by Sarah James
Disney’s annual expo, D23, wrapped up yesterday. There were plenty of massive announcements that came out of the event, so here’s some of the things you may have missed.
Movies
Two animated sequels got lots of love this past weekend. Incredibles 2 now has a release date of June 15, 2018, and will take place immediately after the events of Incredibles. Wreck it Ralph 2: Ralph Breaks the Internet, which will premiere November 21 of next year takes the concept of the first film and expands it on a massive scale, and includes a sequence poking fun at the Disney Princesses. The original actresses for the Disney Princesses were cast to reprise their roles for the film- a move that is sure to “break the internet.”
A trailer was also released for the live- action adaptation of the children’s book, A Wrinkle in Time. Directed by Ava DuVernay, the film stars Oprah Winfrey, Mindy Kaling, Chris Pine, Reese Witherspoon, and Zach Galifianakis. The film is set to release next spring.
Speaking of live-action, Disney is not shying away from its live-action adaptations of its animated classics. Tim Burton is directing a live-action Dumbo which is already in production. The live-action adaptation of 1994’s The Lion King will animated in the same vein as 2016’s The Jungle Book, with photo realistic animals. Spectators were shown the opening sequence of the film and were blown away at the animation. The cast of the live-action Aladdin was also announced after rumors swarming the internet that Disney was having difficulty finding a cast. The film, directed by Guy Ritchie, will star Mena Massoud as Aladdin, Naomi Scott as Princess Jasmine, and Will Smith as the Genie.
The two heavy-hitting, Disney-owned franchises, Star Wars and Marvel also had major announcements over the weekend. A behind the scenes trailer from Star Wars: The Last Jedi was released, as well as a series of new posters featuring the cast in red to prepare for the movie’s release in December. Not to be outdone, Marvel surprised everyone by bringing the cast of Avengers: Infinity War on stage. A teaser trailer was shown at the event and is expected to be released to the public this weekend at San Diego Comic Con. In this trailer, fans saw the meeting of the Avengers and the Guardians of the Galaxy, as well of plenty of footage of Thanos beating down on our heroes. The third film to the groundbreaking Avengers story line is set to come out May of 2018, and with SDCC this weekend, the studio is sure to have plenty of updates.
Television
After its success in 2014, Big Hero 6 is getting an animated series for the channel Disney XD. The majority of the cast for the film is coming back to reprise their roles for the series. Disney released the opening title sequence, which showcases the entire team in a two-dimensional animation style as opposed to the three-dimensional animation of the film. The first season will premiere this fall and will have 21 episodes.
Games
After the release of gameplay footage at E3, Kingdom Hearts III, now has a trailer. The twelfth installment of the popular video game franchise will feature areas based off of Hercules, Tangled, Big Hero 6, and Toy Story. The game sees the return of Sora as the protagonist, along with Donald, Goofy, King Mickey, and Riku as they continue their search for the Guardians of Light. After years of waiting, fans can expect the game to be released some time next year for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.
Parks
Last but not least, Disney announced a whole slew of new attractions and resorts for their parks. The upcoming Star Wars area now has a name - Galaxy’s Edge - and a scale model of the area was showcased at the expo. The land is set to open in 2019 in both Disneyland and Walt Disney World. Disney is also building an interactive Star Wars resort near Walt Disney World, where guests will be able to be a part of the Star Wars story. Two new rides are coming to EPCOT in Walt Disney World - a Guardians of the Galaxy themed ride in Future World which will be replacing the Universe of Energy ride and pavilion on August 13, and a Ratatouille dark ride in the France pavilion. The Great Movie Ride in Disney’s Hollywood Studios is officially closing August 13, but Disney announced its replacement; Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway will show guests the process of creating Mickey Mouse cartoons. The popular TRON roller coaster that debuted in Disneyland Shanghai is also coming to Tomorrowland in WDW’s Magic Kingdom. Magic Kingdom is also getting a brand new theater off of Main Street USA, which will house live entertainment.
D23 has been a wild ride for Disney fans, and the juggernaut entertainment company has a lot on its plate for the coming years.
Image: Inside the Magic
