One of the most anticipated panels of every D23 Expo is the Pixar and Walt Disney Animation panel. On Friday, a number of movies and series were announced — both as Disney Plus exclusives and theatrical releases. Here, we’re breaking down every film announced that’s slated for a theatrical release.
Haunted Mansion
Justin Simien (Dear White People, Bad Hair, and former Disneyland cast member) is at the helm as director for the second (and unrelated to its 2003 predecessor) film inspired by the iconic Disney Parks attraction Haunted Mansion. Attendees of the panel got an exclusive look at the star-studded film and learned that scream queen Jamie Lee Curtis will be playing Madame Leota, the psychic head inside a misty crystal ball. She even came out on stage and surprised fans on a doom buggy!
Its release is slated for 2023. Our guess is sometime around spooky season!
MUFASA: THE LION KING
Barry Jenkins (Moonlight, If Beale Street Could Talk) will direct the Lion King prequel coming to theaters in 2024. Jenkins revealed that the film takes place in two timelines. One of the timelines will feature Timon and Pumbaa relaying the story of Mufasa to a young cub.
Snow White
Rachel Zegler and Gal Gadot star as the title princess and the Evil Queen in the live-action remake of Walt Disney’s first feature-length animated film. Attendees of the panel only saw a few seconds of Snow White. It’s slated to release in 2024 and while Disney didn’t specify whether or not it would premiere exclusively on Disney +or in theaters, we believe it will be the latter because The Little Mermaid, its unofficial live-action adjacent, is premiering in theaters.
The Little Mermaid
Fans were thrilled to finally have the first look at Halle Bailey as Ariel in the new live-action retelling of The Little Mermaid. Attendees of the panel got to see and hear the entire “Part of Your World” sequence and Disney released a short trailer to the public. There will be four brand-new songs in the film, which releases in theaters on May 26, 2023.
Pixar’s Elemental
They say opposites attract, and that couldn’t be more real for characters Ember & Wade played by Leah Lewis and Mamoudou Athie. Directed by Pete Sohn and produced by Denise Ream, the film is inspired by Sohn’s childhood in New York City. His parents immigrated from Korea in the early 1970s and built a grocery store in the Bronx. The mixing of cultures brought him to the idea of the elements and how some mix and some don’t. Pixar’s Elemental comes to theaters on June 16, 2023.
Pixar’s Elio
A boy who struggles to fit in makes the first contact with aliens and becomes Earth’s ambassador for the universe in Pixar’s next film, Elio. Directed by Adrian Molina (writer, Coco) and starring America Ferrera as Elio’s Mom Olga, the film is slated for a Spring 2024 release. There’s no theatrical confirmation as of yet, but it has a good shot at it!
Pixar’s Inside Out 2
Joy herself Amy Poehler took to the D23 stage to announce to attendees that Inside Out 2 is on its way! This time, Riley’s a teenager and will be dealing with new and different emotions. We know what that means — new characters! Kelsey Mann (writer, The Good Dinosaur) is taking the helm as director. The film is in early production and will premiere summer 2024. Again, there’s no theatrical confirmation yet.
Strange World
The legendary family of explorers, the Clades, journey into an unknown and uncharted land full of fantastical creatures. Directed by Don Hall (Raya and the Last Dragon, Moana) and featuring a stellar cast (Jake Gyllenhaal, Lucy Lui, Gabrielle Union), the film premieres only in theaters in November 2022.
WISH November 2023
The final film announced at the Pixar and Walt Disney Animation panel was WISH, a musical about how the Wishing Star came to be. Academy Award winner Ariana DeBose is the voice of Asha, who navigates through The Kingdom of Rosas (The Kingdom of Wishes). WISH is a musical with songs written by Julia Michaels. The film will mix 3D/CGI animation and watercolor animation. Chris Buck, one of the directors of the film, says the animation is nothing like anything Disney has done before. Alan Tudyk has also joined the cast of WISH as Valentino the Goat. Ariana DeBose concluded the presentation with a song from the film called “More for Us.”
The film is set to release in November 2023, but there’s no theatrical confirmation yet.
What do you think of the announcements? What film are you most excited about? Tweet us @boardwalktimes!
Boardwalk Times is at D23! Follow us on Twitter for updates and breaking news all weekend long!
Elizabeth Pfeiffer is the senior editor at Boardwalk Times
