D23 has come and gone yet again, and the Mouse House proved to be as busy as ever as it showed off its plans for television, theme parks, and—the longtime bread and butter of the media giant—movies.
From Star Wars, to beloved franchises, to totally new films, to whatever the hell Dwayne Johnson is up to, here are all the film-centric announcements and reveals that reared their heads at D23 2024.
Toy Story 5, Incredibles 3, Zootopia 2, Moana 2, and Frozen 3
The sequel fare took up most of D23’s film spotlight, but with announcements like Toy Story 5 and The Incredibles 3 among those ranks, even the most ruthless proponent of originality can’t be disappointed.
Incredibles 3 was the biggest reveal, as this is the first we’re hearing about the film’s existence. Toy Story 5, meanwhile, named its director in Andrew Stanton, who gifted us Wall-E and Finding Nemo in the past. Other details on this unprecedented fifth entry in this unprecedentedly successful animated franchise include 50 rogue Buzz Lightyears and electronic toys as plot elements, and a Summer 2026 release date.
Elsewhere, Moana 2 (releasing Nov. 27 later this year), Zootopia 2 (releasing Nov. 26, 2025), and Frozen 3 (releasing 2027) had trailers, clips, and concept art to show off, respectively.
Lilo & Stitch, Snow White, and Mufasa: The Lion King
Disney’s not finished with their live-action remake venture by a long shot. Beyond getting our first look at live-action Stitch from the incoming Lilo & Stitch live-action remake (due in Summer 2025), we were also given trailers for the Rachel Zegler-led Snow White (March 21, 2025), and Mufasa: The Lion King (Dec. 20 later this year), the latter of which will be a completely new story set before the events of The Lion King.
Monster Jam
The award for the most out-of-left-field film announcement at D23 went to Dwayne Johnson, who revealed that he’s working together with Disney on a live-action Monster Jam movie. According to the movie star/khaki enthusiast, this “immersive” film will be told “from the POV of these incredible monster trucks. Eccentric and crazy drivers.”
It’s not immediately clear if this will be a narrative feature or a documentary, so we’ll just have to wait and see what Johnson’s cooking here.
Avatar: Fire and Ash
The third entry in James Cameron’s box office-busting Avatar series had its title revealed as Avatar: Fire and Ash. We already knew that we would be introduced to an antagonistic, fire-based Na’vi clan, but no other details beyond some concept art were released at the event.
Avatar: Fire and Ash hits theaters on Dec. 19, 2025.
Hoppers and Elio
Disney isn’t just about remakes and sequels and brands; thanks to Pixar, the Mouse House had some updates on the original film front, including the first-ever reveal of Hoppers. Starring Jon Hamm, Bobby Moynihan, and Piper Curda, Hoppers follows Mabel, a young girl who can transfer her mind into a robotic beaver; an ability she uses to see what animal life is like. She later unites with a plethora of woodland creatures, including a high-ranking beaver named King George, to help protect their home from a real estate developer. Hoppers hits theaters in spring 2026.
Elio, meanwhile, got a D23-exclusive trailer as it prepares to hit theaters next summer on June 13, 2025. The sci-fi flick was originally supposed to release on March 1 earlier this year, but a change in leadership on multiple Pixar projects coupled with the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike saw it get delayed.
The Mandalorian & Grogu
The Filoni era of Star Wars is set to hit the big screen for the first time on May 22, 2026 with The Mandalorian & Grogu. Footage at the event showed off Grogu in his own suit of Mandalorian Beskar armor, which will surely do wonders for Disney’s merchandizing profits.
Freakier Friday
Somehow, Hoppers wasn’t the biggest bodyswap-adjacent film announcement of the event. Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan, stars of 2003’s Freaky Friday, revealed the sequel’s title as Freakier Friday alongside some set photos featuring the duo. Freakier Friday releases in 2025.
Tron: Ares
And, of course, the announcement that no one was queuing up for but still managed to be one of the most epic of the evening; Tron: Ares not only got some event-exclusive footage featuring the eponymous new antagonist, but it was also revealed that the film’s soundtrack would be composed by none other than Nine Inch Nails. Now, Tron may not exactly be known as a “strength to strength” franchise, but going from Daft Punk to Nine Inch Nails is a statement and a half.
Tron: Ares hits theaters on Oct. 10, 2025.
Published: Aug 12, 2024 05:04 pm