D23 brought so many exciting announcements this year across all areas of the Disney company. As someone who doesn’t live close to the parks or go on cruises, the highlights for me are primarily media-based. Sure, I’m thrilled that Tomorrowland at Disneyland will finally get its long-overdue refurbishment or that the Yeti will come back to life at Animal Kingdom. However, I’m even more excited about some of the movies, shows, and even video game announcements that were made and/or teased.
Here’s what I’m personally looking forward to over the next few years:
- Ghost Market– Ghost Market is probably the piece of media on this list that I’m most excited about. In the teaser, we get what appears to be animated in-world camera and Hungry Ghosts. As someone who writes avidly about gastro horror and loves found footage, folk horror, and the genre in general, this seems to be right up my alley. I also adore gateway horror, so I’m intrigued by the idea of Pixar leaning into that. Between Hexed and this, I’m glad to see Disney and Pixar making movies for folks who enjoy the creepier side of film.
- Oogie Boogie Coming to Disney Dreamlight Valley– Much of my purview here on Daps is to talk about movies or books. However, I do enjoy gaming. The game that has had its hold on me is Disney Dreamlight Valley. I’m not exaggerating when I say that I literally play all the time and have completed all of the expansion packs and DLCs. I’ve unlocked every character, and I’m pretty sure at this point I own all of the premium furniture and clothing (the houses are a little too expensive for me to buy all of them). That said, I was sure to watch the D23 panel as it streamed. The announcement that excited me most was that Oogie Boogie will be arriving in the Valley. I love the game’s Halloween events and items, so I’m sure this is going to be a lot of fun!
- VisionQuest– As someone who has more or less fallen off the Marvel wagon, it surprised me that I would get so excited about a Marvel announcement. I had no idea we’d be getting this as a wrap-up to the (now) trilogy including WandaVision and Agatha All Along, but I’m here for it. Both of the aforementioned shows are some of my favorite releases post-Endgame. Also, seeing James Spader reprise his role as Ultron but in human form piqued my interest a great deal!
- Frozen 3– Ok, ok, ok… I know I said I had no interest in more Frozen sequels. I thought 2 ended perfectly and have said so many times. Yet here we are, with me putting Frozen 3 on a list of things I’m excited about. Olaf finding a partner? Anna and Kristoff getting married? Can we just talk about her wedding dress?! Also, a new villain? I’m here for all of this. I really hope this teaser doesn’t do what the Frozen 2 teaser did and show us something that isn’t there. I’m still upset that Anna never got to use a sword. All that said, I’ll be there on opening night for sure!
- Oswald– Given that I’m fairly indifferent to Oswald the Lucky Rabbit as a character, this miniseries wasn’t something I was terribly excited about or was even on my radar, if I’m honest. (I’m not much of a tv/miniseries person) That is, until I heard that it was partially hand-drawn 2D animation and Jon Favreau was involved. I tend to be a fan of his work, and the fact that we are starting to see 2D animation coming back to Disney makes me incredibly thrilled!
- Lilo and Scratch– This short, which will play before Hexed, was technically announced prior to D23, but it was showcased a bit more during the event. As I mentioned above, the fact that we are starting to see more hand-drawn animation is really neat. I hope Disney leans into this more as a way to differentiate themselves from the other animation studios. I think it would be welcomed by both longtime fans as well as new ones!
It seems like Disney fans have a lot of great media coming over the next couple of years! This isn’t even everything! I imagine Searchlight Films and 20th Century Studios will have some great films coming our way as well! What movies, shows, or video games are you looking forward to? Let us know in the comments below!
