A new year is upon us, but don’t say goodbye to the old one just yet! For the past 3 weeks io9 has been delivering our Year in Review for all things 2023—our favorite films and shows, cool toys, people we lost, the trends that defined a year of sci-fi, fantasy, and genre pop culture, and so much more. Why not take a look and see what you missed?
We love toys here at io9, and when we’re not writing about them, we’re probably playing with them. It’s been a killer year for cool nerdy collectibles, so here’s just a few of our favorite things we picked up in the proverbial toy aisle this past year.
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The House of Mouse celebrated its centennial in 2023 through monumental film and television releases and Disney Parks experiences, while dealing with real-world repercussions during historic writers and actors’ strikes. And then, of course, there was the whole ongoing skirmish with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.
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Although it feels like it can be said every year recently, it’s hard to imagine a better year in terms of its influence than 2023 has been for Dungeons & Dragons. A movie, TV channels, a video game that has dominated the world, and of course a not-insignificant glimpse toward the game’s own future. But for all those highs, they are contrasted in lows that have nearly sundered all of that goodwill in the process.
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Fans of genre movies had an absolute blast in 2023. Hollywood studios and streamers alike provided us with a seemingly never-ending slate of excellent fare. The animated films were fire. Some superhero films were super. And along the way, there were lots and lots of happy surprises. Below, you’ll find io9’s picks for the best, and our favorite, sci-fi, fantasy, and horror films of 2023.
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In mid-March during the Oscars, Netflix’s Pinocchio took home the award for Best Animated Feature. During his acceptance speech, co-director Guillermo del Toro said the animation medium was ready to be taken to “the next step,” a statement that was meant to be inspiring after animation was belittled at that very ceremony just minutes prior. The category presenters were dismissive of animation overall, basically calling it kiddie fare that parents have to suffer through just to shut their kids up.
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Light a candle for those fictional characters we lost in 2023. Characters we’ve come to know either over the years, or maybe even over just a few short hours of a movie or TV show. But these characters left an impression on us meaning, as 2023 comes to an end, it was time to give them their final moment in the sun.
Spoiler alert. Obviously.
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With a dizzying array of streaming services available, there was no shortage of great TV this year—and while io9 has already shared our top 20 shows of 2023, today we’re revealing our top TV moments… all 50 of them. These are the moments when we laughed, cheered, shed a tear, shrieked in disbelief, and/or realized we were witnessing game-changing turning points, for better and sometimes worse.
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A moment can make a movie. You’re sitting there, you’re watching something, it’s fine, and then boom: a scene or shot happens, and instantly something you thought was just okay becomes amazing.
That’s the level we were aiming for in the annual rundown of our favorite moments from sci-fi, fantasy, and horror films this year. Moments that stand out among the rest. Moments that elevate a film. Moments that, in the years to come, we’ll still remember when we’ve long forgotten everything else that happens.
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In early 2023, io9 gazed into a blood-splattered crystal ball and made a list of all the horror entertainment we were most looking forward to. Some of the titles we were excited about delivered; others did not—and perhaps most excitingly, several releases we knew nothing about in advance swooped in and scared the hell out of us.
Here’s a look back at 2023’s biggest standouts (themes, titles, triumphs, and anti-triumphs) in horror movies and TV.
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There have been so many words written about the expanse of genre here at io9, and 2023 was a wildcard of a year for entertainment (including Marvel Studios, Star Wars, DC Studios, and Max), theme parks, and games. We covered a lot of ground, from union-strong solidarity during the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes to creatively discussing our love for pop culture while highlighting the voices that make it happen.
Here are our favorite staff picks for stories and coverage we had the privilege to bring you this year.
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Even though every year has managed to feel more eventful than the last, 2023 especially was a roller coaster that went extremely off the rails. It feels like something eventful happened at least twice per week (if not considerably more), particularly in the entertainment space.
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Every year, io9 pays solemn tribute to actors, directors, artists, composers, writers, creators, and other icons in the realms of horror, sci-fi, and fantasy that have passed. Let us celebrate their everlasting impact on genre together. Here are the luminaries whose work has impacted the lives of so many and will live on through their legacies.
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Whatever else you can say about X, previously known as Twitter, it’s never really boring. The 17-year-old social media site that we’ve stuck around with always has something going on; in the best cases, it can be either funny or so odd that you can’t help but laugh.
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The year is ending, but the posting never stops. io9 wrote thousands of stories in 2023, from breaking news to analysis and critique of the biggest films, TV shows, comics, and games in our worlds. Here’s a look back at the 100 you, our dear readers, read and shared the most. Thanks for sticking around for another year—and here’s to many more stories in the year to come!
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