Relive the Magic of “Big” on ABC’s “The Wonderful World of Disney”

ABC continues airing some classic films from 20th Century Studios on Sunday nights.

Another 20th Century Studios classic is getting a primetime airing on ABC as part of The Wonderful World of Disney.

What’s Happening:

  • Big, the 1988 film starring Tom Hanks, is set for an airing on ABC’s The Wonderful World of Disney in July.
  • In Big, after a magical wish turns him into an adult overnight, a young boy learns that being grown-up isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.
  • Big is the latest classic film from the ‘80s and ‘90s to be getting a primetime airing on ABC, following an airing of Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey on June 29th and The Sandlot on July 13th.
  • The Wonderful World of Disney on ABC typically gives its airtime to Disney’s latest and greatest films, like 2023’s The Little Mermaid, Moana or Inside Out.
  • You might even see anniversary screenings for classic films such as Mary Poppins or Cinderella.
  • ABC seems to be going for a nostalgia-based play here, by airing these three classics from the 1980s and 90s.
  • Interestingly, as with The Sandlot before it, Big was not originally a Disney film, having been released by 20th Century Fox – but now, that company is a part of the Disney umbrella, having been acquired in 2019.
  • Big airs Sunday, July 20th from 8:33-11:00 p.m. EDT on ABC. You can also stream it anytime via Disney+.

A Big Turn for Hanks:

  • While Big is now retroactively a part of the Disney family, Tom Hanks’ earliest and best-known role for Disney has to be as Woody in the Toy Story franchise.
  • He first played Woody in 1995’s Toy Story and will be returning for the upcoming Toy Story 5, which is set for release on June 19th, 2026.
  • Hanks also memorably played Walt Disney in the 2013 docudrama, Saving Mr. Banks, and then Geppetto in 2022’s live-action Pinocchio.

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