-tech holo-cloaking device to transform into a rockstar.
Release date: Oct. 23
November
“Peanuts” — Charles M. Schulz’s iconic gang of characters comes to the big screen in beautiful 3-D in an adventure that looks to capture the classic vibe of the old "Peanuts" comic strips. In a move that should please fans, archival recordings of original Snoopy actor Bill Melendez are being used for the character’s voice.
Release date: Nov. 6
“Spectre” — The highly anticipated follow-up to 2012’s “Skyfall,” once again directed by Sam Mendes, sees Daniel Craig’s 007 go up against a mysterious organization known as SPECTRE — a name that should hold more than a little significance to Bond fans.
Release date: Nov. 6
“The Hunger Games: Mockingjay — Part 2” — The fourth and final installment in the Hunger Games series.
Release date: Nov. 20
“The Good Dinosaur” — Pixar’s 16th animated feature (and the second one this year) is set in an alternate history — where the asteroid that killed off all the dinosaurs narrowly misses Earth — and follows Arlo, an apatosaurus, who becomes friends with a boy named Spot.
Release date: Nov. 25
December
“Star Wars: The Force Awakens” — Easily the most anticipated movie of the year, “The Force Awakens” is being kept hush-hush for now. What is known is that it is set 30 years after the events of “Return of the Jedi” and features a cast made up of new and old faces, including original trilogy stars Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford and Carrie Fisher.
Release date: Dec. 18
“Alvin and the Chipmunks: Road Chip” — The fourth installment in the Alvin and the Chipmunks franchise.
Release date: Dec. 23
“Mission Impossible V” – “Usual Suspects” scribe Christopher McQuarrie (“Jack Reacher”) steps in to direct with Tom Cruise reprising his role as IMF agent Ethan Hunt.
Release date: Dec. 25
Jeff Peterson is a native of Utah Valley and studied humanities and history at Brigham Young University. Along with the Deseret News, he also contributes to the film discussion website FilmInquiry.com.