BETHLEHEM, Pa. — Significant film anniversaries, beloved classics and recent hits again will fill this year's Levitt Pavilion SteelStacks' free summer Family Movies series.
The series of 10 Wednesday night movies has been listed on the SteelStacks website.They will start May 13 — a week earlier than last year.
This year's series of 10 films will start May 13 at Levitt Pavilion SteelStacks. Families are welcome to bring lawn chairs and blankets to the Levitt lawn for the films, which start at 6:30 p.m. and are in English with Spanish subtitles.ArtsQuest.org
Families are welcome to bring lawn chairs and blankets to the Levitt lawn for the films, which start at 6:30 p.m. and are in English with Spanish subtitles.
This year's schedule is made up of eight animated films and two live-action films, "Paddington in Peru" and "How to Train Your Dragon."
Among the films observing milestones are the 25th anniversary of "Monsters Inc.," the 2001 Pixar/Disney hit that topped the box office, was nominated for two Academy Awards and a Grammy Award for its music and generated a 2013 sequel, with another in the works.
Also this year is the 20th anniversary of "Cars," the 2006 Pixar/Disney movie that spawned two sequels and two spinoff "Planes" movies.
Films from 2025 are the hits "Dog Man," "Paddington in Peru" and "How to Train Your Dragon."
This year's Levitt Pavilion film series starts with "Cars," the 2006 movie that tells of a world where towns are populated by cars, and a young ambitious racecar, Lightning McQueen, is a star. But he realizes there’s more in life than winning.
Other films in the series are:
"Little Mermaid," May 20 — The 1989 classic story of a teenage mermaid princess named Ariel who dreams of becoming human and falls in love with a human prince named Eric, which leads her to forge an agreement with the sea witch Ursula to be with him.
A blockbuster that became the first animated film to earn more than $100 million in its initial run, it's credited with starting a new era of Disney animation and won Academy Awards for Best Original Score and Best Original Song for "Under the Sea."
"Dog Man," May 27 — Last year's DreamWorks animation hit about a police officer and his faithful police dog who get injured in the line of duty, then fused during life-saving surgery tells the story of how he must stop feline supervillain Petey the Cat from cloning himself and going on a crime spree. It topped the box office.
"Inside Out 2," June 3 — The 2024 Pixar/Disney film, a sequel to 2015's "Inside Out," which won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature, tells of 13-year-old Riley tackling high school with her personified emotions guiding her decisions. It became the highest-grossing animated film ever, and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Animated Feature.
"The Aristocats," June 10 — The classic 1970 musical animated feature that tells the story of a retired opera singer who leaves her inheritance to her cat, Duchess, and three kittens, whom the butler abandons in the countryside to inherit the fortune himself. The cats meet kooky characters as they try to return to Paris — including an alley cat guide, two English geese and a cat jazz band.
"The Lion King," July 8 — The 1994 Disney classic was for many years the highest-grossing animated film and second-highest-grossing film of all time. It won two Academy Awards and the Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture–Musical or Comedy. It tell the tale of young lion Simba, the heir of his king father, Mufasa. Simba’s wicked uncle, Scar, expels him, but he returns as an adult with the help of his friends, Timon and Pumbaa.
"Aladdin," July 15 — The 1992 Disney film was the first animated feature to earn a half-billion dollars and was the fifth-highest grossing film of all time and the highest-grossing animated film until surpassed by "The Lion King. " Won two Academy Awards for its soundtrack, including the first Song of the Year from a Disney film for "A Whole New World." It's the story of Aladdin, a lovable vagabond who meets Princess Jasmine and stumbles on a wisecracking genie who helps him battle the evil sorcerer Jafar.
"Paddington in Peru," July 22 — The 2024 live action animated third installment in the Paddington series. In the story, Paddinton received a letter from the Home for Retired Bears in Peru, telling him that his aunt Lucy deeply misses him and is acting strangely, so Paddington and his adopted family, the Browns, decide to travel to Peru to visit her.
"Monsters, Inc.," July 29 — Twenty-fifth anniversary of the 2001 Pixar/Disney movie that won an Academy Award for Best Original Song for "If I Didn't Have You" and was nominated for the inaugural award for Best Animated Feature and two other Oscars. It also set a record for biggest opening weekend for an animated film, and once was the second-highest-grossing animated film of all time. It tells the story of the largest scare factory in the monster world.
"How to Train Your Dragon," Aug. 19 — The final film of the series is DreamWorks' story of a Viking boy, Hiccup, who befriends a dragon named Toothless — a relationship that becomes the key to forging a new future. Its soundtrack was nominated for a Grammy Award. A sequel is scheduled for 2027.
