Sean Bailey, president of Walt Disney Studios Motion Picture Production, took the stage at D23 Expo 2022 to announce the upcoming live action films on the schedule.
Prior to his reveals, “Pinocchio” star Cynthia Erivo kicked off the presentations with a breathtaking performance of “When you Wish Upon a Star” from the film, now available on Disney+.
It definitely put the audience in the mood to hear about the upcoming schedule of films from Walt Disney Studios, and here they are:
Hocus Pocus 2
Bailey first introduced the stars of “Hocus Pocus 2“: Disney Legend Bette Midler, Kathy Najimy, and Sarah Jessica Parker.
The actresses appeared via video, and brought in a little magic themselves by debuting a new trailer from the film, which debuts on Disney+ September 30, 2022.
Take a look at the witchy trio running amuck all over again:
We’ve even been graced with a new poster and photos:
Disenchanted
In this sequel to “Enchanted,” it has been 15 years since Giselle (Amy Adams) and Robert (Patrick Dempsey) wed, but Giselle has grown disillusioned with life in the city.
So, they move their growing family to the sleepy suburban community of Monroeville in search of a more fairy tale life. Unfortunately, it isn’t the quick fix she had hoped for.
Suburbia has a whole new set of rules and a local queen bee, Malvina Monroe (Maya Rudolph), who makes Giselle feel more out of place than ever.
Frustrated that her happily ever after hasn’t been so easy to find, she turns to the magic of Andalasia for help, accidentally transforming the entire town into a real-life fairy tale and placing her family’s future happiness in jeopardy.
Now, Giselle is in a race against time to reverse the spell and determine what happily ever after truly means to her and her family.
The stars of “Disenchanted,” including Adams, Rudolph, newly inducted Disney Legends Dempsey and Idina Menzel, James Marsden, and Gabriella Baldacchino took the stage to share their excitement for the upcoming feature film.
Adams and Rudolph joined their co-stars onstage donning Disney outfits, complete with churros and bubble wands in hand.
After the cast shared their excitement for the next installment of the beloved franchise, the audience was treated to an all-new trailer.
“Disenchanted” debuts Friday, November 24, 2022, exclusively on Disney+.
Here’s the trailer:
And a new poster:
Peter Pan & Wendy
“Peter Pan & Wendy” spotlights iconic characters in a whole new way. Joining Bailey on stage were cast members Alexander Molony (Peter Pan), Ever Anderson (Wendy), Alyssa Wapanâtahk (Tiger Lily), and Jude Law (Captain Hook).
The new film dives deeper into Wendy’s story as she joins the boy who refuses to grow up on a magical journey to Neverland and reveals the history behind Peter Pan’s rivalry with one of Disney’s most memorable villains.
The cast discussed what fans can expect from the new film and revealed an exclusive first look at the film for the D23 audience.
Directed by David Lowery and produced by Jim Whitaker, the live-action reimagining of the 1953 animated classic begins streaming on Disney+ in 2023.
Haunted Mansion
“Haunted Mansion” director Justin Simien, who used to work at Disneyland, joined Bailey to discuss the newest version of the ghostly adventure.
Inspired by the classic theme park attraction, “Haunted Mansion” is about a woman and her son who enlist a motley crew of so-called spiritual experts to help rid their home of supernatural squatters.
A single mom named Gabbie (Rosario Dawson), purchases a suspiciously affordable mansion for her and her son in New Orleans. Of course, even in a housing market like today, an incredibly affordable mansion means it’s either the fixer upper of the century, or… it’s haunted.
It doesn’t take long for Gabbie to realize that her time in the Big Easy is not going to be easy at all.
She enlists the help of a priest (Owen Wilson), a psychic (Tiffany Haddish), a historian (Danny DeVito), and a paranormal expert (Lakeith Stanfield) to deal with the house.
They shared a sneak peek of the film exclusively with the D23 Expo crowd, then welcomed the queen of scary movies, Jamie Lee Curtis, who made an unforgettable entrance aboard a Haunted Mansion doom buggy.
Curtis plays Madame Leota and Jared Leto is confirmed as the Hatbox Ghost. Simien also confirmed cameos from Winona Ryder, Dan Levy, Hasan Minhaj and more.
Interestingy, while “Haunted Mansion” had previously been set to open in theaters on March 10, 2023, the teaser footage shown at D23 Expo 2022 simply teased a 2023 debut.
MUFASA: The Lion King
“MUFASA: The Lion King,” is a prequel to “The Lion King,” and while it won’t release until 2024, director Barry Jenkins was on hand to show a never-before-seen sneak peek and share a little about the film, which is currently in production.
Told in flashbacks, Rafiki, Timon, and Pumbaa tell a story to a young cub of Mufasa, the rise of one of the greatest kings of the Pride Lands.
In the brief footage shown, Rafiki says, “In this place a lion was born without a drop of nobility in his blood. The lion who would change our lives forever.”
In the words of the “The Lion King” hyenas: “Ooooo…Mufasa!”
Snow White
The upcoming “Snow White” is based on Walt Disney’s 1937 classic “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs,” which was itself based on the 19th century fairy tale from the Brothers Grimm.
This live-action Walt Disney Studios reimagining of the classic tale is also a musical, which stars Rachel Zegler in the title role, and Gal Gadot as Snow White’s Stepmother, The Queen.
The film’s two stars joined Bailey to talk about their roles and to share a very early glimpse at the iconic characters in the 2024 film.
The audience was treated to a 30-second teaser (not available online yet) which opened with the Evil Queen’s iconic question to her magic mirror. Snow White dons her signature costume in the footage, which ends with her dropping the poisoned apple.
Along with Zegler and Gadot, the film also stars Andrew Burnap (Tony Award winner for 2019’s “The Inheritance”) as Snow White’s love interest, while actor Martin Klebba (“Pirates of the Caribbean”) plays Grumpy, one of the seven dwarfs.
“Snow White” is directed by Marc Webb, produced by Marc Platt, and features new songs by Tony®-, Grammy®- and Oscar®-winning songwriters Pasek and Paul.
Which of these Walt Disney Studios projects are you excited to see? Let us know in the comments.
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