The 2022 Disney D23 Expo kicked off in Anaheim yesterday with the Walt Disney Company announcing new movies for both theatrical release, and on its streaming service, Disney+.
The studio kicks off the event with Cynthia Erivo performing the iconic song ‘When You Wish Upon A Star’. Disney then proceeded to roll out new trailers, images and those big movie announcements, some key talent front and center at the show.
“What a way to kick off the show,” said Alan Bergman, chairman of The Walt Disney Studios. “What a way to kick off the show,” said Alan Bergman, chairman of The Walt Disney Studios. “Of course, ‘When You Wish Upon a Star’ was first heard in the animated film ‘Pinocchio’ in 1940. It’s a motto about dreaming big, dreaming the impossible and making those dreams come true. And that’s something we try to do each and every day at the studio.”
The studio celebrates its centenary in October 2023 and the famous Cinderella’s castle ident has been updated to mark the event.
Created by Disney Studios and Industrial Light & Magic, and featuring an all-new arrangement of “When You Wish Upon a Star” by award-winning composer Christophe Beck (Frozen), the new Disney castle introduction will play in front of all Disney theatrical and streaming releases starting this autumn.
Fans were offered a new look at the incoming Hocus Pocus 2, due on Disney+ at the end of the month. The film’s stars Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker and Kathy Najimy appeared video video link to introduce a new trailer, which you can see below.
Amy Adams, Patrick Dempsey, Maya Rudolph, Gabriella Baldacchino, James Marsden, Idina Menzel, Yvette Nicole Brown and Jayma Mays then hit the stage to introduce a Disenchanted presentation showcasing the fairytale sequel that is releasing on Disney+. Featuring music from Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz, the musical comedy picks up 15 years after Giselle (Adams) and Robert (Dempsey) get married when their family heads to suburbia in search of happily ever after. A new trailer for the movie was also revealed which you can see below.
Alexander Molony (Peter Pan), Ever Anderson (Wendy), Alyssa Wapanâtahk (Tiger Lily) and Captain Hook himself: Jude Law, then took to the stage to introduce Peter Pan & Wendy, a new feature based on the classic JM Barrie book that will hit Disney+ in 2023. The new film dives deeper into Wendy’s story as she joins the boy who refuses to grow up on a magical journey to Neverland and reveals the history behind Peter Pan’s rivalry with one of Disney’s most memorable villains. The cast discussed what fans can expect from the new film and revealed an exclusive first look at the film for the D23 audience.
Next up was a Haunted Mansion presentation. The film, based on the Disneyland ride of the same name, is about a woman and her son who enlist a motley crew of so-called spiritual experts to help rid their home of supernatural squatters. Disney shared a sneak peek of the film exclusively with the D23 Expo crowd, then welcomed the queen of scary movies, Jamie Lee Curtis, who made an unforgettable entrance aboard a Haunted Mansion doom buggy.
Barry Jenkins then made his way to the stage to show a never-before-seen sneak peek and share a little about his film, Mufasa: The Lion King, which is currently in production. Told in flashbacks—Rafiki, Timon and Pumbaa tell the story of Mufasa to a young lion cub—“Mufasa” reveals the rise of one of the greatest kings of the Pride Lands.
Then it was the turn of Snow White, a live-action reimagining of the classic tale starring Rachel Zegler in the title role and Gal Gadot as Snow White’s Stepmother, The Queen. The film’s two stars were on stage to talk about their roles and to share a very early glimpse at the iconic characters in the 2024 film, which is directed by Marc Webb.
The Little Mermaid director Rob Marshall took a break from post-production under the sea to share more about the live-action version of the beloved tale. He played the “Part of Your World” sequence for fans in Hall D23 and invited on stage Ariel herself, Halle Bailey, who shared her excitement about her new role. A teaser trailer was then presented to the excited crowd.
Then it was onto animation, and first Pixar who rolled out Elemental, an all-new, original feature film releasing on June 16, 2023. The film tells a story of immigrants pursuing dreams in beautiful neighborhoods where language and cultures come together. Filmmakers introduced the characters in Elemental, which is set in a city where fire-, water-, land- and air-residents live together. Ember is a tough and fiery young woman, and Wade is a fun, sappy, go-with-the-flow guy. Helping bring them to life are Leah Lewis and Mamoudou Athie, who were warmly welcomed to the Hall D23 stage.
Next was Win Or Lose, where directors Carrie Hobson and Michael Yates provided a closer look at Pixar’s first-ever long-form series and what inspired it. The film follows the Pickles, a co-ed middle school softball team, in the week leading up to their championship game. Each episode takes place that same week, highlighting the perspective of a different main character—players, their parents, the umpire—each reflected in a unique visual style. Hobson and Yates revealed that Will Forte will voice Coach Dan in the series, which is set for Disney+ in late 2023.
The next film to be presented was Elio, a 2024-set film about an 11-year-old dreamer Elio, who is artistic, creative and an avid INdoorsman who finds it hard to fit in. Meanwhile Mom Olga, who runs a top-secret military project, is working to decode a strange signal from outer space. But it’s Elio who makes contact, gets beamed into space and is subsequently mistaken for an intergalactic Ambassador for Earth. ETA is spring 2024.
The big reveal for Pixar is a summer 2024 release, a sequel to the 2015 classic Inside Out. Inside Out 2 will come to the screen from director Kelsey Mann, producer Mark Nielsen and writer Meg LeFauve who are reportedly hard at work on the all-new adventure inside the head of now-teenager Riley—who may or may not be feeling all kinds of new Emotions. Amy Poehler will also return.
On the Walt Disney Animation Studios side of things, Disney unveiled Zootopia+, a short-form series bound for Disney+ in November. According to the official notes, fans at the event saw a trailer for the new series, which heads back to the fast-paced mammal metropolis, diving deeper into the lives of some of the film’s most intriguing residents.
Bound for Disney+ in 2023 is an all-new original long-form series created in collaboration with Pan-African comic book entertainment company Kugali. Iwájú is described as a futuristic depiction—a world bursting with color, unique visual elements and technological advancements inspired by the spirit of Lagos, which is physically divided into an island and a mainland separated by both water and socio-economic status. The coming-of-age story introduces Tola, a young heiress from the wealthy island, and her best friend Kole, a self-taught tech expert and loving son from the mainland. Filmmakers shared a first look of the new series.
Next was a look at feature film Strange World. Director Don Hall and co-director/ screenwriter Qui Nguyen revealed their personal connections to the film that’s about an incredible family who must get past their differences to save a strange world full of danger and surprises. The audience was treated to an all-new trailer from Disney Animation’s 61st feature film before voice cast members Jake Gyllenhaal (Searcher Clade), Dennis Quaid (Jaeger Clade), Jaboukie Young-White (Ethan Clade) and Lucy Liu (Callisto Mal) joined the festivities. Fans also got a glimpse at an action-packed sequence from the film and received an exclusive poster. Produced by Roy Conli, “Strange World” also features the voice of Gabrielle Union (Meridian). The film opens in cinemas Nov. 23, 2022.
/
Lastly was Wish, an epic animated musical is inspired by the legacy of films from the studio and asks the question: “How did the wishing star, upon which so many characters wished, come to be?” Directors Chris Buck and Fawn Veerasunthorn outlined the story, which is set in Rosas, the kingdom of wishes where wishes can literally come true. Attendees were introduced to 17-year-old Asha—an optimist with a sharp wit who cares endlessly about her community. In a moment of desperation, Asha makes an impassioned plea to the stars, which is answered by a cosmic force, a little ball of boundless energy called Star. Together, they face the most formidable of foes to save her community and prove that when the will of one courageous human connects with the magic of the stars, wondrous things can happen. Disney Animation good-luck-charm Alan Tudyk joined filmmakers on stage to share an animation test for his newest character, a goat named Valentino. Buck, Veerasunthorn and Lee then introduced the voice of Asha, actress Ariana DeBose, who brought down the house singing an all-new original song written by Julia Michaels, who’s writing all of the songs for Wish. DeBose’s captivating performance of “More for Us” closed the showcase in signature Disney style. Lee is a writer on the film, Peter Del Vecho produces and Juan Pablo Reyes co-produces.
