After spending the weekend at D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event, I came home with a very long list of movies and shows I can’t wait to see.
The Disney Entertainment Showcase was easily one of the highlights of the weekend. There’s something completely different about being in the Honda Center with thousands of Disney fans and seeing footage, casting announcements, and surprises as they’re revealed.
Disney packed a LOT into the showcase, but these are the 10 announcements I haven’t stopped thinking about since D23.
Incredibles 3
I’m always ready for more of the Parr family, so getting our first look at Incredibles 3 was easily one of my favorite moments of the night.
We got our first look at the new villain, who will actually be a Super. That immediately caught my attention because we’ve already seen the Parr family go up against villains who don’t exactly have the best feelings toward Supers. Having them face someone with powers of their own could bring a completely different dynamic to the third movie.
Pixar also confirmed that Elemental director Peter Sohn is directing, with Brad Bird writing the script. The movie is set to arrive in theaters on June 16, 2028.
Coco 2
I didn’t necessarily think Coco needed a sequel, but after what we saw at D23, I’m intrigued.
New concept art showed us an older, teenage Miguel, and Benjamin Bratt came onstage to reveal that Ernesto de la Cruz will somehow return. We also learned that Miguel will make another life-changing trip to the Land of the Dead.
Coco has such a beautiful story and one of Pixar’s most memorable worlds, so I’m excited to see what Miguel’s life looks like now that he’s older.
Lilo & Stitch 2
We’re officially getting more Stitch—and this time Angel is coming with him!
During the showcase, Maia Kealoha came onstage looking for Stitch before he appeared on screen alongside Angel. Disney confirmed that Lilo & Stitch 2 will begin production in Hawaii later this year and hit theaters May 26, 2028.
One of the most exciting parts for me is that Chris Sanders is coming back to direct. Sanders co-created, co-wrote, and directed the original animated movie and has continued to voice Stitch, including in the live-action film.
After how much I enjoyed seeing Lilo and Stitch return to the big screen, I’m definitely ready for another adventure—especially with Angel joining the story.
Live-Action Tangled
I know Disney’s live-action remakes can be hit or miss, but I’m genuinely excited about Tangled.
Kathryn Hahn took the D23 stage to talk about playing Mother Gothel, and we also got a message from Teagan Croft and Milo Manheim, our new Rapunzel and Flynn Rider, from the set in Spain.
The cast also includes Caitríona Balfe as Queen Arianna, Elliot Cowan as King Frederic, Diego Luna as a new character named Hawthorne, and Patrick and Hugo McPherson as the Stabbington twins.
Michael Gracey, who directed The Greatest Showman, is directing, which makes me especially curious to see what he does with the musical side of the movie.
Tangled is one of my favorite modern Disney animated movies, so I’m hoping they can capture everything that makes Rapunzel and Flynn’s story so much fun.
We’ll find out when Tangled arrives in theaters on March 31, 2028.
Oswald
This was one of the announcements I wasn’t expecting to be as excited about as I was.
Jon Favreau introduced Oswald, a new three-part Disney+ miniseries featuring Oswald the Lucky Rabbit. The series will combine live action and 2-D animation and follows a middle school boy and his friends after an earthquake releases Oswald, who has been hidden away since the 1920s, into the modern world.
We got to see an exclusive clip during the showcase, and I loved the concept.
There’s something really special about Disney bringing back a character with so much history and finding a completely new way to tell his story.
Oswald premieres February 17, 2027 on Disney+.
The New X-Men
After seeing Sadie Sink make her debut as Jean Grey in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, I was already excited to find out what Marvel had planned for the X-Men.
D23 gave us a much bigger answer.
Kevin Feige brought Sadie Sink to the stage before introducing several members of the new cast:
- Kit Connor as Scott Summers
- Christopher Abbott as Professor Charles Xavier
- Samara Weaving as Emma Frost
- Inde Navarrette as Rogue
- Maya Boyd as Storm
- Adam Driver as Nathaniel Milbury (Mr. Sinister)
Seeing the cast together made the new X-Men movie suddenly feel very real.
We’ve spent years waiting to see how Marvel would bring the X-Men into the MCU, and after Brand New Day and this announcement, it finally feels like it’s happening.
The new X-Men movie arrives in theaters May 5, 2028.
Zootopia 3
This announcement made me so happy.
After the success of Zootopia 2, Disney officially confirmed that Zootopia 3 is already in early development.
We even got to see a special sequence created for the D23 audience.
Disney hasn’t announced a release date yet, and it sounds like the movie is still very early in development, but I’m just happy knowing we’re going back to Zootopia.
There are so many stories Disney can still tell in this world, and I’m definitely not ready to say goodbye to Judy and Nick.
Frozen 3
Of course Disney saved one of its biggest moments for the end.
Kristen Bell and Idina Menzel took the stage as Anna and Elsa, while Josh Gad performed a new song for Olaf.
But the part that really caught my attention was the new animation Disney showed.
We saw Anna, Elsa, Olaf, Kristoff, and Sven again, but the footage also teased a mysterious new villainess whose powers may rival Elsa’s.
Now THAT has me interested.
After two movies focused so heavily on Elsa understanding her powers, introducing someone who may actually be able to challenge her opens up a lot of possibilities for the third movie.
Frozen 3 arrives in theaters November 24, 2027.
Ahsoka Season 2
As a Star Wars fan, I was very happy to see Ahsoka get some love at D23.
Dave Filoni was joined onstage by Rosario Dawson, Hayden Christensen, and Eman Esfandi before showing us the first teaser for Season 2.
The new season will continue Ahsoka and Sabine’s journey while Hera, Ezra, Zeb, and Chopper face the growing threat of Grand Admiral Thrawn.
And yes, Hayden Christensen being there definitely added to my excitement.
Season 2 premieres January 20, 2027 on Disney+.
Star Wars: Starfighter
Last but definitely not least is Star Wars: Starfighter.
Director Shawn Levy came out to talk about the movie before bringing Ryan Gosling onto the stage, and we got to see an exclusive first look that hasn’t been released publicly.
The movie follows a cynical rogue whose mysterious past sends him on an adventure across the galaxy. Along with Gosling, the cast includes Matt Smith, Mia Goth, Aaron Pierre, Jamael Westman, Daniel Ings, Flynn Gray, and Amy Adams.
I like that this is giving us a new story and new characters within the Star Wars universe. I’m curious to see where it fits into the larger galaxy and what Ryan Gosling brings to Star Wars.
Star Wars: Starfighter arrives in theaters May 28, 2027.
So Much to Look Forward To After D23
It’s hard to pick just one favorite announcement from D23 this year.
Between returning to worlds like The Incredibles, Coco, Frozen, and Zootopia, finally seeing Marvel’s new X-Men come together, and getting completely new takes on characters like Oswald, Disney gave me a lot to look forward to over the next couple of years.
And honestly, being in the room for these announcements made them even more exciting.
There’s something about watching a surprise unfold on that massive screen and hearing thousands of Disney fans react at the same time that you just don’t get from reading the announcement online afterward.
Now comes the hard part: waiting for all of these movies and shows to actually come out.
Which D23 2026 announcement are you most excited about? Let me know in the comments!
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