The Best Teen Movies of 2020

Timothée Chalamet, take my money!

A trio of stills from the best teen movies of 2020.
(Image credit: Walt Disney Pictures + 20th Century Fox + STX Pictures)

2020 is shaping up to be many things (to say the least), but it's a great year for new movies. Sure, you might be social distancing and figuring out how to adjust to our new reality of quarantine, but does that mean your pop culture knowledge has to slip? Not if you don't let it! When you're done with Netflix's To All The Boys sequel, refer to this list to get pumped for 2020's best teen movies. There's a lot to be excited for, from a teen-centric X-Men spin-off to the much-anticipated Mulan reboot to a remake of The Secret Garden starring Colin Firth (sign me up right now, please).

In light of the coronavirus crisis, a ton of new films this year are hitting streaming services directly instead of the theater (you can find a full list of those here), so look out for these films coming soon to a screen near you.

All The Bright Places

All the Bright Places starring Elle Fanning & Justice Smith | Official Trailer | Netflix - YouTube All the Bright Places starring Elle Fanning & Justice Smith | Official Trailer | Netflix - YouTube
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Release date: February 28, 2020

Starring: Elle Fanning, Justice Smith, Alexandra Shipp, Kelli O'Hara.

The Fault In Our Stars of 2020, this teen romance follows two Violet and Theadore, two young people trying to grapple with their emotional scars.

The New Mutants

The New Mutants | Official HD Trailer #1 | In Cinemas Soon - YouTube The New Mutants | Official HD Trailer #1 | In Cinemas Soon - YouTube
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Release date: Initially planned for April 3, 2020, it's been delayed indefinitely in light of the coronavirus pandemic.

Starring: Maisie Williams, Anya Taylor-Joy, Charlie Heaton, Henry Zaga, Blu Hunt, Alice Braga

Okay, so this one looks a little scarier than we're used to from the X-Men universe, but we love the Game of Thrones and Stranger Things inspo. Plus, Marvel + mutants—but not the X-Men themselves!—sounds pretty interesting.

The Secret Garden

The Secret Garden | Official Trailer [HD] | Own it NOW on Digital HD, Blu-ray & DVD - YouTube The Secret Garden | Official Trailer [HD] | Own it NOW on Digital HD, Blu-ray & DVD - YouTube
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Release date: April 17, 2020

Starring: Maeve Dermody, Amir Wilson, Sonia Goswami, Jemma Powell, Colin Firth

It's hard to imagine a version of The Secret Garden that isn't the 1993 Maggie Smith version, but if Colin Firth's on board, so are we. This movie looks bright, playful and imaginative.

Our Ladies

Our Ladies - Official Trailer - Coming Soon - YouTube Our Ladies - Official Trailer - Coming Soon - YouTube
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Release date: April 24, 2020

Starring: Kate Dickie, Tallulah Greive, Marli Siu, Abigail Lawrie, Sally Messham, Rona Morison

So, is this Derry Girls but Scottish? Maybe. But it looks so fun. We're living for the '90s nostalgia and the night-out-on-the-town energy.

Artemis Fowl

Disney's Artemis Fowl - Teaser Trailer - YouTube Disney's Artemis Fowl - Teaser Trailer - YouTube
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Release date: May 29, 2020

Starring: Ferdia Shaw, Judi Dench, Lara McDonnell, Josh Gad, Nonso Anozie, Nikesh Patel

It's been so long since the Artemis Fowl books came out that we've kind of forgotten the plot (don't tell!), but this trailer looks killer. We can't wait to see Dame Judi Dench as the kick-ass Commander Root.

Ghostbusters: Afterlife

GHOSTBUSTERS: AFTERLIFE - Official Trailer (HD) - YouTube GHOSTBUSTERS: AFTERLIFE - Official Trailer (HD) - YouTube
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Release date: July 10, 2020

Starring: Ernie Hudson, Bill Murray, Finn Wolfhard, Paul Rudd, Annie Potts, Carrie Coon, Mckenna Grace

Yes, it's another Ghostbusters, and the Melissa McCarthy-Kate McKinnon-Kristen Wiig version is going to be hard to beat—but this does look pretty fun.

Jungle Cruise

Disney's Jungle Cruise | Official Trailer - YouTube Disney's Jungle Cruise | Official Trailer - YouTube
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Release date: July 24, 2020

Starring: Dwayne Johnson, Emily Blunt, Édgar Ramírez, Jack Whitehall, Jesse Plemons, Paul Giamatti

Are we allowed to say that this trailer looks a little hokey, but still very fun? Emily Blunt kills it in every movie she touches, though, so we trust her to make this great.

The Witches

Anne Hathaway

(Image credit: Jason Kempin/Getty Images)

Release date: October 9, 2020

Starring: Anne Hathaway, Octavia Spencer, Stanley Tucci, Eugenia Caruso, Morgana Robinson

There's no trailer out yet for The Witches, but can we just talk about this cast list? Anne Hathaway, Octavia Spencer and Stanley Tucci can do whatever they like to this childhood classic.

Dune

Timothée Chalamet

(Image credit: Lisa Maree Williams/Getty Images)

Release date: December 18, 2020

Starring: Timothée Chalamet, Josh Brolin, Rebecca Ferguson, Oscar Isaac, Javier Bardem, Jason Momoa, Dave Bautista, Zendaya

There's no trailer yet for Dune, but the NAMES. Between dreamboats Oscar Isaac, Jason Momoa and Timothée Chalamet (plus, um, Zendaya!!), we're sold.

Mulan

Mulan Teaser Trailer #1 (2020) | Movieclips Trailers - YouTube Mulan Teaser Trailer #1 (2020) | Movieclips Trailers - YouTube
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Release date: Delayed indefinitely.

Starring: Yifei Liu, Jet Li, Donnie Yen, Gong Li

Mulan was supposed to hit theaters in March, but had to be rescheduled in light of the pandemic. Still, we're super excited to see the live action version of this childhood fave.


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Cecilia Nowell

Cecilia Nowell is a freelance reporter covering gender, reproductive health, and the Americas. Her writing has been published in Elle, Teen Vogue, The Washington Post’s The Lily, and The Nation.