D23 Expo celebrates ongoing epoch of Disney dominion over entertainment universe

After the disappointing cancellation of DC Fandome by Warner-Discovery CEO David Zaslav, fans were left hoping that the other entertainment juggernaut’s event- that being Disney’s D23 Expo- wouldn’t meet the same fate. To celebrate the 100th anniversary of Disney, this year’s “Disney+ Day” led into a weekend full of fun reveals, trailers, and teases ranging from the world of Pandora, to a galaxy far far away, to the happiest place on Earth. 

The weekend kicked off with the release of the live-action Pinocchio,  directed by Robert Zemeckis (known for his work on the Back to the Future trilogy and other classic movies), a sneak-peek of Andor, Cars on the Road, behind-the-scenes documentaries of both Obi Wan Kenobi and Thor: Love and Thunder, and more. 

Disney and Pixar opened D23 Expo by announcing a slew of new titles and showed off some of the most highly anticipated trailers to films that have been in development for years (and were delayed for a variety of reasons). 

On the Disney side of things, the second trailer for Hocus Pocus 2, the announcement of Disenchanted (a sequel to the 2007 film, Enchanted), a poster and some exclusive footage of Peter Pan & Wendy, a live-action prequel to 2019’s The Lion King titled Mufasa: The Lion King, a live-action adaptation of the very first full-length Disney animated feature Snow White (starring Rachel Zegler and Gal Gadot as Snow White and the Queen Grimhilde, respectively), a look at Iwájú (an original series that’s a collaboration between Disney and Kugali), the first trailer of The Little Mermaid (with Halle Bailey as Ariel), and a new look at Disney’s upcoming Strange World were all revealed at their first panel. 

As for Pixar, the announcement of Inside Out 2 shocked fans with Amy Poehler returning as the star; however, it is uncertain if costars Bill Hader and Mindy Kaling will also return for their roles. A first look at Pixar’s Elemental (releasing June 16th, 2023), Win or Lose (Pixar’s first series for Disney+, having Will Forte being the voice of a character named Coach Dan), and Disney Pixar’s newest project ELIO rounded out the first day.

The second day of the D23 extravaganza brought the bigger reveals of the weekend. The Marvel presentation opened with a live performance of “Save the City” from Rogers: The Musical from Hawkeye. Fans who attended the event got a new look at Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, sneak-peek footage at Dominique Thorne’s upcoming show Ironheart (including the confirmation that Anthony Ramos of Hamilton fame will be playing Marvel villain The Hood), an exclusive trailer of Echo, The Marvels, Loki season two, and an extended version of the exclusive comic-con trailer for Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. 

First-time director (and long-time composer of films such as The Batman, the Tom Holland Spider-Man trilogy, and multiple Pixar projects) Michael Giacchino stepped onto the stage to present the trailer of Werewolf By Night- a Halloween special releasing October 7- which was inspired by the Universal Monsters films of yore that’ll introduce the title character (Gael Garcia Bernal, Coco) as well as other supernatural-themed characters into the MCU. A trailer of Secret Invasion was also shown, along with the reassurance that Don Cheadle’s solo series Armor Wars was in fact not canceled (contrary to popular belief due to it not being included in the Phase 5 lineup at SDCC 2022), but would be his last contractual Marvel project. Vincent D’Onofrio’s Kingpin was also announced to be returning for Daredevil: Born Again, reuniting on stage with star of the aforementioned series, Charlie Cox. 

Marvel Studios president Kevin Fiege also showed off the lineup of the Thunderbolts roster, with fans disappointed not to see Daniel Brühl’s Zemo (from both Captain America: Civil War and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier) or Tim Roth’s Abomination (first appearing in 2008’s The Incredible Hulk and more recently sporting a more “zen” appearance in She-Hulk) joining the actual line-up of Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh, Don’t Worry Darling), Red Guardian (David Harbour, Stranger Things), Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen, Killjoys), U.S. Agent (Wyatt Russell, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier), Taskmaster (Olga Kurylenko, Hitman), Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Seinfeld), and most shockingly Sebastian Stan’s Winter Soldier after his multiple redemption arcs in Captain America: Civil War, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, and in both Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame.

Lucasfilm only had one panel at the expo but the studio sure brought their A-game with what they revealed. The first trailer of Willow (based upon the film of the same title directed by Ron Howard), Tales of the Jedi, The Mandalorian season three trailer, as well as a first look at Jon Watts’s upcoming series Skeleton Crew (with Jude Law seeming to be front and center) were all featured. 

Disney's second panel rounded off the day with even more reveals with the first trailer of the highly anticipated series Percy Jackson and the Olympians (starring Walker Scobell, The Adam Project). After the not-so-stellar (to say the least) movie adaptation of the first two Percy Jackson books, the announcement of this series was met with both excitement and caution. On one hand, Rick Riordan’s involvement with the show seemed promising, but after the reputation the movies had, fans are still worried about how it will turn out.

The trailer of The Santa Clauses was also revealed, bringing back David Krumholtz’s character Bernard from the first two The Santa Clause movies, and a full trailer for National Treasure: Edge of History was also shown.The renewal of a season two for The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder, along with a fourth season of High School Musical: The Musical: The Series were confirmed too.

The third and final day of the Expo was a breath of fresh air from all of the reveals from the previous lead-up, with announcements from the Disney parks and the upcoming attractions closing off the weekend. Shockingly, a new documentary coinciding with Disney’s 100th anniversary titled Mickey: The Story of a Mouse, covering (as the film’s title suggests) the history of Mickey Mouse as a character and Disney as a company, was announced to be releasing November 18th, 2022. Disney Parks announced expansions to Disney Cruise Line, Walt Disney World, and Avengers Campus as well as new lands revolving around Frozen, Zootopia, and a Big Hero 6-themed overhaul for the Pacific Wharf area at Disneyland’s California Adventure. 

As the 100th year celebration of a media giant, that all started with a mouse, comes to a close, fans look forward to how Disney will continue to change in the next century of its existence. With the exciting announcements from D23 and the expansive backlog of content, it has solidified itself monetary and creative stranglehold on the entertainment world. 

By Evan Parfitt

Published October 3, 2022

Oshkosh West Index Volume 119 Issue 1