Its that time of year again, time for Disney’s much anticipated annual D23 expo, revealing everything coming from the house of mouse in the near and not too distant future. Whilst the event on Friday mostly covered upcoming video games, there was still plenty to unpack and get excited about in terms of movies and television, delivering some live-action and animated features including some remakes and spin-offs. With that in mind let’s take a look at everything announced and revealed at D23 on Friday.
Walt Disney Studios
Hocus Pocus 2
Kicking off the show, the Sanderson sisters made a magical appearance via video. Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker and Kathy Najimy appeared on screen to introduce a new trailer for Hocus Pocus 2 set to release September 30th on Disney+.
The film sees the sisters return 29 years after the original film. With Midler, Parker and Najimy returning to the iconic roles, what more do we need? Audiences should also expect another out of nowhere song and dance number from Bette Midler.
Disenchanted
Next up the cast of from the upcoming Disenchanted (the sequel to the 2007’s Enchanted) came up to the stage to give us the first trailer for the much-anticipated sequel where Amy Adams, Patrick Dempsey, James Marsden and Idina Menzel are all set to return. The film also features a few very exciting additions with Maya Rudolph, Yvette Nicole Brown, Gabriella Baldacchino and Jayma Mays who also appeared on the stage. Disenchanted is set to release on Disney+ November 24, and we cannot wait.
Peter Pan and Wendy
Whilst not much is known about Peter Pan & Wendy, the movie is set to drop some time in 2023 on Disney+. We also got our first look at the poster for the film as well as the exciting cast members. Alexander Molony is set to play Peter Pan, Ever Anderson will play Wendy, Alyssa Wapanatahk will play Tiger Lilly and Jude Law is set to play one of Disney’s best ever villains Captain Hook. Expect the film to delve deeper into Peter and Wendy’s relationship as well as the rivalry between Hook and Pan, who at one point were supposedly friends, interesting!
Haunted Mansion
Another Disney+ set for release in 2023, Haunted Mansion, got a few new cast announcements at the panel, including Jamie Lee Curtis as Madame Leota, the psychic who lives inside of a crystal ball. The presentation also featured a very exciting tease, which as of writing isn’t yet confirmed, but is nonetheless exciting, Jared Leto may be cast as the Hatbox Ghost.
Based on the classic Disney Park attraction, Haunted Mansion follows a mother and son who enlist a motley crew of so-called spiritual experts to help rid their home of supernatural squatters. Not much else is known about the film as of yet, but those who were lucky enough to attend the panel, received an exclusive sneak peek.
Mufasa: The Lion King
A very exciting and unexpected reveal was Mufasa: The Lion King, a prequel to The Lion King which is set to follow Rafiki, Timon and Pumba as they tell the story of the young lion cub Mufasa and reveal the rise of one the greatest kings to ever rule and protect the Pride Lands. let’s hope we also get a backstory for his brother Scar and how he did get that infamous scar.
Snow White
No imagery or footage of the latest Disney Classic to get a live-action reboot is currently available to the public, but those who attended the panel had a sneak preview of the film which showed Rachel Zegler as Snow White and Gal Gadot as the Evil Queen. Zegler went on to say at the panel that “Snow White is the girl you remember but is definitely made for a modern age”.
The Little Mermaid
Finally the last reveal of Disney’s upcoming live action projects delivered our first look at Ariel herself, Halle Bailey as fans in hall D23 had a preview of the “Part of Your World” sequence which has seen a lot of praise from fans who attended. Similarly, a teaser was released which offered a first look at Halle Bailey as the iconic Mermaid Princess. Alongside Bailey, the film features Melissa McCarthy as Ursula and Javier Bardem as King Triton.
It was also announced that the film won’t only feature the fan favorite songs we all know and love, but will also feature four brand-new original songs by Alan Menken and Lin-Manuel Miranda. The film is still set for release some time next summer.
Pixar Animation Studios
After the exciting showcase of Disney’s upcoming live action films, Pixar’s Pete Docter came onto the stage to reveal Pixar’s slate of upcoming movies.
Elemental
Elemental is a project we have known about for some time but Friday delivered our first look at the Pixar film. Audiences received an exclusive look at the movie as well as poster of Wade and Ember, the film’s main characters. Bringing these characters to life is Leah Lewis and Mamoudou Athie. The film is set in a city were the elements Fire, Water, Land and Air all live together. The film to release in theatres June 16.
Win or Lose
This Pixar original series will land on Disney+ sometime in fall 2023, and follows a middle school softball team who have one week before their championship game. The big gimmick of the series is that every episode will be from a different character’s perspective. Win or Lose stars Will Forte as Coach Dan and includes the stories from filmmakers Carrie Hobson and Michael Yates.
Elio
Next up, Doctor announced a brand-new original Pixar movie called Elio, which follows an 11 year old boy who is the first person to make contact with aliens. Not much else was revealed for the project yet, except for a really interesting concept art.
Inside Out 2
Lastly, we saw Amy Poehler make a surprise appearance on the stage as she announced the sequel to 2015 Academy Award winning Pixar movie Inside Out. So far all we know is that we will follow Riley as she struggles with being a teenager, and is set to introduce a few more emotions.
Walt Disney Animated Studios
Walt Disney Animation Studios’ Chief Creative Officer Jennifer Lee took to the stage next to announce details about the upcoming slate from Walt Disney Animated Studios.
Zootopia+
First up was a brand-new Disney+ original series releasing November 9, Zootopia+, which takes viewers right back into the beautiful and creative world of the award winning movie as we follow some of our favorite characters from the film.
Iwaju
Next up, coming to Disney+ in 2023, is the bran new original series Iwaju. The series is set in a futuristic version of Lagos, Nigeria and tells the coming-of-age story of a young heiress and a poor self taught tech expert boy.
Strange World
Releasing in theaters November 23, a brand-new trailer was revealed for the movie to fans in the D23 hall. We did however, receive a teaser for the film a while back, which you can check out now.
Wish
In D23’s final moments, audiences were treated to a surprise announcement of Walt Disney Animated Studios’ latest feature film, Wish, which is scheduled for release sometime in the fall of 2023. This epic animated musical sounds very promising and is sure to be another huge success for the team at Walt Disney Animated Studios, much like Encanto and Frozen.
Fans at the event received an exclusive first look at the hilarious Alan Tudyk who is set to play a goat named Valentino. Similarly, they received a captivating performance from Ariana DeBose who sang a brand-new original song by Julia Michaels, “More of us”. Michaels is set to to be writing all of the original songs which one of two will certainly climb the music charts.
Conclusion
Disney’s 2022 D23 expo, has so far proved very promising and a huge success, with many projects to keep fans excited for a very long time. As far as the expo is concerned, this is only the beginning as Marvel Studios and Lucasfilm still have much more to announce and reveal on Saturday. But for now, stay tuned to our latest D23 coverage.
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Journalist, Writer, Film Critic and Professional Nerd. You will probably find Olly at the cinema chomping down on some popcorn and taking in the glorious visuals of the latest theatrical release.
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