Snow White trailer
(Video: Courtesy of Disney+)
At the annual D23 Expo, Disney Studios unveiled a slew of new series and films early Saturday, including the announcement of the fifth installment in the Toy Story franchise, the title of the third Avatar sequel and a new series based on Pixar's blockbuster Inside Out.
These are just a few of the new productions showcased on the first day of the conference in Anaheim, California. However, Israeli audiences are likely most excited about Gal Gadot's appearance in the live-action remake of Snow White, for which the first trailer was released at the event.
Gadot, who has been absent from the screen lately, returns in the musical version of the fairytale directed by Marc Webb, playing the Evil Queen. In the nearly textless trailer, she is heard uttering the famous line, "Mirror, mirror on the wall, who is the fairest of them all?" Rachel Zegler stars as Snow White, who is left in the forest and aided by seven CGI dwarfs.
Alongside the Snow White trailer, which is set for release in 2025, a new trailer for Moana 2 was also launched. This sequel to the 2016 animated hit inspired by Samoan heritage features Auli'i Cravalho once again voicing the adventurous young girl embarking on another ocean journey, with Dwayne Johnson joining her again. Directed by David Derrick Jr., Jason Hand and Dania LaDeau Miller, the film will hit theaters at the end of November for Thanksgiving.
The biggest news came from Pixar, Disney's subsidiary, which announced that a fifth Toy Story film is in the works, directed by Andrew Stanton. He revealed that the plot will center on an all-out war between Woody, Buzz Lightyear and their friends against advanced technological devices like iPhones and iPads, evoking a Terminator-like animated scenario featuring toys.
Another Pixar project underway is Frozen 3, starring Kristen Bell, who is already gearing up for a fourth film in the franchise, also in development. A third sequel is also expected for The Incredibles, led by director Brad Bird. Given the massive success of Inside Out 2 this year, a third film is anticipated, but in the meantime, Pixar is preparing a television series called Dream Productions, set to premiere on Disney+ next year.
Among the new films planned by Disney Studios for the coming years is Zootropolis 2, directed by Jared Bush and Byron Howard. The film, featuring Jason Bateman, Ginnifer Goodwin and Ke Huy Quan, will attempt to replicate the success of the original film nearly a decade after its 2016 release.
Another animated film focusing on animals is Hoppers, a bold new initiative from Pixar, centered on a man and a beaver experiencing a mind swap. Jon Hamm will voice the man, while Bobby Moynihan will play the beaver. A mind swap also occurs in Freakier Friday, starring Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan, the highly anticipated sequel to the beloved 2003 teen hit Freaky Friday.
In the science fiction genre, Disney is gearing up for two standout productions: Avatar 3: The Seed Bearer — the new title for the third film in the successful franchise announced by director James Cameron — and Tron: Ares, created by Norwegian director Joachim Rønning, starring Jeff Bridges and Gillian Anderson. It was also revealed that renowned musician Trent Reznor, of Nine Inch Nails fame, is responsible for the soundtrack.
And speaking of sci-fi, one cannot overlook the new content being produced by Lucasfilm in the Star Wars universe. Alongside the new season of the acclaimed Andor, expected to maintain its serious political tone, a first trailer was released for the new series Skeleton Crew, set to premiere in December. It follows a group of adventure-seeking kids who launch themselves from their suburban neighborhood into space and try to survive various dangers on their way to the Jedi, led by Jude Law.
As usual with Lucasfilm, the relationship between children and their adult mentors is central to the scripts they develop, as is the case with The Mandalorian & Grogu, directed by Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni, which will bring The Mandalorian series to the big screen in 2026.
What's happening at Marvel? No updates yet on Shira Haas and the character of Sabra in Captain America: Brave New World, but the superhero franchise will receive several new series, such as Daredevil: Born Again, which will reboot the character of Daredevil, played by Charlie Cox, reminiscent of the time when Marvel series aired on Netflix, before the launch of Disney+. Alongside Cox, Vincent D'Onofrio will return as Kingpin, Jon Bernthal will reprise his well-received role as Punisher, and Israeli actress Ayelet Zurer will return as Vanessa.
Dominique Thorne, who made her debut in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever as Riri Williams, is taking another step toward her own series — Ironheart — created by Ryan Coogler (Black Panther, Creed). The villainous Agatha Harkness, played by Kathryn Hahn, first introduced in the series WandaVision, is also returning in her own series, Agatha: Coven of Chaos. The new trailer introduced fans to Ryo Vidal (Aubrey Plaza), who rises from the dead.