This year, the D23 expo was held at the Honda Convention Center in Anaheim, California, and it was one of Disney's largest turnouts in D23 history. On the evening of August 9th, the company hosted its highly-anticipated entertainment panel, which gave all attending guests a sneak peek at some of the upcoming animated and live-action entertainment Disney has planned for Walt Disney Animation, Star Wars, and Marvel. While I wasn't fortunate enough to attend D23 myself, thanks to the real-time updates from attending Disney fans on social media, I was able to get all of the entertainment announcements almost immediately through Threads and Instagram. Honestly, after hearing what animated projects Disney is planning to release in the coming years, I couldn't be more excited about Walt Disney Animation's future, and I wanted to write a blog post breaking down and sharing some of my thoughts on the nine animated projects the company presented at their entertainment panel.
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| © The Walt Disney Company, [Moana 2] |
The entertainment panel started with a live performance of a brand new song from 'Moana 2' titled "We're Back," featuring the singing voices of Auli'i Cravalho and Dwayne Johnson, and, just as I predicted in my last post, a full-length trailer for 'Moana 2.' This trailer gave us some detail into some previously speculated story details for 'Moana 2,' a special look at Moana's little sister, Simea, and some animated visuals from the film. According to the plot details revealed in the trailer, Moana receives a call from her ancestors to connect her island with all the people of the ocean by breaking a mysterious curse separating them. Moana, alongside demigod Maui and her new voyaging crew, Loto (a shipwright), Kele (a grumpy, old farmer), and Moni (a clumsy historian), must journey to the lost island of Montufetu, hidden by the jealous God of Storms, Montangi, to break the curse.
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| © The Walt Disney Company, [Moana 2] |
Ever since the first 'Moana 2' teaser trailer was released back in February of this year, I've been excited about this movie's upcoming release, and this trailer has only added to my excitement. The visuals look incredibly beautiful, and I loved getting a new look at Moana's younger sister and voyaging crew. I'm particularly interested in seeing how all of the newly introduced characters and the unexpected reveal of the film's main antagonist, Montangi, will fit into the film's overall story. Hearing the song "We're Back" through the recorded clips of panel attendees has me so excited to hear what this film's musical directors have planned for the 'Moana 2' soundtrack. I honestly think this film has the potential to be one of the Walt Disney Company's best animated musical films in a while.
You can watch the full-length 'Moana 2' trailer here: https://youtu.be/hDZ7y8RP5HE?si=1BI_gom4UQtUs7aA
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| © The Walt Disney Company |
The next animated project announced/presented was the upcoming 'Inside Out' spin-off titled 'Dream Productions.' According to 'Inside Out 2' director Pete Docter, this series will explore the universe of Riley's dreams through the full-fledged Hollywood-style movie studio within Riley's mind where her dreams and nightmares are brought to life thanks to acclaimed director Paula Persimmon. Unfortunately for Paula, Riley's growing up and Paula's signature combination of imaginative dreams featuring Rainbow Unicorn and copious amounts of glitter aren't cutting it anymore. In an effort to save her career, Paula teams up with overly confident director Xeni, looking for his next big break at 'Dream Productions' to try and create the next tween-dream hit. This series will be directed by Mike Jones, produced by Jaclyn Simon, and will be animated in a mockumentary style, similar to 'The Office.' 'Dream Productions' will be released in 2025 on Disney+ and will be one of two long-form animated series Pixar is planning to release in the next year.
I don't have much to say regarding this series, but the overall concept sounds really interesting, especially the animation style. If it's anything like 'The Office,' I have a feeling the characters and dialogue will be pretty funny too.
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| © The Walt Disney Company |
Next in the lineup of animated movies presented at the entertainment panel was 'Toy Story 5,' which gave us our first couple of details regarding the fifth movie in the 'Toy Story' film series. Director Andrew Staton revealed that the theme of this film is "Toy meets Tech." Woody, Buzz, Jessie, and the rest of the gang will confront modern technologies like iPads, iPhones, and an army of malfunctioning, commemorative Buzz Lightyear figures who will supposedly cause "serious problems" throughout the film.
I'll admit, this film's concept not only sounds interesting, but it's extremely relevant to our current technology landscape. According to a government consensus, over 75% percent of households with children under five own iPads, and over 80% have access to some other form of tablet-like technology. This has caused the emergence of the term "iPad kid," primarily given to Gen Alpha children who crave constant technological stimulation. While the term "iPad kid" is usually thrown around as a joke, it's honestly kind of sad. Anyone who has recently spent time around children, even in a public setting, can acknowledge that they are spending less and less time playing with physical toys and more time playing on/with a personal iPad or similar technology. While I don't think creating another 'Toy Story' movie is necessary for the franchise, I'm interested in seeing how the writers of 'Toy Story 5' will tackle this concept and the likely possibility of Woody's return despite him joining Bo Peep at the end of 'Toy Story 4' as a lost toy. 'Toy Story 5' will be released exclusively in theaters on June 19th, 2026.
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| © The Walt Disney Company, [Elio] |
Next, we were given a couple of minor updates regarding Disney and Pixar's upcoming film, 'Elio.' Initially set to release this year, 'Elio' was pushed back to June 13th, 2025, due to the WGA (Writer's Guild of America) and SAG-AFTRA strikes last year. The film's original director, Adrian Molina, has since been replaced with Domee Shi, a storyboard artist for Pixar and Academy Award winner. Additional details include the update that the voice actor for Elio's aunt Olga, initially set to be voiced by America Ferrera, has since been replaced by Zoë Saldaña due to scheduling conflicts. To conclude this segment of the panel, a special look at 'Elio' was shown to the audience in the form of a short trailer, however, it is currently unreleased to the general public.
I'm honestly pretty excited about this film, and I have another blog post with a more in-depth description of 'Elio,' if you're interested in learning more about this film, I'd suggest checking that out. :)
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| © The Walt Disney Company, [Win or Lose] |
Presented next was one of Pixar's upcoming projects I had hoped we would get more details on, their first-ever long-form series titled 'Win or Lose.' This series will follow the individual and intertwined stories of eight different characters on a middle-school softball team called the Pickles in the week leading up to their big championship game. Each episode will be twenty minutes long and feature the same events from a different character's perspective, such as the players, their parents, and the team's umpire. This series is written, directed, and executive-produced by Carrie Hobson and Micheal Yates. Additional executive producer Pete Docter described the series as "a comedy about love, rivalry, and the challenges we all face in our struggles to win at life." 'Win or Lose' will premiere on Disney+ at the end of this year on December 6th, and each episode will supposedly feature a different animation style.
In addition to these announcements, a short trailer for 'Win or Lose' was shown and released on all of Disney's media platforms. The trailer featured a special look at the series' unique and cartoonish animation style and diverse cast of characters. Based on the synopsis and first look at this series, I can't wait for December to watch it on Disney+.
You can watch the teaser trailer for 'Win or Lose' here:
https://youtu.be/ONFrGjdzhfs?si=IGm3kKzxdP99s6yv |
| © The Walt Disney Company |
Following the 'Win or Lose' series announcement, a brand-new Disney Pixar Animation film was announced, titled 'Hoppers.' In 'Hoppers,' scientists have discovered a way to "hop" human consciousness into lifelike robotic animals, allowing people to communicate with other animals as animals. Releasing exclusively in theaters in the Spring of 2026, 'Hoppers' will introduce Mabel, an animal lover who seizes the opportunity to utilize this innovative technology to uncover the mysteries of the animal world. This film will be directed by Daniel Chong, creator of 'We Bare Bears' and produced by Nicole Paradis Grindle, producer of 'Incredibles 2.'
The concept of this film doesn't sound *uninteresting* to me, but without any more details regarding the story and characters, I'm currently indifferent toward this film. However, with it being produced by Pixar, there's a significant chance it'll have a good message and/or plot. I'm sure time will tell if 'Hoppers' is shaping up to be a classic animated film.
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| © The Walt Disney Company |
Concluding the Pixar segment of the panel, Pete Docter shocked the audience and the internet by announcing an unexpected threequel to the 2004 animated blockbuster film 'Incredibles.' 'Incredibles 3' is reportedly currently in development with writer-director Brad Bird, director of both 'Incredibles' and the 2018 sequel 'Incredibles 2,' heading the project. No additional story, character, or release date details were revealed, but based on the audience and the internet's reaction, 'Incredibles 3' should be a highly-anticipated film.
I'm not sure how I feel about this film yet. While its announcement was definitely unexpected, I have to admit that I've never been very invested in the 'Incredibles' franchise. I honestly love the realistic and chaotic family dynamic of the Parr family and Edna Mode's character, but the overarching superhero storylines have never really interested me. The second film truthfully felt uncanny and kind of boring. Still, I'm interested in seeing what Pixar has planned for 'Incredibles 3,' and I'm sure it'll perform just as well financially, if not better, than the second 'Incredibles' film.
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| © The Walt Disney Company |
Following the unexpected announcement of 'Incredibles 3,' some exciting and highly-anticipated details were revealed for the 2026 film 'Zootopia 2,' presented by none other than the voice actor for Judy Hopps herself, Gennifer Goodwin. 'Zootopia 2' will introduce reptile characters, specifically the film's antagonist, a bright blue snake named Gary. Although Gary's full role is still undisclosed, it's been confirmed that Gary will be played by award-winning actor Ke Huy Quan, known for his roles in 'Everything Everywhere All at Once' and the Marvel series Loki.'
Following this announcement, a brand-new clip from the upcoming 2025 film was aired exclusively to the panel audience; however, it has yet to be released publicly. Thankfully, I was able to find a phone recording of the clip on YouTube, which featured Judy and Nick walking in an unexplored area of Zootopia called the Marsh Market, where the semi-aquatic resident mammals live.
Aside from 'Moana 2,' I haven't been this excited about a Disney animated film in a long time. 'Zootopia' was one of my all-time favorite movies growing up, with its dynamic characters and equally meaningful storytelling. I honestly can't believe 'Zootopia' will be almost a decade old when 'Zootopia 2' releases next year, but I can't wait to see the continuation of Judy and Nick's story, especially with all of the technological advances Disney has made with its animation in recent years. 'Zootopia 2' will be released exclusively in theaters on November 26th, 2025.
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| © The Walt Disney Company |
Concluding the exciting animated segment of Disney's entertainment panel was a first look at Walt Disney Animation's very highly-anticipated 2027 film, 'Frozen III.' 'Frozen' I and II filmmaker Jennifer Lee took the stage, revealing a concept art for Frozen 3, featuring Anna and Elsa atop horses alongside a forest river, riding into a golden horizon. Olaf can be seen sitting behind Anna, and the black silhouette of a mysterious, ruffian-looking person can be seen in the reflection of the water.
Jennifer Lee then stated that apparently "there were a lot of questions coming out of Frozen II…" and then proceeded to say that "it will take two films to answer them," possibly hinting at a two-part film series. However, nothing is confirmed beyond 'Frozen III,' which will be released in the fall of 2027.
I don't have a lot of current expectations for 'Frozen III.' Still, if there's any chance of 'Frozen' x 'Tangled' crossover in either 'Frozen III' or the potential fourth film, it would be a dream come true. If you have any speculations for 'Frozen III,' I'd love to hear them in the comments below!
With all of these new announcements, I couldn't be more excited to experience everything Walt Disney Animation has planned for the next couple of years. I can only imagine what more details we'll receive at Disney's next D23 convention in 2026. Which movie or series are you most excited to watch? :)
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