Disney's annual D23 conference returned to Anaheim, California with a blitz of exciting reveals. Scroll down to discover all the highlights including updates on Pixar sequels, original properties and live-action blockbusters.
Mufasa: The Lion King
Barry Jenkins, Oscar-nominated director of the shattering drama Moonlight (2016), helms this prequel to Disney's 2019 live-action/CG remake. We discover how lion brothers Mufasa and Scar became enemies in the run-up to the events of The Lion King with Aaron Pierre and Kelvin Harrison Jr. providing the voices of Mufasa and Taka/Scar, respectively.
The movie will showcase songs from Disney stalwart Lin-Manuel Miranda, one of which was debuted at D23. Watch the latest trailer below. Mufasa: The Lion King is released on December 20th, 2024.
Tron: Ares
It's been confirmed that Nine Inch Nails will be scoring this sequel to Disney's glossy Tron reboot Tron: Legacy (2010). Daft Punk handled scoring duties for the previous film, their solo scoring effort. Tron: Ares stars Jared Leto, Evan Peters and Greta Lee and you can watch the Nine Inch Nails D23 reveal in the following clip.
NINE INCH NAILS will be composing the music for TRON: ARES, it is announced in a laser light show pic.twitter.com/7WyxB9mt9b
— Borys Kit (@Borys_Kit) August 10, 2024
Snow White
Disney's big 2025 reboot is this fresh take on their seminal 1937 animation. The original Snow White was famously written off as a folly mid-production but instead paved the way for feature-length animation and cemented all the hallmarks of the Disney brand from the innocent princess to the cackling wicked queen, the comic sidekicks and the ear-worming songs. It was rewarded multiple Oscar statuettes at the Academy Awards and now Rachel Zegler (West Side Story) steps into the role of the live-action Snow White.
Will this stand with the best of the live-action Disney remakes like The Jungle Book and Pete's Dragon? Watch the trailer and judge for yourselves. Snow White is released on March 21st, 2025.
Freakier Friday
Released in 2003, Freaky Friday was the remake of the 1976 film of the same name. Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan enjoyed madcap chemistry as the body-swapped mother/daughter duo and both are back for the imminent sequel, Freakier Friday.
Frozen 3
The Frozen films are not merely films, they're global sensations. The lesson put forward in Idina Menzel's empowering anthem 'Let It Go' clearly doesn't apply to the Disney executives who've enjoyed cumulative takings of $2.6 billion from the previous Frozen films, released in 2013 and 2019. Now, Frozen's chief creative Jennifer Lee is back to steer Frozen 3, and she's also confirmed that a fourth film is in the works.
Zootopia 2
Disney's delightful anthropomorphic allegory Zootopia (renamed Zootropolis in the UK) was one of the studio's most delightful films in recent years. Beyond the cuddly character design that mashed up all manner of marsupials and mammals in a dazzlingly imagined big-city environment, the film acted as a stealth statement on solidarity, compassion and diversity.
It's now been confirmed that Everything Everywhere All At Once Oscar-winner Ke Huy Quan will be voicing the sequel's villain, a “slithering, highly venomous viper” (according to returning Judy Hopps voice actor Ginnifer Goodwin) named Gary.
The Incredibles 3
Pixar's chief creative officer Peter Docter closed the Pixar segment of D23 with a big tease: “That’s right, we’re making Incredibles 3. [Director] Brad Bird is developing it right now.” The Incredibles 3 follows hot on the heels of two of Pixar's greatest achievements, both critically and financially successful family blockbusters that focus on the super-powered Incredible family.
In 2018's Incredibles 2, young infant Jack-Jack was starting to become aware of his own abilities. Will Incredibles 3 continue his journey?
Hoppers
Pixar is back on top in 2024 following its staggeringly successful and emotional blockbuster Inside Out 2. However, D23 wasn't all about established IPs. It's been confirmed that Pixar is developing a completely new project called Hoppers, a body-swap movie about a beaver and a human who exchange bodies. Jon Hamm and Bobby Moynihan will provide the voices.
Toy Story 5
Pixar's first three Toy Story films stake a claim to being the greatest film trilogy of all time. Then we got Toy Story 4 in 2019 and, miraculously, Pixar seemed to get away with it, finding yet more cathartic nuance in the ongoing journey of Woody (Tom Hanks) and Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen). Given Toy Story 4's runaway levels of success, it was perhaps inevitable that Toy Story 5 was on the cards.
Director Andrew Stanton, a Pixar vet responsible for the likes of Finding Nemo (2003) and Wall-E (2008), shared new details about Toy Story 5, revealing the toys will face off against technologies like iPads and iPhones. “It’s toy meets tech,” said Stanton, adding that there are 50 malfunctioning, commemorative Buzz Lightyear figures who will cause some “serious problems.”
Avatar: Fire and Ash
James Cameron's Avatar: The Way of Water was 2022's biggest box office hit, putting to bed any notion that people didn't care about a franchise dating back to 2009. The title of the third film is confirmed as Avatar: Fire and Ash and will reach us in December 2025. Here is the concept art that was revealed at D23.
New #Avatar3 concept art is shown along with a title reveal - #Avatar: Fire and Ash - at the #D23 Entertainment Showcase pic.twitter.com/i8pXcMLfV1
— The Hollywood Reporter (@THR) August 10, 2024
Moana 2
Moana 2 stars Auli’i Cravalho and Johnson got the crowd moving by performing a song from her upcoming sequel. “Maui is signing again. Singing in keys that don’t exist. And my hair looks fantastic in Moana 2,” joked Johnson, who gave a shoutout to his six and eight-year-old daughters in the crowd.
Johnson then debuted the brand new trailer (not yet ready for public viewing). Stay tuned for its big reveal. Moana 2 is released on November 29th, 2024.
Has this whet your appetite for more family content in 2024? Click the link below to discover upcoming family films in 2024.
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