Disney showcases upcoming titles at D23 as Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan present ‘Freakier Friday’
By Megan Thomas and Dan Heching, CNN
(CNN) — The familiar feels good. That was the obvious crowd sentiment at the D23 Disney Entertainment Showcase on Friday, where the company previewed its upcoming lineup of film and streaming comfort content.
D23, for those unfamiliar with the biennial pilgrimage of Disney fans to Anaheim, California, is part cosplay convention, part promotional pep fest. For the 12,000 people who gathered in a packed arena for an evening of Disney trailers, teases and stars, it was like a pop revival of infectious fun.
With sneak-peeks at “Moana 2,” “Avatar 3,” “The Mandolorian & Grogu,” “Mufasa: The Lion King” and (much) more, the event was peppered with confetti, blasts of pyrotechnics, an impressive David Blaine magic trick and the music of Lin-Manuel Miranda. It was as if Disney, borrowing a line from Russell Crowe in “Gladiator,” asked, “Are you not entertained?”
Hard not to be.
Here’s a look at some of the new – and newly updated – titles coming from the wide array of Disney’s studios.
Walt Disney Studios and Animation
Dwayne Jonnson kicked off the showcase with a look at the upcoming animated sequel “Moana 2.”
“Maui’s singing again, singing in keys that don’t exist,” Johnson joked. “My hair looks fantastic in ‘Moana 2.’ I can’t wait.”
Johnson called the movie a “perfect escape,” set for release this November 27.
Later, Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan took the stage to reveal their previously announced sequel to “Freaky Friday” – the 2003 movie in which they starred as a mother-daughter duo who switch bodies – which will now be called “Freakier Friday.”
“It’s more fun, it’s more emotional, and it’s all for you guys,” Lohan told the audience. “Seriously, the only reason we are back here doing this because of your love. That is why.”
“It feels like picking up where we left off, which is really beautiful,” Curtis said.
Oscar-winning director Barry Jenkins debuted a scene and new trailer for the live-action prequel “Mufasa: The Lion King,” with original music by Miranda. The movie arrives in theaters on December 20.
Director James Cameron also came to play some hits, taking a break from production on “Avatar 3” in New Zealand to share an update on the project.
“I can’t wait to show you what’ we’ve been creating,” Cameron told the crowd.
“It’s got very high emotional stakes,” he added. “The new film is not what you’d expect, but it’s definitely what you want.”
“Avatar” stars Zoe Saldana and Sam Worthington were on hand at D23, revealing the third installment’s official title, “Avatar: Fire and Ash.”
Other highlights included appearances by Ginnifer Goodwin for “Zootopia 2,” Rachel Zegler and Gal Godot for the live-action “Snow White,” as well as Jeff Bridges, Jared Leto and Greta Lee, who shared first-look footage of the upcoming third film in the “Tron” sequel, titled “Tron Ares.”
Pixar
Pete Docter, chief creative officer for Pixar, celebrated the continued success of “Inside Out 2,” which this summer became the top-performing animated film of all time. He previewed “Dream Productions,” an “Inside Out” spinoff series, set in Riley’s mind in a time period between the two films, due to release on Disney+ next year.
Docter also revealed a plot line for the previously announced “Toy Story 5,” debuting in summer 2026.
“Toys will go head-to-head with what kids are obsessed with today: electronics,” he teased. “This time around it’s toys versus tech.”
After sharing a look at the upcoming Pixar original films “Elio,” releasing summer 2025, and “Hoppers,” arriving in theaters spring 2026, Docter ended with even more sequel news: “Incredibles 3” is in development.
Marvel
Marvel president Kevin Feige – who Ryan Reynolds jokingly referred to as the “Marvel Jesus” in a video introduction – took the stage to present another sequel-heavy slate, leading with “Captain America: Brave New World,” the fourth installment in that franchise.
Feige had some help from Anthony Mackie, who will make his official debut as the Captain in the movie.
A new preview showed more of his dealings with Harrison Ford’s Thaddeus ‘Thunderbolt’ Ross – a role previously portrayed by William Hurt – as well as the menacing Red Hulk.
The other big highlight from Marvel on Friday was the cast of “Agatha All Along,” led by Kathryn Hahn who is reprising her witchy role of Agatha Harkness first originated in “WandaVision.”
Hahn, along with Aubrey Plaza, Broadway legend Patti LuPone, “Heartstopper” star Joe Locke, Okwui Okpokwasili and Ali Ahn, came out to perform a dark and eerie song from the series. “Agatha All Along” will premiere in October.
Other highlights from Marvel at D23 included a message from the set of “Fantastic Four: First Steps,” a look at the “Ironheart” series, as well as the reboot series “Daredevil: Born Again” which will welcome Charlie Cox into the Disney fold.
Lucasfilm
The world of Star Wars is also continuing to grow, as seen at the expo, with a new original series, the second season of an acclaimed show, and a feature-length movie based on a beloved series all making impressive showings.
Jude Law came out to present “Skeleton Crew,” a family-friendly new show that he said was inspired by “the Amblin coming-of-age films from the ’80s.” The show premieres on Disney+ in December.
Diego Luna also made an appearance, telling the audience that his beloved series “Andor” changed his life. He shared more details on the second season of that show, set to premiere next year.
Lastly, Star Wars wunderkinds Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni were at D23 to talk about “The Mandalorian & Grogu,” which will be the first theatrical Star Wars movie in five years. Get ready for more Baby Yoda in 2026.
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