It’s that time of year again, when the House of Mouse pulls back the curtain and shows the world what it’s got cookin’.
The D23 convention, referred to as The Ultimate Disney Fan Experience, took place in Anaheim, California, over the last few days, giving those in attendance and watching from around the globe a cheeky look at the various TV and movie projects in the pipeline. Of course, Disney has more money than god and owns about every popular IP you can think of, so we’re going to break it down into a few categories to keep things civil.
Without any more fluffing around, let’s take a look at all the biggest announcements and reveals from D23 2026:
Star Wars
We’ll kick things off with everything from the galaxy far, far away, because it’s my article and I’m deeply in love with Star Wars.
The Ryan Gosling-led Star Wars: Starfighter film made an appearance at D23 this year, showing a super brief teaser intended only for those in the hall. The blink-and-you’ll-miss-it clip shows a kid uncovering an old starfighter, only for Gosling’s character, who we now know to be named Kade Auberon, to throw the cover back over and lament that its days are done. A few shots of classic Star Wars space action later, and the title screen hit. Not heaps of new info here, outside of the main character’s name, but this one remains intriguing.
Something a little meatier is next. Our first proper look at Ahsoka Season Two came in the form of a stacked teaser trailer that promises plenty of action, more familiar faces than you can poke a stick at, and flashbacks that involve Hayden Christianson once again reprising his role as Anakin Skywalker. Thrawn continues his conquest that began in the first season, while Baylan Skoll and Shin Hati appear to be closing in on whatever mysterious goal they are working towards. Even better, this teaser confirms the season will debut on Disney+ on January 20.
Marvel
Our next mega franchise off the ranks is Marvel. The biggest ticket item in pop culture right now is undoubtedly Avengers: Doomsday, and we got a fresh teaser trailer at D23. Narrated by Sue Storm, played again by Vanessa Kirby, this trailer focuses more tightly on the Latverian villain himself. Hinting at a catastrophic loss that set him on his violent path, this trailer shows Doom smacking around Thor before commanding a half-dozen Mutant-hunting Sentinels. There are still so many unanswered questions about Doomsday, which is a good thing, but this trailer hinted at answers to some. Doomsday is scheduled to hit theatres on December 17.
While Doomsday is the talk of the present, Marvel is also keen to get everyone hyped about the future. And that future lies with the Mutants. The first standalone X-Men movie in the MCU is scheduled for release on May 5, 2028, and hot damn did Disney get busy announcing cast members here.
Joining Sadie Sink on the stage as the already-established Jean Grey, we were introduced to Kit Connor as Cyclops, Christopher Abbott as Professor Xavier, Maya Boyd as Storm, Samara Weaving as Emma Frost, and Inde Navarette as Rogue. The reveals weren’t quite done, however, as the big screen lit up to reveal Adam Driver, who delivered a short message that confirmed his role as Dr Nathaniel Essex, otherwise known as Mr Sinister.
The last big headline to come out of the Marvel camp involved a TV series I had largely forgotten about. We got a trailer and release date for VisionQuest, the direct follow-up to WandaVision, the series that had every watcher speculating for weeks. The newest trailer shows Vision, played by Paul Bettany, in conversation with his creator, Ultron, played by David Spader. While we do see a bit of Ultron’s true form, much of the trailer depicts both mechanised men as, well… men. This one is hitting Disney+ on October 14.
Disney
We move on to the convention’s namesake: Disney. It was nice to see that good ol’ Disney movies got a significant spotlight during the show, even amongst the Marvel and Star Wars of it all. It may not be my cup of tea, but the biggest reveal goes to Frozen 3. Idina Menzel, who plays Elsa, and Kristen Bell, who plays Anna, kicked off the song and dance…with a song. The teaser trailer is brief, but it seems to reveal the movie’s new villain: a woman in a beautiful gown with familiar ice powers.
Chief Creative Officer of Walt Disney Animation Studios, Jared Bush, took to the stage to reveal that Zootopia 3 is on the way. Little more was announced, but we do know that it’ll centre around the avian denizens of the titular city.
Another magical flick shown off was Hexed, starring Hailee Steinfeld as protagonist Billie. After discovering that she has magical abilities, schoolgirl Billie is transported to a world of witches and wizards, known as Hexe. The short teaser showcases the whimsical world, while Walton Goggins takes the stage, confirming his role as Billie’s three-eyed cat companion. This one is hitting theatres on November 25.
Kathryn Hahn also has some stage time during the event. The actor, who is set to play Mother Gothel in the live-action Tangled movie, revealed the film’s March 31, 2028 release date. Another brief but important update came from Lilo & Stitch 2, with a lightning-fast logo reveal letting fans know that the character Angel would appear in the 2028 sequel.
Coco 2 is real; it’s in the works, and it’ll be released in 2029. Little more was said about the highly anticipated sequel, but that’s not where the Coco-related news ends. During the Kingdom Hearts showcase, it was revealed that Coco would get its own world in the upcoming Kingdom Hearts IV, with a trailer giving us our first look.
There again, that’s not where the Kingdom Hearts news ends, as we also got the announcement of an anime series that will be coming to Disney+…sometime in the future.
Alright, let’s speedrun through the rest of the newsworthy announcements before we wrap things up:
- Ice Age: Boiling Point got a new trailer shown to the live crowd. The film is coming in February 2027.
- John Favreau revealed an animated series about Oswald the Rabbit.
- A new Disney animated film, titled Clay, was announced. Coming in November 2028.
- Percy Jackson & the Olympians Season Three got a teaser trailer.
- Pixar original, Gatto, got a new trailer. Coming March 5, 2027.
I know I said I was going to speed-run the rest of the announcements, but fellow Reloader, Ash Wayling, would have my badge if I didn’t spotlight the new trailer for The Bluey Movie, coming to theatres on August 6, 2027.
(In fact, Ash has done an article addressing the sudden ‘robustness’ of our favourite Heeler pups.)
We want to hear from you. What was your highlight from this year’s D23 event? Share your thoughts with us in the comments.
