By Daybreak Chmielewski, Lisa Richwine and Danielle Broadway
ANAHEIM, California (Reuters) -Walt Disney, which reclaimed the highest of the summer season field workplace with Pixar animation’s “Inside Out 2” and Marvel’s raunchy “Deadpool & Wolverine,” opened its D23 fan conference Friday with a dwell efficiency from the anticipated animated movie “Moana 2.”
Dwayne Johnson, a featured star who was joined by Auli’i Cravahlo and Hawaiian dancers, advised the 12,000 attendees that in reprising his function as Maui, he would as soon as once more be singing, “in keys that don’t exist.”
The movie reaches theaters on Nov. 27.
Director James Cameron took the stage, together with “Avatar” stars Zoe Saldana and Sam Worthington, to indicate off artwork from the subsequent sequel, and announce its title, “Avatar: Fire and Ash.”
Pixar’s chief artistic officer, Pete Docter, introduced a brand new “Inside Out” sequence primarily based on major character Riley’s desires, “Dream Productions,” that takes place between the primary two motion pictures and can premiere in 2025.
Docter additionally introduced a brand new installment of certainly one of Pixar’s greatest titles “The Incredibles,” which is centered on a unusual superhero household and is getting a 3rd movie that shall be directed by Brad Chook.
Disney stated a slate of recorded live-Broadway musicals that shall be arriving on Disney+, together with the hit film “Frozen.” “We’re really happy to announce that the hit musical (Frozen), which was filmed on stage, will premiere on Disney plus in 2025,” stated Jennifer Lee, Disney Animation’s chief artistic officer.
Lee stated the corporate can be growing a Broadway musical primarily based on the movie “The Greatest Showman.”
D23 shared an early take a look at the upcoming Disney+ sequence “Skeleton Crew,” which is a coming of age science fiction “Star Wars” sequence created by Jon Watts and Christopher Ford (NYSE:).
Director Jon Favreau provided an early take a look at “The Mandalorian and Grogu,” a big-screen adaptation of the Disney+ sequence due out in 2026.
Marvel reprised a few of its best hits from final month’s San Diego Comedian-Con conference. It showcased the “Captain America Brave New World” and “Fantastic Four” movies, and the forthcoming Disney+ sequence, “Daredevil Born Again” and “IronHeart.”
It additionally dropped a trailer for its upcoming horror sequence “Agatha All Along,” primarily based on the sequence “WandaVision” together with a haunting musical efficiency from the forged of witches within the sequence. The sequence contains unique songs from the expertise behind “Frozen” and “Coco.”
“Percy Jackson,” the sequence primarily based on Greek mythology that follows its namesake protagonist demi-god, is returning for a second season referred to as “Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters, after the original book title by author Rick Riordan.
The company touted the strength of its movies during an investor call this week, marking a return to form after losing its place as the highest-grossing Hollywood studio in 2023.
“It’s never too late to have that big Hollywood comeback,” said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst for Comscore. “And they’ve certainly had that.”
“Inside Out 2” is the highest grossing animated film of all time, with a global box office tally of $1.6 billion, surpassing the record set by Disney’s “Frozen II.” A month later, “Deadpool & Wolverine” had the best domestic opening for an R-rated film and has brought in more than $850 million in global ticket sales.
“There is of course variability in the film business,” wrote Deutsche Bank analyst Bryan Kraft in a note to investors. “But if Disney has found its box office magic once again, additional growth may be ahead, as a strong theatrical slate continues.”
Disney CEO Bob Iger extolled the film studio’s theatrical lineup over the next two years, which includes the animated sequel “Moana 2,” a live-action model of “Disney’s Snow White,” a rebooting of the Marvel superhero franchise “The Fantastic Four: First Steps” and James Cameron’s third “Avatar” film.
“When you think about not only the potential of those in the box office, but the potential of those to drive global streaming value, there’s a reason to be bullish about where we’re headed,” Iger stated on the investor name.
The discharge of “Inside Out 2” helped generate greater than 100 million views of the unique movie on Disney+, the corporate stated.
Buyers and followers are hoping for extra particulars on Friday about future plans for the Marvel superhero studio. The corporate had to decide on a brand new villain for future movies after actor Jonathan Majors was convicted of assaulting and harassing a former girlfriend. It additionally was pressured to delay some titles due to strikes by Hollywood writers and actors final 12 months.
Eventually month’s Comedian-Con popular culture conference, Disney revealed that “Iron Man” actor Robert Downey Jr. will play the “Fantastic Four” villain, Physician Doom.