The familiar feels good. That was the obvious crowd sentiment at the D23 Disney Entertainment Showcase on Friday, where the company previewed its upcoming lineup of film and streaming comfort content.
D23, for those unfamiliar with the biennial pilgrimage of Disney fans to Anaheim, California, is part cosplay convention, part promotional pep fest. For the 12,000 people who gathered in a packed arena for an evening of Disney trailers, teases and stars, it was like a pop revival of infectious fun.
With sneak-peeks at “Moana 2,” “Avatar 3,” “The Mandolorian & Grogu,” “Mufasa: The Lion King” and (much) more, the event was peppered with confetti, blasts of pyrotechnics, an impressive David Blaine magic trick and the music of Lin-Manuel Miranda. It was as if Disney, borrowing a line from Russell Crowe in “Gladiator,” asked, “Are you not entertained?”
Dwayne Jonnson kicked off the showcase with a look at the upcoming animated sequel “Moana 2.”
“Maui’s singing again, singing in keys that don’t exist,” Johnson joked. “My hair looks fantastic in ‘Moana 2.’ I can’t wait.”
Johnson called the movie a “perfect escape,” set for release this November 27.
Later, Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan took the stage to reveal their previously announced sequel to “Freaky Friday” – the 2003 movie in which they starred as a mother-daughter duo who switch bodies – which will now be called “Freakier Friday.”
“It’s more fun, it’s more emotional, and it’s all for you guys,” Lohan told the audience. “Seriously, the only reason we are back here doing this because of your love. That is why.”
“It feels like picking up where we left off, which is really beautiful,” Curtis said.
Oscar-winning director Barry Jenkins debuted a scene and new trailer for the live-action prequel “Mufasa: The Lion King,” with original music by Miranda. The movie arrives in theaters on December 20.
Director James Cameron also came to play some hits, taking a break from production on “Avatar 3” in New Zealand to share an update on the project.
“I can’t wait to show you what’ we’ve been creating,” Cameron told the crowd.
“It’s got very high emotional stakes,” he added. “The new film is not what you’d expect, but it’s definitely what you want.”
“Avatar” stars Zoe Saldana and Sam Worthington were on hand at D23, revealing the third installment’s official title, “Avatar: Fire and Ash.”
Other highlights included appearances by Ginnifer Goodwin for “Zootopia 2,” Rachel Zegler and Gal Godot for the live-action “Snow White,” as well as Jeff Bridges, Jared Leto and Greta Lee, who shared first-look footage of the upcoming third film in the “Tron” sequel, titled “Tron Ares.”
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