Disney's D23 Expo is going on right now in Anaheim, California. If you've never heard of it, think of it as sort of a Disney love-fest presented in Comic-Con style trappings.
Everything Disney is there, from movies to TV to music, video games, Marvel, Star Wars, Pixar and everything in between.
The event's first big main stage panel was devoted to all things Disney animation, including the Mouse House's own upcoming slate and Pixar's as well. While much of the panel was devoted to providing new details on previously announced films, like this fall's The Good Dinosaur from Pixar, some new projects were announced for the first time as well.
Here are the highlights.
Gigantic is Disney's next big musical-with-an-adjective-title (a la Tangled and Frozen). It's a new take on Jack and the Beanstalk that sounds like just the kind of spectacle-with-heart you'd expect from Disney. Set during the Age of Exploration in Spain, Gigantic has adventurous Jack discovering a vibrant, magical world of giants up inside the clouds. There, he meets Inma, a 60-foot-tall girl who's just 11 years old. When she explains that she's lost and doesn't know how to get home, Jack agrees to help her.
Here's the headline-grabber: the songs in Gigantic are being written by Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez — the duo behind the songs from Frozen. The couple even previewed one of their new songs from the movie on stage. Gigantic is coming in 2018.
The Celebration of a Lifetime is coming. #Coco pic.twitter.com/U3MPHozIUQ
— Lee Unkrich (@leeunkrich) August 15, 2015
Pixar's Coco is the previously-announced film from Lee Unkrich that takes inspiration from Mexico's "Dia de los Muertos" holiday. According to Pixar, Coco's story is about "the discovery of a generations-old mystery" that "leads to a most extraordinary and surprising family reunion." Unkrich told the audience that the movie was inspired by his ponderings about his own ancestors and what it would be like if he could meet them. Coco will be in theaters in Fall of 2017.
A photo posted by endofline82 (@endofline82) on Aug 14, 2015 at 5:20pm PDT
Perhaps the biggest news was the first story detail shared about Toy Story 4. With Toy Story 3 serving as such a perfect capper to the story that began with the original film, some fans worried that a fourth film might sully the series. Disney's chief creative officer John Lassiter revealed to the D23 crowd that Toy Story 4 is a love story for Woody.
Who might the object of his affections be? Bo Peep, of course. But wait. Bo Peep was mentioned in passing in Toy Story 3 as having been lost along the way as Andy grew up. So, it sounds like she'll be found in TS4, reunited with her cowboy love, music will swell and hearts will grow three sizes that day. Buzz, Woody and the gang will be back Summer 2017.
Zootopia is Disney Animation's next film to hit theaters, coming in March 2016. Ginnifer Goodwin voices Judy Hopps, a bunny cop in this metropolis built "by animals, for animals." Officer Hopps has to team up with smooth-customer fox Nick Wilde, voiced by Jason Bateman, to locate a missing otter. Disney also announced that Shakira stars in Zootopia as the world's biggest pop star, a gazelle named ... Gazelle.
I am thrilled to announce that I will be playing Gazelle in @DisneyAnimation's #Zootopia (1/2) pic.twitter.com/qRpZFEjeik — Shakira (@shakira) August 14, 2015
Audiences got their first real look at Moana, which Disney explained is inspired by stories of a legendary demigod named Maui. Moana is "a spirited teenager who sets out to prove herself a master wayfinder." Might Moana be Disney's next princess? Sounds like Disney's not ready to address that just yet. As for demigod Maui, an actor was hired who was "mighty, strong, and handsome": Dwayne Johnson.
A photo posted by Danielle Giserman (@daniellegiserman) on Aug 14, 2015 at 7:19pm PDT
The festivities were rounded off with a first look at Finding Dory. The sequel's story has Dory suddenly having dreams about her family, briefly remembering small details about her life before she met Nemo and Marlin. Her friends soon realize that Dory's animal instincts are trying to get her to go home, so Dory sets off on a quest across the ocean to return to her parents, voiced by Diane Keaton and Eugene Levy (I'm laughing already), with the help of a new friend recommended by Marlin.
Joining Ellen DeGeneres in the film (and on stage at D23) are Ed O'Neill as an octopus named Hank who's missing an arm, Ty Burrell as a misguided beluga whale named Bailey and Kaitlin Olson as a kind whale shark named Destiny. Finding Dory is coming next Summer.
A photo posted by Mary-Elizabeth (@marywizda) on Aug 14, 2015 at 7:57pm PDT
On the Expo floor, there's a wall showing posters and logos for all of Pixar's upcoming films, including two that weren't discussed in the panel: Cars 3 and the very long-awaited The Incredibles 2. Neither has a release date yet.
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