Pixar’s First Horror Film
Over the weekend, at their D23 fan event, Disney mapped out a mammoth amount of updates across all their brands.
There were casting updates that brought a slew of talented actors into The Walt Disney Company fold.
We had 13 major updates for Disney films, including not just some interesting sequel updates for Frozen 3 and Zootopia 3, but also Bluey, a massive animation property finally getting a theatrical film. And Kieran Culkin and Jodie Foster are cast in new projects.
Pixar had three significant updates, which included a couple of sequel announcements and, most interestingly, a new original film, Ghost Market.
3 major Marvel announcements were made, including a casting reveal of the long-awaited X-Men film. Plus, we got a first look at Doctor Doom’s full powers.
2 Star Wars updates were announced, including updates on Ryan Gosling’s Star Wars: Starfighter. And Anakin Skywalker makes a glorious return in Ahsoka S2.
Let’s go!
PIXAR’S GHOST
You know there’s been a massive paradigm shift when even Pixar is making a horror film.
Their newly announced Ghost Market follows a teenage influencer from Chicago who goes on vacation in Hawaii, where he stumbles into a supernatural ramen bazaar where the living and dead mingle.
Although it’s listed as a family comedy, the trailer does invoke horror tropes, most notably the sideways video camera that gets left recording when the main character drops it and runs away. Even though the teaser emphasizes this horror won’t leave you with nightmares, it is a shock to see Pixar play in this space.
Even though their latest movie, Toy Story 5, crested $1.1bn at the box office, their highest-earning Toy Story film, not including inflation, their previous two original films have altogether been financial failures, with Hoppers making $389.5M WW on a $150M budget and Elio earning $154M WW on a $300M budget.
Given the current trend of horror originals like Backrooms ($393.2M WW) and Obsession ($495.6M) out-earning Hoppers and Elio, it makes sense that Pixar would want to capture this market share.
It’s not the first time there have been elements of horror in a Pixar film.
We can think of the scary-as-hell toy jail in Toy Story 3 that sees Buzz brainwashed by the strawberry-scented teddy bear Lotso and that shark chasing Dory and Marlin in Finding Nemo, but nothing that pushes any of these films into straight horror.
This new film is literally called Ghost Market, and it’s going to be super fun and delightful, and we’re excited to see how Pixar approaches this genre.
Coming in 2028.
For More:
Ghost Market teaser.
DISNEY
Until last year, Frozen 2 was Disney’s highest-grossing non-Pixar animated film with $1.453bn. So of course, we’re getting Frozen 3.
Although previously announced, there were some great updates:
The film will have Elsa (Idina Menzel) venturing off to an Enchanted Forest to learn about her powers, while Anna (Kristen Bell) and Kristoff (Jonathan Groff) have their long-awaited royal wedding.
There’s also a hint at a villain who uses magic like Elsa who crashes the wedding – the first time we will get to see some magic battle action in the Frozen franchise.
First look here. New version of the song Frozen Heart D23 performance here.
Releasing: Nov. 24, 2027
So, of course, the film that unseated Frozen 2 at the box office was Zootopia 2 (2025) with $1.87bn. So Disney just announced Zootopia 3.
The short tease of a feather at the end of Zootopia 2 lets us know that the third installment will deal with birds. Lots of fans did question why there weren’t any characters in Zootopia who could fly, and Zootopia 3 will answer that long-awaited question.
Ke Huy Quan (Gary De’Snake) & Ginnifer Goodwin (Judy Hopps) will reprise their roles.
No word on release date.
When Lilo & Stitch (2025) came out, everyone was floored by the response. It was one of five Disney live-action remakes to pull in over $1bn at the box office. The others were, for all intents and purposes, much more nostalgic IPs (The Lion King (2019), Beauty and the Beast (2017), Aladdin (2019), and Alice in Wonderland (2010)).
So it’s no shock that Disney announced Lilo & Stitch 2.
The sequel will introduce a bit of romance for Stitch with a new intergalactic alien character, Angel, also known as Experiment 624.
Here’s a fun little tease. Releasing May 26, 2028.
Rapunzel, Rapunzel, Teagan Croft, let down your hair! Disney’s upcoming live-action Tangled movie gets a release date of March 31, 2028.
Australian actress Teagan Croft (HBO Max’s DC’s Titans) plays the lovable and curious Rapunzel. Milo Manheim (Disney’s Zombies) plays the swashbuckling charmer Flynn Rider. Caitríona Balfe was just cast as Queen Arianna.
A popular duo among online fancasts, the pairing not only fits the part with their looks, but both actors can also sing, with Manheim fresh off a Broadway run in Little Shop of Horrors and no stranger to Disney musicals (clip). Notably, neither is one of the A-list names people were predicting (and dreading), a refreshing choice for a project of this scale and one that feels primed to turn both into breakout stars, as Disney live-action adaptations so often do.
The original 2010 animated take on everyone’s favorite tower dweller grossed $591M worldwide.
Disney has big wins with live-action adaptations when they’re not a 1:1 remake. That’s what tanked Moana (2026). Let’s hope Tangled does better!
The Long-Lost Cousin of Mickey Mouse: Jon Favreau’s new hybrid 2D hand-drawn animation/live-action series for Disney+ centered on Oswald the Lucky Rabbit is releasing in Feb 2027. The cast includes Albert Brooks, Amy Sedaris, and Steve Martin.
Created by Walt himself in 1927, Oswald was then lost to Universal in 1928. Disney needed a mascot, leading to the creation of Mickey Mouse. Disney reacquired Oswald in 2006, and the character finally hit the public domain in 2023.
Favreau is writing and producing the project under Walt Disney Studios, merging his expertise in live-action filmmaking and animation. This poor guy has been homed and rehomed so many times; hopefully this leads to something long-lasting. Welcome back home, Oswald.
Here's a first look at him in all his glory.
Tidbits:
The reunion is on. Both Lisa Kudrow and Mira Sorvino, nearly 30 years after the release of their ‘90s cult hit film Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion (1997), are back for a legacyquel, Romy & Michele 2. The comedy saw Sorvino and Kudrow as a pair of unaccomplished 29-year-olds who decide to fabricate successful careers in order to impress their former classmates at their 10th anniversary high school reunion. Tim Federle (creator: High School Musical: The Musical: The Series) will direct for 20th Century Studios. The original screenwriter, Robin Schiff (showrunner: Emily in Paris), is returning. Here’s their fun video of the pair from D23. Releasing in 2027.
Disney is still making original films. Hexed will follow a quirky teen (Hailee Steinfeld) and her overbearing mom as they discover her weirdness is actually a latent magical ability – sounds similar to 2022’s Turning Red, which also showcased a controlling mother and a child with powers. This is a formula Disney knows how to do. Walton Goggins has also been cast as a detachable-headed, goofy three-eyed green cat who acts as a companion. Jodie Foster voices the villainous Witch Queen Celeste. Release: Nov 25, 2026
Mini Tidbits:
From Jerry Bruckheimer’s lips: Johnny Depp is in talks to reprise his role as the swashbuckling Jack Sparrow in Pirates of the Caribbean 6. A script is in the works.
From the top of the Nielsen charts to the big screen. Bluey, the beloved animated dog with limitless energy, is getting a movie: The Bluey Movie. That’s no surprise, as Disney+’s Bluey show racked up 22.8bn watch minutes in the first half of 2026. The only show to go higher was Netflix’s Stranger Things. Releasing August 6, 2027. Trailer.
Kieran Culkin voices the lead character in Disney’s new animated film Clay. The film will turn the cliché of a “Disney Mentor” on its head, with Culkin as a sleazy, irresponsible mentor who runs away from his student… who is made of clay. Release date: Nov 2028.
The Imagineering Story S2. This documentary follows the Disney-branded “Imagineers”, who are responsible for creating the Disney theme park experiences and how their research ushered in numerous technical innovations. Release Date: 2028
Percy Jackson & the Olympians S3. Known to fans as the first shift to a darker, more mature tone in the series, The Titan’s Curse will showcase Percy Jackson as he deals with real dangers and the themes of grief for the first time. Release date: November 20th. Trailer.
Disney+ has announced a new anime series, Kingdom Hearts, based on the popular video game series.
PIXAR
Two sequel updates:
Incredibles 3.
Synopsis:
Set weeks after the previous film, Violet and Dash seek independence from their parents while Jack-Jack’s powers spiral out of control. The family must unite to face a supervillain with abilities surpassing them all.
Pete Docter shared:
“They will face off against a supervillain more powerful than the entire family.”
Peter Sohn is directing Incredibles 3, with Brad Bird writing and producing. Bird, who directed the first two films, had to step back due to commitments on Ray Gunn with Skydance.
First look photo above. Release date: June 16, 2028
Coco 2
Synopsis:
Set a few years after the first film. The story follows the lead character, Miguel, now a teenager. Ernesto de la Cruz (Benjamin Bratt) is back for revenge, sending Miguel on an adventure back to the Land of the Dead.
Releasing November 2029. First look.
MARVEL
The biggest announcement of D23 was Marvel’s X-Men. The cast has been set.
Sadie Sink as Jean Grey
Kit Connor as Cyclops
Christopher Abbott as Professor Charles Xavier
Samara Weaving as Emma Frost
Inde Navarrette as Rogue
Maya Boyd as Storm
Adam Driver as Mister Sinister
As you can see from the cast, this will probably be one of the youngest live-action versions of X-Men we’ve seen.
Christopher Abbott as Professor X will likely be a mature mentor figure given his age difference from the other X-Men, similar to Patrick Stewart in the original franchise. Abbott will be great for this; he has a calm and collected wisdom that he doesn’t always get to exude, as he mostly plays hyperbolic roles. But just remember when he comes back in the later seasons of HBO’s Girls, he’s calm and collected and controls the room.
The casting for the villain feels terrific, with Adam Driver playing the long-awaited and thoroughly teased Mister Sinister, who will be making his big-screen debut. He has the charisma and intensity for the X-Men arch-nemesis.
Inde Navarrette was expected to play Mystique, but was announced as Rogue. She’ll be perfect for playing the lonely mutant who hides a deep vulnerability behind her confident attitude. The original Rogue was played by Anna Paquin (meeting Wolverine clip). We know that Navarrette will have no problem taking on what every X-Man excels at: moving from friendly to terrifying. I’m still having nightmares about her performance in Obsession.
Hugh Jackman likely won’t be back for Wolverine, so let’s see who they cast.
Releasing May 5, 2028.
Mini Tidbits:
Avengers: Doomsday trailer showcases Doom’s menacing powers, controlling the Sentinels who hunted down mutants to the brink of extinction.
The WandaVision trilogy is coming to an end with VisionQuest. We see Vision trying to get in touch with who he was before being reborn. We also get to see a human version of the supervillain Ultron (James Spader), marking his return to the live-action series since 2015. Cast: Paul Bettany, James Spader, Ruaridh Mollica. Release: Oct 14
STAR WARS
Star Wars: Starfighter
Release Date: May 28, 2027
Cast: Ryan Gosling, Flynn Gray, Matt Smith
Taking place almost five years after the events of Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker, Star Wars: Starfighter is going to be the furthest point in the main Star Wars film timeline. This will be original, uncharted territory for everyone. Director Shawn Levy knows how to make an entertaining buddy movie – let’s see if it can bring the Force back to the franchise’s film side, which has received mixed reviews from the fans.
Ahsoka S2
Release Date: Jan 20, 2027
Cast: Rosario Dawson, Hayden Christensen
Ahsoka S2 features Hayden Christensen as Anakin Skywalker. From the trailer, we can see that the series will show a younger Ahsoka training with Anakin as well as Grand Admiral Thrawn launching a full-scale attack on the Rebel Alliance.
THE SIMPSONS
Simpsons 2 movie? D’oh, yeah! The New Simpsons Movie, a sequel to The Simpsons Movie (2007), is set for release on September 3rd, 2027. The first film made $536.4M on a $75M budget and was the third-highest-grossing animated film that year. The show is heading into its 38th season.
Written by Tony Jaeyeong Jeong and Gabriel Miller.
Editor: Gabriel Miller.
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