It’s been a huge deacade for Disney; they’ve been on an aquisition high ever since their acquisition of Lucasfilm in 2012 and 21st Century Fox just this year. Ongoing now, at Anaheim Convention Centre in California, is D23 by the Official Disney Fan Club.
As well as the new content which will have us ready to subscribe, the exhibits were also a major hit. Here’s our breakdown of the first two days of the extravaganza:
Hoards of brand new Disney+ content
The streaming service will launch on November 12, 2019 in North America and is expected to cost $6.99 a month and $69.99 a year.
“With less than three months until launch, Disney+ will soon entertain and inspire audiences of all ages for generations to come, and we’re excited to preview some of the amazing original content being created for the service exclusively from our world-class brands today at the D23 Expo,” said Kevin Mayer, chairman of Disney’s Direct-to-Consumer & International segment. “Storytelling is the cornerstone of The Walt Disney Company, and we’re thrilled to unveil a new slate of original shows from the Star Wars and Marvel cinematic universes, along with popular television franchises set to return with all-new series streaming only on Disney+.”
Content to look forward to on Disney+ include The Mandalorian , 10-episode scripted series High School Musical: The Musical: The Series , holiday film Noelle starring Anna Kendrick, Nat-Geo special The World According to Jeff Goldblum and Kristen Bell-hosted series Encore!.
And could any of us be happier with the fact that Hillary Duff will reprise her role as Lizzie McGuire and that Ewan McGregor announced his return to the role of Obi-Wan Kenobi in a new untitled series from Lucasfilm.
The legacy of the Avengers lives on...
We love the Marvel franchise 3000. Come August 31, Marvel is celebrating its 80th birthday with Marvel Comics #1000 , a massive, oversized, special-edition book that features the greatest array of luminaries from both classic and current comic books (and beyond!), in perhaps one of the most ambitious single issues ever created.
Post- Avengers: Endgame , Falcon (Anthony Mackie) and the Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan) team up as we all anticipated for a series launching in 2020. President of Marvel Studios Kevin Feige revealed that Emily VanCamp will reprise her role as Sharon Carter, and introduced Wyatt Russell, who will portray Marvel Comics character John Walker for the first time on screen.
Want to play ‘get help?’ Fan-favorite villain Loki (played by Tom Hiddleston in the MCU) will return in a series — which will kick off in 2021 —set after the events of Avengers: Endgame . In a video greeting to D23 Expo guests, Hiddleston promised, “It’s your boundless enthusiasm and your support that mean that Loki still has more story left to tell, and it will never stop surprising and delighting me that you think he’s cool. This journey isn’t over yet; in fact, it’s only just begun.”
What about Wanda Maximoff and Vision? Paul Bettany and Elizabeth Olsen will play two super-powered beings trying to live ideal suburban lives… until they begin to suspect that things are not as they seem in this series that Feige describes as “half classic sitcom and half epic MCU adventure.” Bettany and Olsen made a surprise appearance at D23 Expo 2019, joined by Kat Dennings and Randall Park, who will reprise their roles from Thor and Ant-Man and The Wasp .
And who could forget Peggy Carter? She’ll be back in an animated series What If…? , voiced by Hayley Atwell. Atwell said on the stage at D23, “It feels like the gift that keeps on giving,” said Atwell regarding the opportunity to give life to the character in this new way, and she credits the fans for their love for Peggy. “They brought her back,” she added.
Avatar, infinity
Currently Avatar 2, 3, 4, and 5 are in post-production phases but till their releases, D23 Expo guests were privy to the world of Pandora, courtesy an exciting new installation called Inside the World of Avatar, featuring Na’vi weaponry, Jake Sulley’s necklace, concept maquettes and so much more.
Lucasfilm celebrates 40 years of Stormtroopers
No, it’s not a trap. On the stage at D23 Expo this collection of commemorative trooper armour ranges from across the four-plus decades of Star Wars films, from the classic white of A New Hope to the visually arresting (and curiously hued) bright red from the upcoming The Rise of Skywalker . Expect the brand-new First Order Jet Trooper, designed by Michael Kaplan, which will appear in the upcoming Rise of Skywalker .
To amp up the narrative, a huge video screen that stretches the length of the entire installation, plays interviews with J J Abrams, Kathleen Kennedy, and other creators within the Star Wars universe discussing the evolution and thought behind each suit’s design.
Parks, galore
New magic was unveiled in the name of interactive parks.
The all-new Star Wars vacation experience coming to the Walt Disney World Resort, Star Wars : Galactic Starcruiser, invites guests to embark on a two-night adventure aboard a glamorous starship. During this first-of-its-kind vacation experience, you’ll interact with characters and become an active participant in immersive stories that unfold over the course of an unforgettable galactic journey on board the starcruiser (to be called the Halcyon ).
Plus, their first-ever attraction based on the Walt Disney Animation Studios hit film Moana is coming to Epcot. When Journey of Water, Inspired by Moana opens, it will let guests interact with magical, living water in a beautiful and inspiring setting.
To top it off, we learned that the new lands will be called Avengers Campus—and guests who visit these campuses will become part of an interconnected, global story spanning from California to Paris to Hong Kong, as the Avengers recruit new extraordinary people to join them. An in-story experience that details why the Avengers are building these campuses will be part of the “Imagining Tomorrow, Today” pavilion throughout D23 Expo 2019.
... and the Disney Legends
The Disney Legends Awards ceremony has honored many of Disney’s brightest stars and notable luminaries, starting with Fred MacMurray in 1987.
ANAHEIM, CALIFORNIA - AUGUST 23:Christina Aguilera and Micky Mouse attend D23 Disney Legends event at Anaheim Convention Center on August 23, 2019 in Anaheim, California. Frazer Harrison/Getty Images/AFP == FOR NEWSPAPERS, INTERNET, TELCOS & TELEVISION USE ONLY ==
This year’s laudates are Disney exec Wing Chao, Robert Downey Jr, Christina Aguilera, Jon Favreau, James Earl Jones, Bette Midler, Kenny Ortega, Disney exec Barnette Ricci, journalist Robin Roberts, anchor Diane Sawyer, Ming-Na Wen and composer Hans Zimmer.
D23 Expo is on till Monday August 26. Full schedule can be found here .
