The Walt Disney Studios brought a TON to its Disney Entertainment Showcase at D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event including teasers and nuggets of information for upcoming sequels (and an original story) from the Walt Disney Animation Studios!
Here’s a look at what we learned during the Disney Entertainment Showcase at the 2024 D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event.
The announcements for the Walt Disney Animation Studios came as part of the Disney Entertainment Showcase which was a sold out separately ticketed add-on for the D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event. The forever-fabulous fantastic fangirl Yvette Nicole Brown was the host for an evening filled with news and reveals from across Disney’s wide umbrella of properties.
It wasn’t all sequels from the Walt Disney Animation Studios as Chief Creative Officer Jennifer Lee teased, without giving any details, about an original story in the works for release in 2026! Of course, the meat on the bone for this presentation were the already-announced sequels. Here’s a look at what we learned.
Moana 2
Disney Animation’s “Moana 2” kicked off the showcase with a crowd-pleasing performance by the phenomenal voice of Moana herself, Auli‘i Cravalho, alongside dancers and drummers from Nonosina Polynesia. Fans were among the first ever to hear “We’re Back,” an all-new song written by Grammy®-winning songwriters Abigail Barlow and Emily Bear—one of several new songs to be featured in the film that reunites Moana and Maui for an expansive new voyage.
Following the performance, Dwayne Johnson, the inimitable voice of demigod Maui, hit the stage to greet fans and drum up excitement, revealing for the first time a new trailer and poster, which are now available. Directed by David Derrick Jr., Jason Hand and Dana Ledoux Miller, and produced by Christina Chen and Yvett Merino, the new film opens only in theaters on Nov. 27, 2024.
Zootopia 2
Fans went wild for the studio’s highly anticipated follow-up to “Zootopia,” 2016’s Oscar®-winning feature film. In “Zootopia 2,” which hits theaters in November 2025, detectives Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde find themselves on the twisting trail of a mysterious reptile who arrives in Zootopia and turns the mammal metropolis upside down. To crack the case, Judy and Nick must go undercover to unexpected new parts of town, where their growing partnership is tested like never before.
Ginnifer Goodwin, who returns to voice clever bunny Judy, greeted fans at D23, sharing a special look at the film that features a fugitive snake called Gary. Jason Bateman returns as the voice of wise-cracking fox Nick Wilde, Ke Huy Quan was announced tonight as the voice of Gary, and Fortune Feimster ventures into the world as a beaver named Nibbles. Jared Bush is directing and writing; Yvett Merino produces.
Frozen 3
Disney Animation’s Jennifer Lee, who wrote and directed 2013’s Oscar-winning “Frozen” and its 2019 follow-up, shared a brief tease and concept art for “Frozen 3,” which comes exclusively to movie theaters in 2027. She revealed that there’s so much story to tell it’s going to take two movies which is basically a confirmation of Frozen 4, too!
See it for Yourself
D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event took place in Anaheim from August 9 – 11, 2024.
MORE INFO: Check out all of our coverage for D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event at MouseInfo.com/D23
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