Disney and Pixar unveiled a huge slate of animated movies on Friday at the D23 Expo — including new soon-to-be classics and sequels to old favorites.
Access was on the scene and here are our five favorite standout moments from the jam-packed panel that featured the best in animation and some major stars!
.@TheRock is backstage at #D23Expo! #Moana ðŸÅÅ pic.twitter.com/9GR9xPW9OA
— Walt Disney Studios (@DisneyStudios) August 15, 2015
The Rock at D23: Dwanye Johnson made a surprise appearance to promote the upcoming “Moana,” which is set in the South Pacific 2000 years ago. The story will focus on how a young girl inspires her people to once again embark on exploration. The Rock, who is playing demigod Maui told the crowd,”I had a goal, and the goal was to be in the Disney family. For me to be standing here today with these incredible film makers, my girlfriend and daughter — it’s my daughter’s birthday, and they’re both here. It’s such a cool moment. What makes it so cool is this story of Moana. I feel a deep connection to it, it’s my culture. I am proudly half-Samoan, half-black. It’s in my blood. To tell a story inspired by the South Pacific is truly a great honor.”
#Moana sails into U.S. theaters on Nov. 23, 2016. #D23Expo pic.twitter.com/Y9bdIz1g6n
— Disney Animation (@DisneyAnimation) August 14, 2015
READ: Johnny Depp Makes Surprise D23 Appearance
The ocean’s full of surprises. Meet Hank the cantankerous Octopus, voiced by Ed O’Neill. #FindingDory #D23EXPO pic.twitter.com/cb3lvur5nu
— Disney (@Disney) August 15, 2015
Ellen DeGeneres & “Finding Dory”: The sequel to “Finding Nemo” got plenty of love from the fans as they showed clips and brought many of the voice stars to the stage, including Ellen DeGeneres (Dory), Ed O’Neill (Hank, an Octopus with only seven tentacles) and Ty Burrell (Bailey, a beluga whale, who thinks he has an injured head) The filmmakers said of the story, “The heart of ‘Finding Dory’ is the very title, taking our shortcomings and seeing how they define us as individuals.”
Red alert! New #InsideOut short “Riley’s First Date?” makes its world premiere at #D23EXPO. pic.twitter.com/Gd1QtJJULT
— Disney (@Disney) August 15, 2015
“Inside Out” D23 Exclusive: Fans were treated to a very special first look at “Riley’s First Date,” a short film from the world of “Inside Out.” Not only did the short film have the crowd laughing, it managed to bring up all of those trademark “Inside Out” emotions — lots of them. The short film will appear on the full-length film’s Blu-ray and digital release.
WATCH: An Inside Look At Pixar’s ‘Inside Out’
In #GoodDino, Arlo faces his fears and rowdy T-Rexes, voiced by AJ Buckley, Anna Paquin, and Sam Elliott. #D23EXPO pic.twitter.com/S8JJA6DApN
— Disney (@Disney) August 15, 2015
New exciting originals: D23 gave a slew of new animated films the spotlight including, “The Good Dinosaur” (about a talking dino and his pet human boy) “Gigantic” (Disney’s version of “Jack and the Beanstalk”), “Zootopia” (a world where animals live like humans) and “Coco” (a movie about Dia de la Muertos). All films wowed the crowd and had people cheering!
We are thrilled to announce that #Gigantic, inspired by “Jack and the Beanstalk,” opens in theatres in 2018! #D23Expo pic.twitter.com/cDJarij2sf
— Disney Animation (@DisneyAnimation) August 14, 2015
“Toy Story 4”: Woody and Buzz and all your favorite toys are back for another installment! Disney newcomers Will McCormack and Rashida Jones, who will be penning the script, were on hand of the big event.The film is a love story between Woody and Bo Peep, which will be the first love story in the “Toy Story” world. Director John Lasseter called the film, “a very emotional story, and really fun.”
— Jesse Spero
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