Posted by Disney’s D23 Expo kicked off on Friday with a panel featuring all the new movies coming soon from Disney Animation, Pixar, and Disney’s live action movies. Let’s take a look at everything Disney revealed about their upcoming live action films- from adaptations of animated classics to sequels to movies inspired by much-loved Disney Parks attractions!
To start the panel, fans were treated to a special retrospective on the history of the Walt Disney Company and a performance of the iconic “When You Wish Upon A Star” from Cynthia Erivo who stars in the recent live-action remake of Pinocchio.
Cynthia Erivo
The first reveal of the panel was the new “100 Years of Wonder” logo and castle sequence that will feature in front of their new films starting this fall to celebrate, well, 100 years of the Disney company! The new logo intro also features a new arrangement of “When You Wish Upon a Star” by composer Cristophe Beck (Frozen, WandaVision).
Hocus Pocus 2
The first featured movie was the much-anticipated sequel to 1993’s Hocus Pocus. Fans attending D23 Expo and at home were treated to the first trailer for Hocus Pocus 2! The film’s stars Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy were not able to attend the Expo in-person, but they appeared via video to introduce the new trailer.
Hocus Pocus 2 is set 29 years after the original movie and features new characters played by Whitney Peak, Belissa Escobedo, and Lilia Buckingham. These three highschoolers have to team up to stop the Sanderson Sisters from wreaking havoc in their town! Joining the cast are Sam Richardson, Tony Hale, and Hannah Waddingham.
The movie will release on Disney+ on September 30th, just in time for the Halloween season! Hocus Pocus 2 is directed by Anne Fletcher and produced by Lynn Harris.
Disenchanted
Next was the sequel to 2007’s Enchanted- Disenchanted! Fans have long been waiting for a follow up to this delightful movie musical and they’ll finally get to watch it November 24, 2022. But first, Disney released the first trailer for Disenchanted with the help of many of the movie’s stars! Amy Adams, Patrick Dempsey, Maya Rudolph, Gabriella Baldacchino, James Marsden, Idina Menzel, Yvette Nichole Brown, and Jayma Mays were all on stage for this presentation.
The movie will follow Giselle (Amy Adams) and her husband Robert Philip (Patrick Dempsey) as they move from NYC to a small town and a “fixer-upper” home, about 15 years after the original movie. Frustrated by the lack of a clear “happily ever after”, Giselle finds herself wishing for a “fairytale life”. But things seem to spiral out of control quite quickly, even hurting her step-daughter Morgan Philip (Gabriella Baldacchino) who she’d previously had a good relationship with.
Disenchanted will also feature new songs from Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz! It is directed by Adam Shankman and produced by the team of Barry Josepheson, Barry Sonnefeld, and Adam Shankman.
Patrick Dempsey, James Marsden, Idina Menzel, Gabriella Baldacchino, Yvette Nicole Brown, Jayma Mays, Maya Rudolph, Amy Adams
Peter Pan & Wendy
Disney Studios briefly shared a few details and a new poster for the upcoming Peter Pan & Wendy. This new movie will feature Alexander Molony as Peter Pan, Ever Anderson as Wendy Darling, Alyssa Wapanâtahk as Tiger Lily, and Jude Law as Captain Hook.
Peter Pan & Wendy will feature more of Wendy’s story as she travels to Neverland. The movie will also explore just how Peter and Captain Hook came to be such big rivals. Only the D23 Expo audience got to see footage from the upcoming movie, but Disney shared a new poster for the project.
The movie will release in 2023 exclusively on Disney+ and is directed by David Lowery and produced by Jim Whitaker.
Haunted Mansion
Though the ride has already had one movie (and a Muppets special) based on it, 2023 will see the release of Haunted Mansion in theaters. A fan-favorite dark ride at nearly all of the Disney Parks across the globe, this new movie adaptation is directed by Justin Simien- a former Disneyland Cast Member himself!
Haunted Mansion will follow a woman and her son who are attempting to rid their home of “supernatural squatters”- apparently the 999 happy haunts of Haunted Mansion fame! Jamie Lee Curtis took to the D23 Expo stage, revealing her role as the iconic Madame Leota- the psychic medium of the Mansion that resides as a head inside a crystal ball.
Jamie Lee Curtis
Mufasa
In a slightly more… unexpected announcement, Disney Studios announced a prequel to The Lion King featuring and titled Mufasa. This prequel, currently in production, will be told in flashbacks via the stories of Rafiki, Timon, and Pumbaa as told to a “young lion cub”. Most likely, Simba’s child.
Barry Jenkins, Sean Bailey (President, Walt Disney Studios Motion Picture Productions)
Mufasa is directed by Barry Jenkins and will release in theaters in 2024.
Snow White
2024 will also see the release of the live-action adaptation of Disney’s original princess:Â Snow White. Starring Rachel Zegler as the princess herself and Gal Gadot as The Evil Queen, the two were also in attendance at D23 Expo to talk with the audience about the upcoming movie.
Gal Gadot, Rachel Zegler
Snow White is directed by The Amazing Spider-Man director Mark Webb and produced by Marc Platt. The movie will also feature brand-new songs by the multi-award-winning songwriters Pasek and Paul.
The Little Mermaid
Disney Studio’s D23 Expo presentation wrapped up with the first look at the upcoming live-action remake of The Little Mermaid. While the audience at D23 Expo were treated to the full clip of “Part of Your World”, Disney shared the first teaser trailer for the movie to audiences at home. Starring Halle Bailey as Ariel, the movie looks delightful.
The Little Mermaid will feature fan-favorite songs, alongside FOUR new songs written by Alan Menken and Lin-Manuel Miranda. The movie is directed by Rob Marshall. Joining Halle Bailey in the cast are Melissa McCarthy (Ursula) and Javier Bardem (King Triton).
The Little Mermaid swims into theaters Summer 2023!
Personally, while some of the live-action adaptations just don’t do it for me, this one does look stunning. I can’t wait to see what they’ve done- and hear the new music! Though I might be at least a little disappointed if the Broadway song “Her Voice” from the stage adaptation doesn’t make it in…!
Stay with Temple of Geek all weekend as we bring you more news and coverage of the D23 Expo!
About Author
