By Hannah Wolke, Staff Writer 

From Aug. 14 – 16, the ultimate Disney experience, D23, kicked off in Los Angeles. D23 was established to announce and promote new Disney content, creating a unique fan-engaging experience at the Anaheim Convention Center where famous actors, directors, producers and animators will showcase Disney projects to an audience full of fans.  

From featured sneak peeks to new movies to new rides at the Disney Parks, D23 was nothing short of magical. 

“I’m really excited for the new ‘Gatto’ movie they announced; it has such a unique art style. It almost looks like a painting in Italy,” junior theatre major Anna Meister said. 

“Gatto” is a lot of what the young adult generation is excited about from D23 this year because of its sense of nostalgia. Pixar is bringing a hand-painted cat from Italy on some adventures in Venice. 

Walt Disney World in Florida is getting a new realm specifically geared toward villains such as Cruella De Vil, Maleficent and many more from favorite classic princess movies. 

Disney also announced that “Coco 2” will be coming to theaters in 2029, but they will also be releasing “Kingdom Hearts 4,” a “Coco” themed update to the initial video game coming to most gaming platforms in 2027. A “Fortnite” and “Star Wars” collaboration is already on the same platforms as of Aug. 16.   

However, Disney fans wanted to know about the new movies coming out in the next few years, and “Frozen 3” was a huge announcement that made everyone excited. They premiered a short trailer in front of fans that previewed what Elsa and her family will have to face in the upcoming film. The villain is stated like Elsa’s original design. 

Marvel also brought out the cast of their updated “X-Men” franchise coming in May 2028. This included well known faces like Kit Conner as the new version of Cyclops and Sadie Sink as Jean Gray, who debuted the role in “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” this past summer. Marvel fans are nervous about the new trend Marvel is taking with bringing all the “X-Men” characters back and making it their main focus.  

“Zootopia 3” is also in development with a new look and a lot of birds and feathers. It seems to be a trend to discover a new type of animal subcategory in each movie. 

“I’m not too excited about the other things just because I’m not a huge sequels person especially when I feel like they aren’t needed and more just cash grabs,” Meister said. 

“Clay” and “Hexed” are completely new movies that are not in the sequel epidemic. “Clay” will star Kieren Culkin from “Succession” and is set in a magical forest full of fantastical creatures, a company representative said at the conference. “Hexed” is geared to come to cinemas this Thanksgiving break and follows a girl with secret magic abilities.  

“Star Wars: Starfighter” got its moment on stage as well with a release date coming this May with actor Ryan Gosling. This movie is anticipated to give people an older “Star Wars” type vibe without as many lightsabers. During D23 it was revealed that Gosling will be playing Kade Auberon An exclusive sneak peek was also played for the fans. The trailer for “Ashoka” its second season trailer was also released. 

Many fans were also surprised to see that “The Greatest Showman” will come to the West End at Theatre Royal Drury Lane this coming spring. 

There were so many more announcements such as Disney Tokyo rides coming soon, a “Simpsons” Movie, “Incredibles 3” and a “Bluey” movie with a new art style. Disney made huge announcements at this conference and fans are excited for new and familiar franchises.