D23: All the Marvel, Star Wars, Disney Trailers, Parks News and More

Disney fans flocked to California on Friday for D23 Expo 2022. It’s the first D23 convention since 2019 — the year its Disney Plusstreaming service launched, and will also mark the company’s 100th anniversary (which is next year, but companies love to prolong these celebrations) –we got some major announcements from Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars and more.

D23 2022 ran Friday, Sept. 9, to Sunday, Sept. 11, at the Anaheim Convention Center, right beside Disneyland.

Beyond the animated classics that Disney was built on, the company owns Marvel, Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Avatar, Pixar and other beloved franchises, so we got expect plenty of updates about upcoming movies, shows, video games and theme park rides set in those universes. It’s like Star Wars Celebration, which happened at the same location in May, with a wider scope.

CNET reported live from the convention show floor, capturing the hype of panel reveals and reunions, so let’s look at all the big news.

Friday, Sept. 9

Disney kicked off the convention with announcements that Disneyland’s Avengers Campus will expand with a new ride (more details will be revealed Sunday) and that season 33 of The Simpsons will stream on Disney Plus starting Oct. 5. Disney also revealed new details about the transformation of Disneyland’s Splash Mountain into Tiana’s Bayou Adventure. The ride, based on The Princess and The Frog, is set to open in late 2024. 

There were three major panels on the first day of D23, with only two likely to yield major news. The opening event was the Disney Legends Awards Ceremony (10:30 a.m. PT), where CEO Bob Chapek honored a bunch of Disney’s major stars. That group included the late Black Panther actor Chadwick Boseman, as well as Kristen Bell and Frozen’s Idina Menzel. This one was livestreamed.

The Disney & Marvel Game Showcase saw a bunch of reveals:

• Nintendo Switch co-op platformer Disney Illusion Island, which lets you play as Mickey, Minnie, Donald and Goofy and is coming in 2023.
• Puzzle mystery game Tron: Identity, out in 2023.
• Gargoyles Remastered, an updated version of the classic ’90s platformer. The release date is unclear.
• An untitled World War II-set game starring Captain America and Black Panther, which didn’t get a release date.
• AR mobile game Marvel World of Heroes from Pokemon Go developer Niantic, coming in 2023.

We also got first looks at mobile MMO shooter Avatar: Reckoning (which is coming soon) and tactical squad-based action game Aliens: Dark Descent (coming to consoles and PC next year). Marvel’s Midnight Suns was delayed to Dec. 2, and prequel shorts will build up the narrative when they start hitting YouTube on Oct. 31.

The Disney and Pixar Studio Showcase was the day’s main event, shining the spotlight on upcoming live-action and animated movies and Disney Plus shows:

Live-action

• The first trailer for the live-action remake of The Little Mermaid, with Halle Bailey playing Ariel, along with a clip showing the new version of show-stopping song Part of Your World. 

• We also got our first glimpse of the Snow White live-action remake, which stars West Side Story’s Rachel Zegler as the titular hero and Gal Gadot as the evil queen and is due out in 2024.
• A new trailer for Hocus Pocus 2, which hits Disney Plus on Sept. 30.

• A glimpse at Mufasa: The Lion King, the prequel coming from Moonlight director Barry Jenkins. It’ll reveal the story of Simba’s father in 2024.
• A trailer for Peter Pan and Wendy, which stars Jude Law as Captain Hook and will stream on Disney Plus in 2023.
• A look at Haunted Mansion, based on the Disney Parks ride. It’ll star Jamie Lee Curtis as the spooky Madame Leota, and it’s set to come out in 2023.

• A trailer for Disenchanted, the sequel to 2007’s Enchanted starring Amy Adams. It’ll hit Disney Plus on Nov. 24.

Pixar

• Amy Poehler made an appearance to announce Inside Out 2, the sequel to the 2015 classic. It’ll follow a teenage Riley, introduce new emotions and is due out summer 2024.

• We got an early look at new movie Elemental, which comes out in the summer of 2023. It follows Ember, who’s made of fire, and Wake, who consists of water, as they grow close in a city where people are defined by their elemental makeup.
• A first look at new movie Elio, which follows a bookish kid as he makes first contact with aliens. He’s brought to their world and becomes Earth’s ambassador to the rest of the universe. It’s scheduled for release in spring 2024.
• Win or Lose, an animated series coming to Disney Plus in fall 2023, follows a co-ed middle school softball team in the week leading up to their championship game. Each episode takes place that week, jumping to the perspective of a main character.

Disney animation

• Disney Plus short series Zootopia Plus, which will consist of six new stories set in the world of 2016 movie Zootopia. These will come out Nov. 9.
• A look at animated series Iwájú, which will explore “a futuristic version of Lagos, Nigeria” when it hits Disney Plus in 2023.

• We got another look at Strange World, an animated movie that stars Jake Gyllenhaal and comes to theaters Nov. 23.
• The announcement of animated musical movie Wish, which explores the concept of wishing upon a star and is set to come out in the fall of 2023. It’ll star West Side Story’s Ariana DeBose and Rogue One’s Alan Tudyk.

Saturday, Sept. 10

Day two started with another big one: Marvel Studios, Lucasfilm and 20th Century Studios Showcase. It ran for an epic three hours — an hour longer than scheduled.

Marvel Studios

• Black Panther: Wakanda Forever director Ryan Coogler showed an exclusive scene, revealing that the international community is after the county’s supply of vibranium in the wake of King T’Challa’s death. The Dora Milaje — Wakanda’s all-female special forces unit — aren’t gonna let it go easily though. The movie hits theaters Nov. 11.

The Black Panther: Wakanda Forever scene is super cool – the international community is after the county’s supply of vibranium in the wake of T’Challa’s death.

— Sean Keane@D23 (@SpectacularSean) September 10, 2022

• Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania kicks off Phase 5 of the MCU on Feb. 17, 2023, and an exclusive look at the movie showed Scott Lang and Hope Van Dyne working with her parents Hank Pym and Janet Van Dyne, along Scott’s daughter Cassie Lang to explore the Quantum Realm. We saw new MCU big bad Kang holding Cassie hostage and trying to force Scott to steal something for him. Also, Bill Murray’s character appeared briefly.
• WandaVision director Matt Shakman was officially revealed to be helming Fantastic Four, which opens in theaters on Nov. 8, 2024.
• Captain America: New World Order will see Tim Blake Nelson — last seen in 2008’s Incredible Hulk — will return as the Leader and presumably face off again Sam Wilson. Joaquin Torres and Isaiah Bradley from The Falcon and the Winter Soldier will be back as well, and Israeli superhero/Mossad agent Sabra will make her MCU debut (played by Shira Haas). This movie comes out May 3, 2024.
• Thunderbolts’ lineup was revealed to be Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, Ghost, Red Guardian, Black Widow, Winter Soldier, US Agent and Taskmaster. This dark superhero movie will be directed by director Jake Schreier and hit theaters July 26, 2024.

The Marvels trailer gave me chills, especially when the trio fights together! Confirms that Kamala and Carol switched places in the Ms. Marvel finale.

— Sean Keane@D23 (@SpectacularSean) September 10, 2022

• Ironheart will see “tech and magic do battle” and see Anthony Ramos debuting as Parker Robbins/The Hood when the series hits Disney Plus next year.
• Secret Invasion got its first trailer, revealing a faction of shapeshifting Skrulls who have been infiltrating Earth for years. Nick Fury and Jim Rhodes have to do something about it when the series hits Disney Plus in 2023.
• Armor Wars will pick up where Secret Invasion left off with Rhodey getting a bunch of new War Machine-style suits of armor. The six-part Disney Plus series starts shooting next year.
• Loki season 2 hits Disney Plus in summer 2023, and Ke Huy Quan — Short Round from Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom — joins the cast. An exclusive trailer hinted that the show will visit a bunch of different time periods in the wake of the season 1 finale.

Ke Huy Quan – Short Round from Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom – joins the cast for Loki season 2.

— Sean Keane@D23 (@SpectacularSean) September 10, 2022

Lucasfilm

• On the Star Wars front, fans were probably most thrilled by the reveal of a new trailer for The Mandalorian season 3. Grogu, aka Baby Yoda, adorables all over the trailer, but things look tough for his dad, as Mando is grimly informed that because he took off his helmet, “you are a Mandalorian no more.” Sure, whatever, but we bet they’re not changing the name of the show when it comes back to Disney Plus next year.

• Andor got its final trailer ahead of its three-episode Sept. 21 Disney Plus premiere series. Diego Luna plays Cassian Andor as he’s recruited into the rebellion against the Empire, in a show that takes place five years before the events of Rogue One.

• Ahsoka, the upcoming live-action series starring Rosario Dawson as former Jedi Ahsoka Tano, had some imagery revealed. It hinted at the show’s links to CGI animated series Rebels. It’ll come to Disney Plus in 2023.
• Fans also got a glimpse, though not a trailer, showing the always-dapper Jude Law, who’s starring in Skeleton Crew, a story about a group of younglings lost in space.

• Indiana Jones 5 star Harrison Ford gave an emotional speech about the new movie, and gave D23 attendees an exclusive look at the first trailer. It hits theaters June 30, 2023.

20th Century Studios

• Director James Cameron called in to the event from New Zealand to discuss Avatar: The Way of Water, and the crowd was given 3D glasses to watch some breathtaking footage.

The Avatar: The Way of Water scenes shown to the D23 crowd suggest it’ll be the most visually stunning cinematic experience of all time. I just hope I care about the story!

— Sean Keane@D23 (@SpectacularSean) September 10, 2022

Finally, 20th Century Studios has one major movie coming this year: Avatar: The Way Of Water, James Cameron’s long-awaited sequel. D23 attendees will probably see a new trailer or clips from the movie ahead of its Dec. 16 release.

Sunday, Sept. 11

The highlight of the show’s final day was the theme park-centric A Boundless Future: Disney Parks, Experiences and Products presentation. It revealed plans for US parks like California’s Disneyland and Florida’s Disney World, along with international locations Disneyland Paris, Shanghai Disney Resort, Hong Kong Disneyland Resort and Tokyo Disney Resort: