By Courtney Potter and the D23 Team
The Disney Entertainment Showcase brought the magic and memories to the Honda Center on Friday night of D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event—as fans were treated to a bona fide spectacle of announcements and exclusive reveals about some of its most beloved brands and franchises!
After the crowd was sufficiently warmed up by an incredible opening number featuring the pros from ABC’s Dancing with the Stars, choreographed by Emmy® winner Mandy Moore, our evening’s hosts—Ginnifer Goodwin and Academy Award® winner Ke Huy Quan, the voices behind the beloved Judy Hopps and Gary De’Snake in Walt Disney Animation Studios’ Zootopia 2—took the stage. “We are Disney super fans!” the pair exclaimed. “We’ve got a great show for you tonight,” said Quan. “And we can’t wait to share this with you,” added Goodwin.
The pair then welcome Disney CEO Josh D’Amaro—who highlighted the extraordinary relationship that Disney has with fans across generations and around the world. “Right now, nearly half a million people are in our parks and on our cruise ships. Millions more are watching our stories in theaters or at home. Someone right now is seeing The Lion King on Broadway for the very first time,” D’Amaro said. “When you add it all up, Disney has something no other brand on Earth can claim. Not just a customer base, not just an audience, but an actual connection. A connection that reaches every single corner of the globe, spans every age and every background, and becomes part of people’s lives and the memories that they carry with them. A connection with more than four billion fans. That’s half the world’s population who don’t just look to us for entertainment; they look to us for inspiration.”
Following D’Amaro’s greeting was an evening chockablock with surprises and stars… and speaking of which, D’Amaro himself welcomed brand-new Disney Legend Anne Hathaway to speak about what being a member of the Disney family has meant to her, dating back to the film that started it all: The Princess Diaries.
Then, Hathaway welcomed Dana Walden, President and Chief Creative Officer of The Walt Disney Company, to open the showcase alongside one of the most iconic characters in television history: Bart Simpson! Having played a key role in the success of The Simpsons franchise over the entirety of her career, Walden presented a special sneak peek of the upcoming film, releasing in theaters September 3, 2027.
Goodwin and Huan were back to introduce Alan Bergman, Chairman of Disney Entertainment, Studios—who spoke about Pixar Animation Studios and introduced its Chief Creative Officer, Pete Docter. Bergman shared how, as a young animator, Docter nearly took a job on The Simpsons instead joining Pixar. “Pete and the team continue to deliver films with tremendous heart and humor,” Bergman said. “And this year they had the fantastic Hoppers as well as Toy Story 5—the biggest film in the franchise that started it all for Pixar.”
Docter was given a rousing welcome as he kicked off the Pixar portion of the showcase, beginning with an exclusive first look at Disney and Pixar’s Incredibles 3, featuring the fan-favorite family of Supers back in action. Incredibles 3 is directed by Peter Sohn (Elemental), produced by Academy Award® winners Dana Murray (Soul) and Brad Bird (The Incredibles) and releases exclusively in theaters June 16, 2028.
Docter then unveiled updates for Disney and Pixar’s Coco 2. New concept art revealed Miguel as a teenager, before Docter was joined onstage by Benjamin Bratt (voice of Ernesto de la Cruz), confirming that the first film’s villain will reemerge in Coco 2, resulting in a life-changing return trip to the Land of the Dead for Miguel. Coco 2 reunites the team behind the original film, including Academy Award-winning director Lee Unkrich (Toy Story 3) and co-director Adrian Molina (Coco). Oscar® winner Mark Nielsen (Toy Story 4) produces. Coco 2 will debut exclusively in theaters in November 2029.
Then, Bratt helped Disney & Pixar Games and SQUARE ENIX share new details on KINGDOM HEARTS IV which will feature a world inspired by Coco, and a late 2027 release window… as well as a brand-new Kingdom Hearts (working title) series coming soon to Disney+!
Docter next announced that Pixar is developing a brand-new original film titled Ghost Market. A clip from the film was shown in-room that introduces audiences to ʻOno Market—a little plate lunch shop hidden away in a remote location on Oʻahu’s North Shore that serves lost spirits, stuck between life and death. The living have never set foot in this place… until a fast-talking kid named Kyle blunders in and finds himself on an unexpected supernatural adventure! Ghost Market is directed by Trevor Jimenez (Weekends) and Jesse Andrews (Hoppers); produced by Academy Award winner Becky Neiman-Cobb (Bao); and dated for theatrical release in March 2028.
Docter closed out Pixar’s portion of the program with a D23-exclusive look at Disney and Pixar’s March 5, 2027, theatrical release Gatto. In the upcoming animated adventure, the scrappy black cat Nero (voiced by Mark Ruffalo) begins to question whether he’s lived the right lives after years of maneuvering the canal-ridden, superstitious city of Venice, Italy. Indebted to Rocco (voiced by Laurence Fishburne), the ruthless local feline mob boss, Nero finds himself in a quandary and is forced to forge a truly unexpected friendship that may finally lead him to his purpose—unless Venice gets the better of him first. Gatto is directed by Enrico Casarosa and produced by Andrea Warren, the filmmaking team behind Disney and Pixar’s Oscar-nominated feature Luca.
Quan and Goodwin returned to the stage to welcome Maia Kealoha, Lilo from the live-action film Lilo & Stitch—entering while looking for her blue fugitive alien friend, Stitch… who surprised D23 attendees on the big screen with his new pink co-star, Angel! Lilo & Stitch 2, the sequel to the blockbuster film, is scheduled to begin production in Hawaiʻi later this year, under the direction of Chris Sanders—who co-created, co-wrote, and directed the 2002 animated film. Sanders also provided the voice of Stitch in both the animated and live-action films. The producer is Jonathan Eirich, and the executive producers are Ryan Halperin and Tom Peitzman. Lilo & Stitch 2 will open in theaters May 26, 2028.
That iconic duo Romy and Michele—aka Mira Sorvino and Lisa Kudrow—then entered the stage to a shower of yellow Post-it notes to talk about Romy & Michele 2. The sequel to the beloved 1997 film is directed by Tim Federle, the screenwriter of High School Musical: The Musical: The Series. Also starring Alan Cumming, Camryn Manheim, Keegan-Michael Key, Rob Huebel, Breckin Meyer, Wendi McLendon-Covey, and Janeane Garofalo, the film will debut exclusively on Hulu in 2027.
Percy Jackson and the Olympians lit up the Honda Center stage in a moment inspired by the upcoming third season’s “Titan’s Curse”—with an army of Artemis’s hunters who introduced Walker Scobell (Percy Jackson) alongside surprise guests Ming-Na Wen (Hera) and Andra Day (Athena) to debut the official teaser trailer for season three, coming to Disney+ November 20, 2026.