It was just past seven twenty in the evening (California time, four twenty in the early morning from Friday to Saturday in Spain) when Disney began to do what it does best: unleash its magic. It wouldn’t stop for two and a half hours. With images from its classics, from Frozen to Beauty and the Beast, from Grey’s Anatomy and The Devil Wears Prada to Super Bowl games and halfway through the Marvel catalog, the studio started its strongest night of the year (in fact, of the last two years) proudly showcasing its major upcoming film and television releases, both animated and live-action, for the coming years.
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On the big night of its D23, its biennial convention, Ginnifer Goodwin and Ke Huy Quan welcomed the presentation of the company’s audiovisual news, and its head, Josh D’Amaro. It was his first convention as CEO (but not the first, by far, since he has been working for the company for 28 years), but he was not the main focus. It was the night of new announcements, in titles, dates, and trailers, awaited by the 12,000 fans filling the Honda Center in Anaheim, the Southern California city where Disneyland, the company’s first park, has been located for 71 years.
Probably among the most desired (and expected; with fans unleashed and theories brewing on social media, surprises are increasingly difficult) were the first images of Frozen 3, Disney’s big bet for the winter of 2027 (release on November 24), arriving eight years after the previous one. Elsa and Anna, that is, Kristen Bell and Idina Menzel, sang a duet of one of the new songs from the upcoming film. “Doesn’t the world of Frozen seem a little different? More mysterious…,” Bell said. Josh Gad, as the snowman Olaf, also joined in singing. Those first images show Anna’s wedding to Kristoff, after which Elsa finds an icy amulet that summons the northern lights and guides the sisters to meet what seems to be a future enemy. By the way, Olaf caught the bouquet at the wedding, and a love story is coming.
In animation, the next two years look strong, and another major announcement (still without a date) was presented by Jared Bush, the director of Zootopia, who spoke about the fun and magic of the story and how they place Easter Eggs, clues from the Disney universe, in their films… and how indeed one of them from the second part, released last November, led to what many hoped for: a third installment of the Judy Hopps saga. And therefore, Zootopia 3 will arrive, without a date.
Not everything is about sequels, no matter how lucrative they are — Zootopia 2 holds the highest-grossing animation box office in history — and new stories must be made room for. In November 2028, Clay will hit theaters, about a master and his apprentice, Mooshy. Oscar winner Kieran Culkin stars.
Before that comes Hexed, the story of teenager Billie, who has more secrets than she herself realizes, starring Hailee Steinfeld. “I’ll bring the witches,” the actress said on stage, explaining how Billie has “magic inside that she has no idea about.” Alongside her, Walton Goggins: “But what role could a guy like me play?” joked the actor. “I’m not human, but an animal. I’m a feline, Beef Roger Crummchuk.” In fact, he is a cool green three-eyed cat who lives in a caravan and protects the young girl. As a surprise appearance, Jodie Foster will be the lead witch. “I couldn’t be more honored that you’re the one chasing me,” Steinfeld joked with her.
Pixar and the sequels to ‘Coco’ and ‘Lilo & Stitch’
Meanwhile, Pete Docter, Pixar’s creative head, showed a preview of what will be Pixar’s first mystery and ghost film, arriving in spring 2028. Called Ghost Market, its protagonist is a boy named Kyle who enters a store at night to buy a snack and crosses a spooky line between two worlds.
Slightly earlier, in 2027, Gatto will be released, with delicate aesthetics, judging by the images shown at the presentation. Directed by Enrico Casarosa, who previously led Luca, it tells the story of a black cat trying to survive in Venice alongside the mafia boss, Rocco, a large white feline.
Additionally, some dates for already announced titles were revealed: both Lilo & Stitch 2 and The Incredibles 3 will arrive in summer 2028, the latter featuring a new villain who creates a league of supervillains “full of marketing and merchandising, something we know nothing about at Disney,” Docter joked.
We will have to wait until November 2029 for Coco 2, with Adrián Molina and Lee Unkrich returning as directors, and Benjamin Bratt as Ernesto de la Cruz. As the actor announced on stage at the massive Disney convention, he will return seeking revenge and will send a teenage Miguel to the land of the dead.
The return of ‘Kingdom Hearts’: new game, new series
Precisely showing images of Coco 2, the company revealed that after years of waiting, the best-selling video game Kingdom Hearts will have its fourth installment. Although not a film or television premiere, it was one of the most applauded moments of the evening, perhaps precisely because it was less expected. The new missions of Sora and company will arrive in fall 2027, and they will have to enter and cleanse the universe of Coco from black shadows.
Additionally, Kingdom Hearts — which since its release in 2002 has sold nearly 40 million copies worldwide — will also arrive as a series. Its creator, Tetsuya Nomura, will participate in its development, but there is no release date and there doesn’t seem to be a rush to have it. In fact, it doesn’t even have a formal title yet.
For adventures, there’s Percy Jackson. Its third batch of adventures will premiere on November 20, and its star, Walker Scobell, came to the center of the stadium to announce it. Just like the Jonas Brothers, presenting the third part of Camp Rock, almost two decades after the first, which has just been released. In fact, they introduced the new generation of actors who will take over, who performed a musical number.
Another branch of animation that particularly pleased the audience was a preview, still unfinished, of the upcoming The Simpsons movie, which premieres next year, with Homer chasing a baseball from the stadium to the Duff brewery. To present the sixth installment of Ice Age, titled Boiling Point, Queen Latifah appeared, announcing that the film will arrive in February 2027, no less than 11 years after the previous one, and although it was created by Blue Sky Studios, the animation studio of 20th Century Fox, after its closure and Fox’s acquisition by Disney, the mouse company kept the famous animation and comedy saga.
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A fun moment of the night was when clouds with a red balloon appeared on the screen that the audience identified with Up, thinking something new was coming from the beloved 2009 Pixar film… but no. It was a preview of The Bluey Movie, the film arriving in August 2027 about the successful children’s series.
‘Tangled’ Spanish-style and the return of Oswald
From animation to live-action comes Tangled, the live action being filmed in Girona and parts of the Mediterranean coast. Kathryn Hahn, the villain, Mother Gothel of Rapunzel, came on stage and joked that her character was “a bit overprotective [of Rapunzel], but because she loves her very much.” “We’ve been filming in Spain and it’s been incredible,” she confessed. In a video from the set, the leads, Teagan Croft and Flynn Rider, wanted to show some of their landscapes, churches, and castles, a magnificent advertisement for tourism. It will arrive on March 31, 2028.
Romy and Michele also came on stage, announcing that for their second installment they were looking for love. “Then we are officially Disney princesses!” joked Lisa Kudrow alongside Mira Sorvino, fully in character. The cast of The Greatest Showman, the 2017 film, also performed a musical number. Without Hugh Jackman, Zac Efron, or Zendaya, it will hit the stage: it will premiere at the Royal Drury Lane Theatre in London in spring 2027.
Director Jon Favreau announced the arrival of a film about Oswald, a character who came before Mickey Mouse and whose rights, as he explained, Disney lost. “He was lost in the darkness until Disney regained the rights to Oswald and he started appearing in shorts and games, but his story always fascinated me,” the director said. “Working on The Jungle Book [live-action in 2018] I wanted to tell his story, and now it will arrive as a three-episode miniseries on Disney+ in February 2027,” he said.
Oswald, that kind of germ of Mickey Mouse, is hand-drawn in the series, it’s animated, but inhabits real places. In fact, Favreau said they filmed at the Hyperion offices in Silver Lake, the company’s original offices, as well as Walt Disney’s office in Burbank (which has been preserved exactly as it was since he died in 1966) and in Disneyland park itself. Favreau also showed his next imminent project, Lion, a four-episode documentary on Disney+ arriving next week that follows Kio, a lion cub, across the African savanna, with a soundtrack by Hans Zimmer.
Meanwhile, this year’s box office queen, Anne Hathaway, attended the convention to talk about Princess Diaries 3, already confirmed, although it seems without Julie Andrews. The actress asked the audience never to stop stopping her on the street to recognize her as Amelia Mignonette Thermopolis Renaldi, princess of Genovia.
Star-studded lineup for ‘X-Men’ and ‘Avengers: Doomsday’
Kevin Feige, president of Marvel Studios, also made several anticipated announcements. After the success of Spider-Man: Brand New Day, which along with The Odyssey has boosted the summer box office, actress Sadie Sink came on stage to talk about her character in the film… but Feige jokingly told her no, that he was going to talk about another matter. And it was about X-Men. Director Jake Schreier announced that a new film will arrive in May 2028 with a cast including Scott Summers, Kit Connor, Christopher Abbott, Emma Frost, Inde Navarrete, and Maya Boyd as Storm. Adam Driver also sent a greeting saying he had “found the perfect moment and character as… Magneto. Oh no, something better: Nathaniel Milbury,” that is, Doctor Doom.
Feige also presented the trailer and poster for Visionquest, with Paul Bettany, who also came on stage. The actor said they will return on October 14. “I’ve been told that in the Marvel universe no one is really dead,” he joked, shortly before showing some footage as a preview of this trilogy’s conclusion, which forms, along with Wandavision, where Elizabeth Olsen played his widow, and Agatha, Who Else?, with Kathryn Hahn.
Additionally, on December 18, a new installment of the Avengers saga, Avengers: Doomsday, will arrive, with the Russo brothers bringing back many of the saga’s big stars: Hugh Jackman (who sent a virtual greeting), Chris Evans, Hayley Atwell, and Robert Downey Jr., who came on stage. The trailer also showed Chris Hemsworth and Pedro Pascal. Moreover, on September 15, Wolverine will arrive as a video game.
50 years of ‘Star Wars’, now with Ryan Gosling
Another highlight of the night was everything related to Star Wars, announced by Dave Filoni. The president of Lucasfilm, the company responsible for the saga and also owned by Disney since 2012, recalled that 2027 marks 50 years since the first of its films, so they will be seen again in theaters. For television, the news was the second season of Ahsoka, presented by Rosario Dawson alongside Hayden Christensen and Eman Esfandi, whose new trailer was shown.
But the main event will be Star Wars: Starfighter, the new theatrical installment of the galaxy far, far away. Director Shawn Levy said it will hit theaters in May 2027, 50 years after the original. “We never planned it that way, but it’s a dream come true,” he said. “It’s been a privilege to create and explore it,” he said about its universe, “and even more so to do it alongside Ryan Gosling.”
And there he was. Wearing a jacket and cap with the company’s D’s. “I owe a lot to Disney,” the actor said. “Here I am, 30 years later, back, and changing my life again,” he said, referring to his origins: the actor started on a children’s show, Mickey Mouse Club, and nostalgic images of his childhood were shown. As a witness to this change, Levy gave him the jacket of his character, Kade Auberon. “He’s a guy from the dark side of the galaxy,” they said. He will be joined by Amy Adams, Mia Goth, and Matt Smith. Together they presented the first trailer and the release date: May 28, 2027. Exactly half a century after George Lucas released the original of the franchise that made him a millionaire and changed the world of cinema. Disney has known how to make magic since 2013, but behind it, it keeps many tricks up its sleeve.
