Disney came to D23 ready to remind fans why the company’s biggest showcase remains one of the most unpredictable events in entertainment.
This year’s Disney Entertainment Showcase delivered major Marvel casting, new Star Wars footage, surprising video game news and a deep cut from Disney history that probably had longtime fans doing a double take.
Here are some of the biggest announcements from the showcase.
One of the biggest surprises of the entire presentation was the reveal that Coco will be part of Kingdom Hearts IV. Seeing Miguel and Hector appear in the game was enough to send fans into a frenzy, especially because Pixar’s Coco has been one of the most requested worlds for the franchise. The footage showed Sora exploring the colorful world of the film, making the announcement feel much bigger than a simple character cameo.
For a series that has spent years bringing together Disney and Pixar characters with Square Enix creations, Coco feels like a surprisingly natural fit. Still, seeing it actually happen was probably the last thing many fans expected walking into D23.
Marvel Studios also ended years of speculation by revealing the main cast of its upcoming X Men movie. Sadie Sink will play Jean Grey, Kit Connor is Cyclops, Samara Weaving is Emma Frost, Inde Navarrette is Rogue, Maya Boyd is Storm and Christopher Abbott is Professor X. Adam Driver will play Mister Sinister. The film is scheduled for May 5, 2028, and will be the first X Men movie made as part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
That makes this announcement especially important. The X Men have been a major part of Marvel history for decades, but this is the first time the franchise is officially being built into the MCU from the ground up.
Marvel also gave fans a much better look at VisionQuest, unveiling the full trailer during the showcase. The series follows Vision as he attempts to rebuild his life and understand what comes next after the events of WandaVision.
The trailer gives the upcoming series a more complete identity and offers plenty for Marvel fans to dig into, especially with the return of Paul Bettany as Vision. After years of questions surrounding the character’s future, finally seeing a full trailer makes VisionQuest feel much closer to becoming the next major chapter of the WandaVision story.
Then there was Oswald. For casual Disney fans, this might have seemed like one of the more random announcements of the night. For Disney historians, it was a huge deal. Oswald the Lucky Rabbit was created by Walt Disney in the 1920s and was effectively the character that led to Mickey Mouse. Walt lost the rights to Oswald after a contract dispute, forcing him to create a new character that he could actually own. That character became Mickey.
The Oswald preview was one of the more unexpected highlights of Disney’s Entertainment Showcase at D23, giving attendees their first real look at the upcoming series. Jon Favreau took the stage to introduce the project, which is being developed as a live action and animated hybrid series.
Two Packs of Oswald Cards given away at D23. Photo by The Knockturnal
The footage shown to the audience leaned into that unusual format, moving between the real world and Oswald’s hand drawn, 2D animated world. The concept centers on Oswald being brought into the modern world, where he encounters a middle school boy and his friends. The contrast between the classic cartoon character and the live action environment gives the series a chance to preserve Oswald’s original visual identity while placing him in a completely different setting.
For fans in the room, the presentation also came with a physical piece of Oswald history. Attendees were given packs of collectible Oswald cards following the showcase. The packs featured different images of the iconic Disney character, giving fans something tangible to take home after seeing the exclusive preview.
Disney eventually reacquired Oswald from Universal in 2006, but he has remained a relatively obscure part of the company’s history. Now, Disney is giving him a new series that mixes live action with traditional 2D animation. That makes the project feel like a genuine celebration of where Disney came from.
Ryan Gosling also took the stage to show off Star Wars: Starfighter, directed by Shawn Levy. The movie is set five years after The Rise of Skywalker and introduces an entirely new story and characters rather than returning to the Skywalker family.
The timing might be the coolest part. Starfighter arrives May 28, 2027, almost exactly 50 years after the original Star Wars opened in theaters on May 25, 1977.
That gives the movie a pretty fitting place in the franchise’s anniversary year. After decades of sequels, prequels and familiar characters, Disney is using the 50th anniversary to introduce audiences to a completely new corner of the galaxy.
Taken together, the best D23 announcements showed Disney looking in several directions at once. There were massive new franchises, unexpected crossovers and even a rabbit from the company’s earliest days. That mix is exactly what made this year’s showcase so much fun.
