Every two years, The Walt Disney Company puts out an exposition event for their official fan club. They call it D23 Expo, the ultimate Disney fan experience. It’s basically a Comic-Con for Disney freaks. It’s when the multimedia giant announces its projects for the upcoming years and offers visitors unique experiences.
This year, the event took place on August 23-25 in Anaheim, California. And now, we bring you all the important details from D23 Expo 2019. Let’s take a look at all of the awesome things coming to the parks, the stores, the big screen, and more info on Disney+.
Disney Store goes to Target
Target stores will now have Disney Store sections! The first 25 locations will open in October and 40 more will open next year. The Disney Store at Target will offer games, costumes, accessories, and toys, some of which were exclusively sold at Disney retail locations. The collections will feature items from all your Disney favorites, including Pixar, Star Wars, and Marvel.
What’s coming to the Disneyland Resort?
The Disney Parks have exciting news! In California, Disneyland Park is getting a new parade called Magic Happens. It will feature all-time favorites, from Mickey Mouse to characters from Coco, and a new song performed by Jordan Fisher. The other park in the resort, Disney California Adventure, is also getting an immersive Marvel area called Avengers Campus. The land will include Disney’s first ride-through Spider-Man attraction and encounters with tons of other heroes.
Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway is coming to both coasts! The attraction will take park guests on a journey inside the world of Mickey Mouse cartoon shorts with a surprising twist. It will be at Disneyland Park in California and Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Florida.
What’s coming to Walt Disney World?
Walt Disney World’s Epcot is getting an incredible transformation in the next few years. The entrance is getting a whole new look that pays homage to Walt Disney and the concept of the park. And its two lands are becoming four. But each will be filled with innovative experiences that celebrate curiosity, wonder, and the magic of possibility.
The park is also getting a lot of new things. A fan favorite is the new Mary Poppins-themed area. It will be in the United Kingdom pavilion in World Showcase, an area that celebrates different cultures from around the world. And Disney Legend Dick Van Dyke himself went up on stage at D23 to announce this one.
The other parks in Florida’s Disney World are also seeing progress on attractions that were announced at the 2017 D23 Expo. Disney’s Hollywood Studios just opened a Star Wars-themed land on August 29. Magic Kingdom is getting an innovative Tron roller coaster. These are all part of the set of new experiences coming to the parks for the 50th anniversary in 2021.
What’s coming to the big screen?
Frozen 2 is also almost here! The sequel to the hugely successful movie will hit the theaters on November 22. The story will give insight into how Elsa got her powers and take us on a new adventure in Arendelle. And fans at D23 got to see a new, longer clip during a panel and everybody left wanting more.
And then there is the highly-anticipated final movie of the Star Wars sequel trilogy. Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker is coming to the big screen on December 20. D23 visitors got to see some sneaky footage first-hand, including action shots of the new trio and beloved character Leia Organa. We’re not about to give you any spoilers, but judging from the clip, the movie looks amazing!
Following the success of previous live-action movies, Disney has three more titles on the way. Crowds at D23 got to see exclusive footage from Mulan, which premieres next March. The longer clip gives us a better look into what the movie will be like. The scenery and fight scenes look equally breathtaking. The Cruella de Vil prequel movie, starring Oscar-winner Emma Stone, also got a first-look and a peek into the set. Another upcoming title is Jungle Cruise, a movie based on the theme park ride of the same name.
Disney+: what we know so far
The Walt Disney Company owns some of the biggest studios, TV channels and movie franchises we know and love. That includes not only the Walt Disney Studios, but also Pixar Animation Studios, 20th Century Fox, Lucasfilm, Marvel Studios and so much more. Disney+ will be the company’s video-on-demand service, and it will offer most of the films and series they have put out over the years.
In addition to that, some brand new series will premiere with the platform. The Mandalorian will take place five years after Return of the Jedi and will follow a lone bounty hunter in the outer reaches of the Star Wars galaxy. Disney also announced an Obi-Wan Kenobi series starring prequel actor Ewan McGregor. The concept will fall between the prequel and original trilogies, eight years after Revenge of the Sith.
Marvel is also getting a whole lot of shows. She-Hulk, Ms. Marvel, Moon Knight, WandaVision and Loki are all currently in development and will be released on Disney+ in the next few years.
Also coming to the streaming platform are the new Lizzie McGuire series (yep, starring Hilary Duff!) and High School Musical: The Musical: The Series. The latter will focus on a group of teenagers as they rehearse their high school musical which will be… You got it, High School Musical. So, besides giving us classic movies and new shows, Disney+ will also go big on early 2000’s nostalgia.
Disney+ will complement ESPN+ and Hulu. And there is already a countdown for its November 12 release online.
