New Shows on Netflix and Disney+ in January 2023

It’s a new year — time for new TV!

The holiday season is behind us, and we’ve made it through the darkest days of winter. Now it’s time to kick back with a warm drink and enjoy these cozy evenings as the wind blows and the snow falls. There is a little something for everyone this month, including a bunch of old favorites newly available on Netflix.

Netflix:

Jan. 1: LEGO Friends: Heartlake Stories (Limited Series) – Follow the new adventures of your favorite LEGO friends.

Jan. 1: Old Enough! (Season 2) – Watch young Japanese kids (ages 2–4) head out on their first independent errands. This kid series offers laughs and a lot of heart, but is not without some controversy.

Jan. 12: Kung Fu Panda: The Dragon Knight (Season 2) – Jack Black is back as Po, the Kung Fu–fighting panda. This season, Po and the Dragon Knights head to India to face adventure and, as usual, save the world.

Jan. 13: Dog Gone (2022) – What is it about a good dog movie that gets us every time? Throw in Rob Lowe and base it on a true story (that’s been made into a book), and we’re sold! This movie follows the story of a father and son who head out on the Appalachian Trail to find their missing dog before it’s too late. Their story takes off and people all over start to help. I’m not crying … you’re crying!

Jan. 19: That ’90s Show (Season 1) – The sequel to the popular comedy sitcom “That ‘70s Show,” this series takes place in — you guessed it — the 1990s (1995 to be exact). Former cast members are joined by the new generation of friends experiencing life as teenagers in Wisconsin. This show will likely include some teenage basement shenanigans, including making out and smoking pot, and is probably most appropriate for the tween/teen audience.

Jan. 23: Minions: The Rise of Gru (2022) – Few things are more adorable than Gru as a little kid, voiced by the one-and-only Steve Carell. Follow the adventures of Gru as he grows into his lifelong goal of being a supervillain. The always loveable and silly Minions provide plenty of laughs along the way.

Jan. 24: Little Angel (Season 2) – Aimed at the youngest audience, this show uses songs to teach children letters, numbers and social skills.

Jan. 26: Daniel Spellbound (Season 2) – Daniel is a tracker and sells magical ingredients to sorcerers while making sure the magical world stays hidden. Follow his latest adventures as he learns more about the world of magic and makes friends, experiencing epic adventures along the way.

Jan. 27: Lockwood & Co. (Season 1) – This new British fantasy series is based on the novels by Jonathan Stroud. There is an epidemic of ghosts in Britain, and only children have the power to fight them. A tiny startup, run by two teenage boys and a psychically gifted girl, must confront the deadliest hauntings in London. This show definitely features ghosts and might be a little scary; it is probably best suited for the tween/teen crowd.

Jan. 30: Princess Power (Season 1) – Four princess friends from four different fruit-themed kingdoms — Blueberry, Kiwi, Pineapple and Raspberry — work together to make their world a better place.

Netflix is ringing in the New Year by bringing back a bunch of favorites that need no introduction. Watch these classics with your kids (as you feel is appropriate), and they will finally understand why you yell, “Run Forest, run!” when they take off down the street. Lots of movies are available on Jan 1., including:

Forest Gump (1994)
Grease (1978)
The Nutty Professor (1996)
Rocky Movie Collection (Rocky I–V)
Top Gun (1986)
Twins (1988)
Parenthood (1989)

Disney+

Jan. 4: Magic of Disney’s Animal Kingdom – This 10-episode series focuses on the many animals in Disney’s care at Animal Kingdom. The episodes feature lots of behind-the-scenes looks into what it takes to care for so many different animals, and introduce audiences to the employees who do the work.

Jan. 11: Super Kitties – This animated show for the littlest Disney+ viewers focuses on the adventures of four fierce superhero kitties — Ginny, Sparks, Buddy and Bitsy. They work together on their mission to make their hometown (Kittydale) a “pawesome” place.

Jan. 11: Gina Yei – Gina, a cheerful and creative teenage girl, has a dream to write songs. Thanks to her talent, she wins a scholarship to the prestigious Caribbean Music Institute (CMI) on the island of Puerto Rico. This live-action show looks like it checks all of the boxes of a teen drama:

An exciting opportunity to follow one’s dream? Check.
Impromptu dance parties in the street? Check.
Mean girls? Check.
Cute artistic boy who can play the guitar and sing? Check.

This show is in Spanish, so viewers might need to be able to read subtitles, which shouldn’t be a problem since this is aimed at tweens/teens.

Jan. 18: King Shakir Recycle – A cartoon about recycling — could there be a more Seattle thing? While this does sound like an Emerald City theme, this show is based on a Turkish TV cartoon that was developed for Cartoon Network Turkey. The premise is that, in an attempt to save the environment, scientists have come up with a way to launch Earth’s trash into outer space. However, the garbage starts to land on alien planets, and the aliens are not too happy with us. King Shakir and his family must do their best to protect the world from alien destruction.

Jan. 18: Disney Junior Mickey Mouse Funhouse (Season 2; 5 episodes) – In this Disney Junior show, Mickey, Minnie and Funny (their newest friend, an enchanted talking playhouse) go on an adventure to the Kingdom of Majestica, where they find out if dragons are friendly beings or not.

Jan. 18: Me & Mickey (Season 1; 20 episodes) – In these short animated episodes, Mickey Mouse engages in a variety of adventures and activities, focused on a myriad of topics, from drawing to learning colors and shapes.

Jan. 25: Mila in the Multiverse – On her 16th birthday, Mila receives quite the gift — the ability to travel between parallel universes! She embarks on an epic adventure to find her mother, quickly realizing that her disappearance is only the tip of the iceberg. Mila and her friends travel across the multiverse having adventures and running from a group called “Os Operadores.” Disney+ sure does love a good multiverse adventure!

Jan. 25: Dino Ranch (Season 2; 6 episodes) – Follow the adventures of the Cassidy family as they tackle life on the ranch with dinosaurs! They work together to solve problems, help out dinos in need and learn about navigating the great outdoors.

Disney+ ongoing series: