Disney Didn’t Come to Play! – D23 Movie Announcements and Updates
D23 2024 was this past weekend, and Disney came in swinging. There were a lot of updates and announcements made, most notably on Friday evening, as several upcoming movies were either announced or an update was given in the form of a new trailer. I’ve had a chance to catch up on all the announcements and updates, and I’m here to give my thoughts on the majority that caught my eye.
Mufasa: The Lion King
An official trailer for Mufasa: The Lion King was released, giving a bigger glimpse into the movie’s actual storyline. This trailer succeeded in doing one thing for me: It provided me with the reason why I’m not excited one bit about this movie. A follow-up post is currently being written that expands on my thoughts on the current state of Mufasa: The Lion King.
Snow White
I’m so tired of live-action remakes. And yes, I understand it’s not fully live-action. It’s mostly CGI, but you get what I mean. Snow White, I don’t care to see this as I couldn’t care less for the animated movie it’s being adapted from. If a review does show up on this site for the movie, it likely won’t be as soon as it’s been released. The only thing I’m really curious about with this movie is how it will perform at the box office, as there’s already been some controversy. The dwarves are CGI and not being played by actual actors, the movie is described as “woke” due to its story direction, and people don’t care for the two lead actresses, Rachel Zegler and Gal Gadot, due to recent comments. So we’ll see how it turns out next year.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps
I’m definitely ready for this one. I love the Fantastic Four. I watched the show from the 90s, read the original comics as a kid, and I honestly liked the first Fantastic Four film released in 2005. But that was handled by Fox, and I wasn’t a fan of how Fox handled their Marvel assets. Being rebooted in 2015 and having the latest movie be among some of the worst superhero movies released, this one has a lot riding on its shoulders. However, the MCU has an outstanding track record, and I’m incredibly excited to see how Marvel’s First Family enters the fray. Nothing can change my mind either. The MCU has done great with the X-Men so far, and I much prefer the MCU Spidey movies to the Raimi films and The Amazing Spider-Man films, so I’m almost sure this will be another hit.
Captain America: Brave New World
Another highly anticipated movie for myself. This is Anthony Mackie’s first big screen outing, and it’s a big one. The official introduction to adamantium, Giancarlo Esposito’s villain, and Red Hulk showing up have garnered a lot of interest in the movie. It’ll be the first Captain America movie without Chris Evans as Cap and without Sebastian Stan showing up as Bucky. This is definitely going to be an opening night movie, and I’ll be sure to have my review out as soon as possible once I’ve watched it.
Frozen III & IV
I wasn’t the biggest fan of Frozen when it was first released. Likely because it became Disney’s most successful animated film and kicked The Lion King out of its top spot. But I gave the movie a chance, and I did like it. I enjoyed Frozen II a bit more, but it’s been years since I’ve seen either film, so I’ll have to check them out again and write my review after a fresh viewing. From what I remember of the ending of Frozen II, I don’t see where they can go with Frozen III and even Frozen IV, but all this confirms is that Disney has found its latest cash cow in Frozen.
Zootopia 2
You all should know how excited I am for Zootopia 2. The first movie was stellar, in my eyes, a near-perfect movie. I can’t wait to revisit the world of Zootopia and catch up with Judy and Nick. Newcomers Ke Huy Quan and Ginnifer Goodwin will join the cast, and it sounds like they might be stirring up some trouble. If they can keep the same tone as the first film but not make it so predictable this time, they’ve got a sure hit on their hands with Zootopia 2. Another opening night movie added to the list.
The Incredibles 3
It took 14 years to get a sequel to the first film, and six years later, The Incredibles 3 is confirmed to be in development. No further details were given, but the logo was shown off and looks pretty nice. I’d like to see that the characters have grown some. Maybe Bob and Helen have gotten old enough for retirement, and Dash, Violet, and Jack-Jack must step up and save the day. I just don’t want to see this movie start right after The Incredibles 2.
Toy Story 5
Why is this being made? If Frozen is Disney’s cash cow then Toy Story is Disney’s cash bull because they refuse to let this series die. Toy Story 3 ended perfectly, and Toy Story 4, while unnecessary, just like Toy Story 5, wrapped up everyone’s story quite nicely again. The villains have been announced as the toys go up against electronics and a 50-toy army of malfunctioning Buzz Lightyear toys. I trust the writers and I’m sure this will be another phenomenal entry, but I hope this is it for Toy Story.
Moana 2
You all don’t know this, but I loved the first Moana. It was a great film, and Auli’I Cravalho did a magnificent job in her introductory role as Moana. The singing was everything, and the twist regarding Te Fiti was something I didn’t see coming at all. I’ve said this before at other films above, but I truly can’t wait to see the sequel in November. A review is certain, and this is another opening night movie.
Plenty of other films were announced or given updates, along with a slew of shows, but these are just the ones that caught my eye and will likely have a presence on the site – Snow White is doubtful. Disney has been going strong for years, and D23 2024 proves they have no plans to stop anytime soon. With properties under their belt, such as Marvel, Star Wars, Avatar, and the entire preceding history of the Disney library, there’s sure to be a lot more on the way. Let me know in the comments which movies you’re excited about and why. I’d love to hear it!