Welcome back stinkers! D23 is currently going on right now, and they just had their big panel that featured Disney, Pixar, Star Wars, and Marvel. We got a lot of information! Disney put on a killer presentation! So, how I’m going to do it is having two posts, one with my Pixar + Disney D23 (2024) Panel Recap. Then my Star Wars + Marvel D23 (2024) Panel Recap will follow.
Moana 2 Trailer
Such a great trailer! In the Moana 2 trailer we follow up with Moana who has a little sister now. On the D23 stage, Auli’i Cravalho (Moana) and Dwayne Johnson (Maui) put on a bit of a performance. Circling back to the trailer, we get more of a plot for the movie. Moana’s island is experiencing what looks to be mysterious forces. In one of the moments in the trailer, we see lighting strike a building on the island, possibly injuring some of its people. That leads to Moana searching for the aid of Maui, along with a new group of characters tagging along. We get shots of the villain, and other interesting tidbits.
That’s going to be it for my recap of the recent Moana 2 trailer! I know it’s nothing much, but I have a lot of information to get through, and then trailer breakdowns on top of that. So, stay tuned for my analysis on the Moana 2 trailer, with more trailer breakdowns to come. Moana 2 has a release date of November 27, 2024.
Monster Jam
If I had to critique this killer presentation, I would have to say that it was a bit messy. The presentation was awesome, but it wasn’t exactly structured. It went from Moana to Monster Jam, to Avatar, to Pixar, to Star Wars, to Marvel, to Percy Jackson, to Descendents, to even more Disney. Now speaking about Monster Jam. Monster Jam is going to be an original Disney movie based off of monster trucks. That’s not everything though, we got the news that Dwayne Johnson will be staring in the film.
Avatar: Fire and Ash
Now one of the bigger pieces of news that we got out of the presentation was about Avatar 3. We didn’t only get some concept art, but we also got a new title and logo. The first Avatar followed a land type tribe, then we got the sequel, Avatar: The Way of Water, that followed the water tribe. Well folks it looks like we’re getting a cross between Avatar and Avatar because we are getting a fire tribe. The next Avatar movie will be titled Avatar: Fire and Ash, that will of course follow the fire people. We did get some concept art with what looks to be aircrafts and some of the Na’vi people dancing around a fire. Avatar: Fire and Ash has a release date of December 2025.
Dream Productions
Now moving on to Pixar, we got the announcement of an Inside Out spin off, titled Dream Productions. If you don’t remember, Dream Productions was introduced in the first Inside Out and it’s where Riley’s dreams come from. The series will bridge in between Inside Out and Inside Out 2. We didn’t get much during the presentation, however we know that it will come out in 2025. When we heard about this before, it was said that this will provide an explanation on why dreams are so weird.
Win or Lose Teaser
Another TV show that is coming is, Win or Lose. Win or Lose is going to be Pixar’s first ever long form series. The show seemingly follows a baseball team, dealing with in fact winning or losing. Don’t quote me on that. There isn’t a whole lot to go off of in this trailer. All I can say is that this show looks great! It looks like it will be a cute show, that could possibly meet the Pixar standards that we’ve grown accustomed to. I believe that Win or Lose was one of the first shows to get announced back when Disney+ was launching. Win or Lose comes to streaming December 6, 2024.
Toy Story 5
Transitioning into the movies, we got our first look at Toy Story 5. Toy Story is arguably Pixar’s biggest franchise and will indeed return. During the Disney D23 (2024) presentation we got some concept art of the film, along with a little announcement teaser. The teaser wasn’t much, it was just showing off some of the characters and the new logo. In Toy Story 5, we are going to see the toys go up against technology. The concept art shows the toys looking over, seeing that Bonnie has become an iPad kid. iPad and other devices won’t be the only thing the toys will face. At D23 they announced that the villain will be 50 malfunctioning Buzz Lightyears.
I think the iPad part is a great way to go. However, I’ not too sure about the Buzz Lightyear idea. Yeah, you can argue that it fits into the technology theme of the movie, but the whole duplicate Buzz Lightyear thing has already been explored. It is Pixar, so I’m sure they’ll do great. This can easily be something that they make different from past movies and make it unique. Director of Walle, Andrew Stanton, will be directing the film. Toy Story 5 is set to come out in the summer of 2026.
Hoppers
Following Toy Story 5, we got the announcement of a Pixar original, Hoppers. You can’t make this up. The movie follows a girl that transfers her mind into a robot beaver to infiltrate their animal kingdom. Along with that, we got some cast members of the film. Piper Curder will be playing what seems like the girl, Mabel, joined by Jon Hamm as Mayer Jerry. Then there’s Bobby Moynihan as King George, a beaver. Now, if I heard this as a standalone plot, not attached to Pixar, it would’ve sounded bad. That being said, it’s Pixar. Pixar is able to turn some of these crazy plots and make them something great. I like the Pixar question, what if something had feelings.
Of course there’s, what if toys had feelings? What if monsters had feelings? There’s what if robots had feelings? What if souls had feelings? What if feelings had feelings?!? Now with this movie we have what could be one of the wilder ones. What if Beavers had feelings? Hoppers comes out in theaters, 2026.
Elio
Now I just wanted to mention the movie Elio. Elio is another Pixar original that follows a young boy that is mistaken as the ambassador of earth. For Pixar’s movie next in line, it didn’t really have a presence in the presentation. There was really just a quick reminder that this movie comes out next year. There was however one announcement, being that Zoe Saldana has joined the cast. Zoe Saldana is going to be voicing Elio’s aunt. Elio is set to come out in the summer of 2025. Feel free to check out the first teaser as well because that has been out for a couple of months now.
Incredibles 3
Now what might be my favorite announcement of the entire presentation was Incredibles 3! Incredibles 3 is in development at Pixar, with Brad Bird returning. That was about all we got regarding the film, but it sure got me excited! The love the first two Incredibles movies, I’m sure I’m going to love this one just as much. Now I do wonder if there will be a bit of time jump in this one. If you didn’t remember, Incredibles 1 and 2 took place back-to-back. Incredibles 2 started immediately after the first one. If I remember correctly, the ending of Incredibles 2 doesn’t have something that Incredibles 3 can pick up on immediately after. So, I think that we might see the family aged up a bit, specifically the kids.
Zootopia 2
We then got a few updates on Zootopia 2! Zootopia 2 is set to release during November 26, 2025. On the convention floor, attendees were able to spot new displays for the movie. During the presentation, they showed an exclusive clip, along with announcing a new character. Zootopia 2 finds Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde looking for this snake named Gary. Gary is going to be voiced by none other than Ke Huy Quan.
Frozen 3 and 4
We are only halfway through the Disney D23 (2024) panel! Following The Incredibles 3, we got our first concept art of Frozen 3. Frozen 3 doesn’t come out until 2027, so we have quite the wait. During the presentation, they mentioned that Frozen 2 had some unanswered questions. They go on to say that it won’t only take a third movie to answer them, it would take two more. Keep in mind, I’m only paraphrasing here, so don’t quote me on that. All I know is that they heavily hinted at there being a fourth movie. That makes me think that they’re going to be making these movies back-to-back.
Live Action Lilo and Stitch
Fast forward to the end of the Disney D23 (2024) presentation, we got a reveal of the design of the live action Stitch. Beforehand we did get some other tidbits like Percy Jackson S2 and Freaky Friday 2, now titled Freakier Friday. Now for Lilo & Stitch, there were people thinking that this was going to be an ugly Sonic situation, but now that it’s actually here, I think it looks great! We didn’t really get any other pieces of information. The one other thing is the fact that this is no longer going straight to streaming and is getting a theatrical release. That was definitely a smart decision on their part, the live action Lilo & Stitch comes out in theaters summer 2025.
Live Action Snow White
Another one of the trailers we got during the Disney D23 (2024) presentation, was for the upcoming Snow White. This will not be a trailer that I give a separate breakdown on, because it’s simply too small. There isn’t really a lot to breakdown. I will say that this was a great first teaser. This looks like it can be quite a faithful adaptation while doing its own thing. The trailer gave some of that Disney charm, and it looks like it’s going to be great. Snow White comes to theaters March 21, 2025.
Now for the trailer itself. Snow White of course ends up at the Seven Dwarfs’ house, and they all break out into song, which I’m pretty sure is a new one for the movie. Snow White is played by Rachel Zegler, and I’m curious about the Seven Dwarfs. Of course, they’re CGI dwarfs, I just wonder who’s voicing them. If you didn’t know, the film faced a bunch of backlash because it was revealed that they were getting rid of the dwarfs and replacing them with “magic creatures”. However, the changes have been made, and it looks great. We also get our first look at the Evil Queen, who’s being played by Gal Gadot. It’s too bad that we never get a look at the witch she turns into. I’m very curious for when the next trailer rolls around, and they show Gal Gadot in all of those prosthetics.
Tron: Ares
They then bring out some of the cast of Tron: Ares on to stage. Tron: Ares features the likes of Jeff Bridges, Greta Lee Jones, and Jared Leto. I believe that they showed D23 attendees some first look footage. If so, you’re probably able to search it up because a lot of these trailers have leaked on the internet. Tron: Ares will have the characters leave the Grid and enter the real world. Daft Punk was the group that did the score for Tron: Legacy, but they have broken up so they can’t do the score. So, instead of Draft Punk, they got Nine Inch Nails to do the score. Tron: Ares hits theaters in October 2025.
Mufasa: The Lion King Trailer
We then end the whole Disney D23 (2024) presentation off with a new trailer for Mufasa: The Lion King. This is another trailer that I actually quite enjoyed. We get more of that brother backstory between Mufasa and Scar. We actually find out that Scar’s real name was Taka. Then we see Taka find Mufasa stranded in a lake as cubs, and we then gradually watch them grow up. This is also a story that Simba’s son is being told, along with Pumbaa and Timone. We see the brothers face off against white lions and much more. You can expect my tailer breakdown on Mufasa: The Lion King relatively soon.
During the presentation, director Barry Jenkins walked out on stage, as well as introducing Lil-Manuel Miranda. Of course, Miranda is going to be making the music of the film which you already know is going to be great. You might’ve noticed the song that was playing throughout the trailer, and that will be an original song for the movie. The song is called, I’ve Always Wanted a Brother, and I believe Miranda also presented it on stage. Mufasa: The Lion King releases in theaters December 20, 2024.
Pixar + Disney D23 (2024) Panel Wrap Up
Well that’s going to do it for my recap of the Pixar + Disney D23 (2024) presentation! Ya’ll I think Disney killed it this year, and I had fun recapping it all for you guys. I know I didn’t go over everything like Freakier Friday and some other stage musicals. Don’t get me wrong, I’m kind of excited about The Greatest Showman and Hercules stage plays. The reason why I didn’t go everything is because I’m simply not knowledgeable enough on it all. Like Percy Jackson is a show that I need to catch up on.
Thank you so much for taking time out of you day to read some more movie news! What was your favorite announcement that Pixar or Disney has made? Mine had to be Incredibles 3. Stay tuned for my recap of the Star Wars and Marvel side of things! There is also another presentation going on, that features the upcoming shows from Marvel Animation. I will more than likely do a recap on that as well. Make sure you check out The Big Stinker Blog for some of those trailer breakdowns, along with reviews, and coverage on movies, TV, gaming, and everything you love. So, until next time stinkers! Bye bye.