We were sitting inside the Honda Center last night for the Disney Entertainment Showcase, and it felt less like a press event and more like riding a roller coaster with no seatbelt. One second you’re watching Bart Simpson needle Dana Walden, the next you’re staring down a teaser for the next Avengers movie, and twenty minutes later Kristen Bell and Idina Menzel are singing you into a Frozen 3 reveal. D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event presented by Visa opened its 2026 run in Anaheim with Disney CEO Josh D’Amaro telling the crowd that nearly half a million people were in Disney’s parks and on its ships at that very moment, before handing the stage over for more than two hours of trailers, casting reveals, and surprise appearances. Here’s everything that came out of it.
Disney
Dana Walden, President and Chief Creative Officer of The Walt Disney Company, opened the Disney portion of the show alongside Bart Simpson himself, teasing the upcoming Simpsons movie ahead of its September 3, 2027 theatrical release. Out of everything in the two-hour show, this was the one that got the loudest unscripted laugh out of us. It didn’t try to be a big emotional swing; it just let Bart be Bart, and the room ate it up.
Oscar winner Anne Hathaway, who will be inducted as a Disney Legend this Sunday, spoke about what the Disney family has meant to her career going back to The Princess Diaries. From there, Lilo took the stage looking for Stitch, who showed up on the big screen with a new pink co-star named Angel to confirm Lilo & Stitch 2 is heading into production in Hawaiʻi later this year under returning director Chris Sanders. It opens in theaters May 26, 2028. We’ll be honest, the reveal leaned a little heavier on cute than we expected for a sequel to a film that grossed over a billion dollars by playing its emotional beats straight, but the Hawaiʻi production news is the real headline here for anyone tracking the franchise.
The Bluey Movie got its first teaser trailer and poster, complete with a stadium-wide game of Keepy Uppy using giant red balloons. The CG-animated film follows Bluey and her family through one big, surprising day, and arrives in theaters August 6, 2027, from creator Joe Brumm, Ludo Studio, and BBC Studios. Fans tracking every Bluey reveal can follow our full Bluey coverage hub for updates as more details land.
Ice Age: Boiling Point brought Queen Latifah and Denis Leary onstage to introduce a clip featuring Scrat, Baby Scrat, and a new prehistoric cousin called Jurassic Scrat. The dinosaur-and-lava adventure sends the full herd into uncharted corners of the Lost World and releases exclusively in theaters February 5, 2027.
Kathryn Hahn introduced the live-action Tangled, with a taped message from Rapunzel and Flynn Rider actors Teagan Croft and Milo Manheim filming on location in Spain. Michael Gracey directs, and the film also adds Diego Luna, Caitríona Balfe, Elliot Cowan, and twins Patrick and Hugo McPherson to the cast. Tangled opens March 31, 2028. Hahn then brought out Disney Legend Jon Favreau to screen a clip from Oswald, a live-action and animated hybrid series built around Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, premiering February 17, 2027, exclusively on Disney+.
Pixar Animation Studios
Pixar Chief Creative Officer Pete Docter walked through a packed slate. First came an exclusive first look at Incredibles 3, directed by Peter Sohn and releasing June 16, 2028. Next, Docter confirmed Coco 2 is bringing back villain Ernesto de la Cruz, with Benjamin Bratt returning to voice him, sending a teenage Miguel back to the Land of the Dead. Original director Lee Unkrich and co-director Adrian Molina both return, and the film debuts in theaters in November 2029. Alongside that news, Disney & Pixar Games and Square Enix confirmed KINGDOM HEARTS IV will include a Coco-inspired world, targeting a late 2027 release window.
Docter then unveiled a brand-new original film called Ghost Market, set at a small Oʻahu plate lunch shop that serves spirits caught between life and death. Directed by Trevor Jimenez and Jesse Andrews, it’s dated for a March 2028 theatrical release. Closing out Pixar’s segment was Gatto, an animated adventure following a black cat named Nero navigating Venice’s criminal underworld, from Luca director Enrico Casarosa and producer Andrea Warren. Gatto opens March 5, 2027.
20th Century Studios
Mira Sorvino and Lisa Kudrow returned to the stage as Romy and Michele to announce Romy & Michele 2, directed by Tim Federle and also starring Alan Cumming, Camryn Manheim, and Keegan-Michael Key. It debuts exclusively on Hulu in 2027.
Marvel Studios
Marvel’s segment opened with Paul Bettany and James Spader alongside Kevin Feige to debut the trailer for VisionQuest, the Disney+ series closing out the trilogy that began with WandaVision and Agatha All Along. It arrives October 14, 2026, and follows a rebooted Vision on the run with a mysterious boy who may be his son.
Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, and Hayley Atwell joined Feige to debut a new look at Avengers: Doomsday ahead of its December 18, 2026 release, with tickets now on sale through Fandango. Directed by Anthony and Joe Russo, the film pulls heroes from three separate universes into a single collision course.
Marvel closed with the first look at an untitled X-Men film, bringing Sadie Sink back as Jean Grey and adding Kit Connor as Scott Summers, Christopher Abbott as Professor X, Samara Weaving as Emma Frost, Inde Navarrette as Rogue, and Maya Boyd as Storm, with Adam Driver confirmed via video as Nathaniel Milbury. Jake Schreier directs, and it opens May 5, 2028. Insomniac Games also debuted a new trailer for Marvel’s Wolverine, landing on PlayStation 5 September 15.
Lucasfilm
Lucasfilm President Dave Filoni brought out Rosario Dawson, Hayden Christensen, and Eman Esfandi to debut the Season 2 teaser for Ahsoka, premiering January 20, 2027, exclusively on Disney+. The new season follows Ahsoka and Sabine Wren as their friends face down Grand Admiral Thrawn back home.
Director Shawn Levy brought Ryan Gosling onstage, who arrived in a callback Mickey Mouse Club jacket, to screen a teaser for Star Wars: Starfighter. The film follows a rogue pulled into a dangerous chase across the galaxy, also starring Matt Smith, Mia Goth, Aaron Pierre, and Amy Adams, and opens in theaters May 28, 2027. Both stories add to what’s already a big year for the franchise, and we’re tracking every update on our Star Wars coverage hub.
Walt Disney Animation Studios
Hosts Ginnifer Goodwin and Ke Huy Quan, joined by Chief Creative Officer Jared Bush, confirmed Zootopia 3 is officially in early development, following a custom sequence shown exclusively in the room. No release date yet.
Bush also revealed a new original feature called Clay, currently in production, with Kieran Culkin voicing lead character Flip. Set in a magical forest, the story follows Flip as he’s unwillingly assigned to mentor a ball of clay named Mushy. Fawn Veerasunthorn directs, and it hits theaters in 2028.
Disney’s Hexed, arriving November 25, 2026, added major cast news. Walton Goggins joins as a three-eyed cat named Beef Roger Crummchuk, and two-time Oscar winner Jodie Foster joins as the film’s antagonist, Queen Celeste. Hailee Steinfeld and Rashida Jones remain attached as Billie and her mother, Alice.
The night closed with Frozen 3 cast members Kristen Bell and Idina Menzel performing a new version of “Frozen Heart,” and Josh Gad debuting a new song for Olaf called “Ooooh, Samantha.” The segment ended with new animation of Anna, Elsa, Olaf, Kristoff, and Sven, teasing a new villainess whose powers rival Elsa’s. Jennifer Lee and Trent Correy direct Frozen 3, and it opens November 24, 2027. This was the moment the roller coaster comparison really clicked for us. The room went from a comedy bit to a full musical number to a villain tease inside about ten minutes, and it was the strongest closing stretch of the night.
Disney Entertainment Television
The show opened with a Mandy Moore-choreographed dance number featuring the Dancing with the Stars pros before D’Amaro’s remarks. From there, Percy Jackson and the Olympians debuted its Season 3 teaser, themed around the “Titan’s Curse” storyline, with Ming-Na Wen and Andra Day joining star Walker Scobell. Season 3 arrives on Disney+ November 20, 2026.
Disney Channel and Disney+ greenlit Kingdom Hearts (working title), an original anime series developed with series creator Tetsuya Nomura and produced with Square Enix. National Geographic debuted the trailer for LION, a four-year documentary following a real pride and a cub named Kio, premiering August 19 on National Geographic and streaming the next day on Disney+ and Hulu. Joe, Nick, and Kevin Jonas introduced a live performance from Camp Rock 3, now streaming on Disney+.
Disney Theatrical Group
Disney Theatrical Group confirmed its stage adaptation of The Greatest Showman will open at Theatre Royal Drury Lane in London’s West End in spring 2027, following a sold-out run at The Bristol Hippodrome. Oliver Tompsett, Samantha Barks, and Malinda Parris, who performed at the showcase, are confirmed for the West End cast.
More From The Show Floor
Away from the Honda Center, Disney and Formula 1 extended their “Fuel the Magic” partnership through 2028, adding a full new season to the collaboration. Mundo Pixar Experience, billed as the largest immersive Pixar experience anywhere, announced its first U.S. tour launching in 2027, following stops in the U.K., Mexico, Brazil, Spain, Belgium, Seoul, and Tokyo. Disney also spotlighted its ongoing work with Make-A-Wish across the event, including the VoluntEARS Pavilion and the Fuel the Magic booth.
Daytime programming at the Anaheim Convention Center included panels on Bob’s Burgers and The Simpsons, anniversary celebrations for Enchanted and Beauty and the Beast, deep dives on Disney Lorcana and Disney Pin Trading, and a Disney Rewind Concert featuring Disney Legends Jodi Benson and Bill Farmer alongside incoming Legend Susan Egan.
What’s Next
D23 2026 continues with a full second day of panels and shopping at the Anaheim Convention Center, leading into the Horizons: Disney Experiences Showcase at the Honda Center, hosted by Neil Patrick Harris. That panel is expected to focus on what’s ahead for the parks, and we’ll have it covered live. Keep up with every reveal from the weekend on our D23 2026 hub.
