ANAHEIM, California — Disney teased upcoming films and television series, including “Moana 2,” in a dazzling showcase featuring sneak peaks, live performances and surprise actor appearances.
Fans at Disney’s D23 convention welcomed CEO Bob Iger to a standing ovation at the top of the showcase on Friday, where he said he was eager to show a glimpse of their upcoming projects to “both the young and, as we like to say, the young people.” in heart and soul.
“The world needs to be entertained perhaps more now than ever before and we take that responsibility seriously,” he said before sessions teasing new films in the “Avatar,” “Toy Story” and “Incredibles” franchises.
In the first surprise of the evening, Auli’i Cravalho and Dwayne Johnson of “Moana” shocked the crowd of more than 15,000 people at the Honda Center with a performance of a song featuring drummers and dancers in costumes inspired by the beloved animated film .
Disney then released the film’s first full trailer online. The images introduce new characters (Moana has a sister) and familiar ones, such as her pig Pua and the Kakamora, a band of arrow-shooting, coconut-clad pirates.
Both actors reprise their roles as Moana and Maui, respectively, in “Moana 2,” which hits theaters on November 27. Before showing an extensive preview of the film, Johnson said working on the films was special for him. him and noticed that his daughters, who are six and eight years old, were in the crowd.
Johnson also announced that he would continue his long-running work on Disney projects to create a live-action “Monster Jam” film. The studio has not announced any updates for Johnson’s other Disney project, the live-action “Moana,” which is in development.
Pixar Animation Chief Creative Officer Pete Docter has announced that the studio is developing a third installment of “The Incredibles” franchise.
Andrew Stanton, who directed the first two “Toy Story” films, has returned to direct “Toy Story 5.”
Stanton said the battle Woody, Buzz and the rest of the crew have in this film is toys versus technology, noting that kids these days often opt for gadgets over classic toys. The film is scheduled to hit theaters in the summer of 2026.
Jennifer Lee, the chief creative officer of Walt Disney Animation Studios, shared concept art from “Frozen III” that shows Anna, Elsa and Olaf looking toward the horizon as an ominous creature lurks just behind them.
Director James Cameron and actors Zoe Saldana and Sam Worthington reunited on stage to share new information about the third part of ‘Avatar’. They announced the official title ‘Avatar: Fire and Ash’ and shared concept art showing new glimpses of Pandora. Cameron said the film was too early in the production stage to show clips.
“The new movie isn’t what you expect, but it’s certainly what you want,” said Cameron, who will be awarded “Disney Legends” status at a ceremony closing D23 on Sunday.
Docter also announced a Pixar original film, “Hoppers,” starring Bobby Moynihan and Jon Hamm, and shared exclusive looks from the upcoming film “Elio.” The young star of “Elio”, Yonas Kibreab, brought Saldana back to the stage and announced her as the main character, along with America Ferrera and Jameela Jamil in the cast. The film will be released in theaters on June 13, 2025.
Pixar will also have two new series on Disney+, a first for the studio. Following the record-breaking success of ‘Inside Out 2’, the studio is creating ‘Dream Productions’, a show set between ‘Inside Out’ and ‘Inside Out 2’ that will stream on Disney+ in 2025. Lose,” Pixar’s first longform series, will debut on Disney+ on December 6.
Fans were also treated to an exclusive look at “Zootopia 2,” which will hit theaters in November 2025. The movie’s star, Ginnifer Goodwin, also announced that Ke Huy Quan will join the cast of “Zootopia 2” as a snake.
