At the D23 Expo, which took place from September 9 to 11 at the Disneyland-adjacent Anaheim Convention Center, Disney’s film and television studios—Marvel Studios, Lucasfilm, Walt Disney Studios, Pixar and Walt Disney Animation Studios, 20th Century Studios, and Disney Branded Television—revealed a lot of news.
“At Disney Branded Television, we create shows full of magic, adventure, thrill, and heart that resonate with audiences around the world,” Disney Branded Television president Ayo Davis said. “Our announcements today spotlight the breadth and depth of our commitment to entertaining fans of all ages, across animation, live-action series, and movies, unscripted, and documentaries.”
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Important Announcements At The D23 Expo
Inside Out 2
Pixar’s ‘Inside Out’ is getting a sequel. A young girl named Riley’s embodied emotions were the focus of the 2015 movie. Pete Docter, who is currently Pixar’s chief creative officer, directed the movie. It received appreciation for addressing memories and emotions in a variety of ways. The second installment will begin when Riley is a teenager and coping with all the complex, messy feelings that come with puberty. In addition to the five emotions we witnessed in the previous movie, the movie will also present some new ones. The summer of 2024 will see the release of ‘Inside Out 2.’
MCU Announcements
New footage from ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’ was released which featured Queen Ramonda but there was no sign of the new Black Panther. The very first and exclusive footage of ‘Ironheart’ was released which showed Riri Williams building her first suit from scrap along with a glimpse at Anthony Ramos’ character. Kevin Feige also revealed that ‘Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania’ will provide a direct line into the rest of Phase 5 which was accompanied by the release of exclusive footage. The trailer for the upcoming series ‘Werewolf By Night’ was also released and the release date of October 7 was confirmed. Along with this, the trailer of ‘Secret Invasion’ was also shown while Tom Hiddleston’s presence at the expo confirmed season 2 of ‘Loki’. The footage showed that Loki was back in the TVA but nobody recognizes him anymore. Matt Shakman has taken over as the director of ‘Fantastic Four’ from Jon Watts and the trailer of ‘Echo’ which is a ‘Hawkeye’ spin-off also debuted. Further announcements were about upcoming projects like ‘Daredevil: Born Again’, ‘Captain America: New World Order’, ‘Thunderbolts’ and ‘The Marvels.’
The Mandalorian
‘The Mandalorian’ season 3 was teased by the cast, which included Pedro Pascal and Katee Sackhoff, as well as new executive producer Rick Famuyiwa, who directed episodes in the first two seasons. The first trailer for the upcoming season indicated the season was arriving in 2023 but no exact date.
Andor
The cast was present to tease the 24-episode spy thriller, with both seasons of the program comprising 12 episodes each and setting up the events of Rogue One, in order to promote the impending release of ‘Andor’. The second and final season of the show’s run will begin filming soon, it was also revealed, and the series’ final trailer debuted.
Tales of the Jedi
We’re also getting ‘Tales of the Jedi’, a collection of six animated shorts, three of which are about Ahsoka Tano and the other three are about Count Dooku. It debuts on Disney+ on October 26.
Willow
The cast of ‘Willow’, which will premiere on Disney+ on November 30, including Warwick Davis, was present for the event. The news that Christian Slater had joined the cast of the new series, however, came as a great surprise.
Indiana Jones 5
For the sneak peek of ‘Indiana Jones 5’, which seems to have gone the Halloween route and is just called Indiana Jones, director James Mangold was there. The reappearance of John Rhys-Davies as Sallah was also announced in the exclusive clip shown to attendees at D23. The footage closes with a variation on an iconic Indiana Jones joke in which the hero tries to whip some villains but is met with gunfire in return.
Avatar: The Way of Water
‘Avatar: The Way of Water’, which James Cameron live-streamed from New Zealand, where he is currently working on Avatar 4, concluded the epic Disney Studios panel. Those present were treated to exclusive scenes from the follow-up, but we’ll have to wait until the film’s December release to see them.
The Little Mermaid
A teaser for Disney’s live-action rendition of 1989 animated classic ‘The Little Mermaid’ is also whetting fans’ appetites. Halle Bailey, who plays the lead character Ariel, is briefly seen in the trailer. ‘The Little Mermaid’ comes to theatres on May 26, 2023.
Disenchanted
‘Disenchanted’, is the follow-up to 2007’s ‘Enchanted’, which saw Amy Adams play an agreeable but naive princess hopeful dropped from the fictional land of Andalasia into present-day New York City. Adams returns for the sequel — along with fellow original cast members Patrick Dempsey, Idina Menzel, and others. ‘Disenchanted’ will stream on Disney+ starting Nov. 24.
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The Spectacular Performances At D23 Expo
Raven Symone and Lilly Singh
Raven-Symoné and Lilly Singh hosted the star-studded showcase that was jam-packed with spectacular live performances and heartfelt moments. The festivities kicked off with The Electric Mayhem performing ‘Can You Picture That?’ followed by the cast of ‘High School The Musical: The Series‘ singing a medley, including ‘Love Is an Open Door’ from ‘Frozen‘, and ‘High School Musical’ from ‘High School Musical 3: Senior Year.’ The Electric Mayhem’s rocking performance of ‘Can You Picture That?’ is also available for streaming.
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