What if you could talk to animals and understand what they’re saying?

That’s the premise behind Disney and Pixar’s all-new feature film Hoppers, in theaters March 6. In the animated comedy, directed by Daniel Chong, scientists at Beaverton University discover how to transfer human consciousness into lifelike robotic wildlife, allowing people to communicate with animals as animals. They call this process “hopping.”

But, as Dr. Sam explains in the film, “This is not like Avatar!”

For the filmmakers, it was important to establish ground rules — “pond rules,” rather — about the differences between animals and humans, as well as the mechanics of “hopping.”

“We wanted to dig into nature and be honest about how intense it can be,” screenwriter Jesse Andrews said. “Early on, we had conversations about, ‘If we’re going to do another animated movie about animals, how can we make it different? What territory feels relatively unexplored?’ Instead of conceiving animals that are simply furry people, we tried to keep them as animalistic as possible, while still making them funny, relatable, and identifiable.”

Enter Mabel Tanaka (voiced by Piper Curda), a passionate, 19-year-old animal lover who is outraged to discover that Mayor Jerry Generazzo (voiced by Jon Hamm) plans to build a new stretch of highway through the tranquil glade she frequented with her grandmother. If she can repopulate the glade with a keystone species, she can thwart Mayor Jerry’s plans — but that’s easier said than done. So, Mabel uses Dr. Sam’s top-secret technology to “hop” her mind into the body of a robotic beaver. Now part of the animal world, Mabel befriends the jovial beaver King George (voiced by Bobby Moynihan), leader of the pond and king of the mammals, who shares three simple rules that help keep nature in balance:

• Pond Rule No. 1: “Don’t be a stranger.”
• Pond Rule No. 2: “When you gotta eat, eat.”
• Pond Rule No. 3: “We’re all in this together.”

According to producer Nicole Paradis Grindle, “We didn’t want [the animal characters] to feel like humans in animal suits, and that’s often what storytelling with animals involves. That’s where Pond Rule No. 2 comes from: ‘When you gotta eat, eat.’ We had to address that issue; animals do eat other animals, which makes sense when you explain it as a way of coexisting. I also love that all the animals are really benevolent. Per Pond Rule No. 1, if you know someone’s name, it’s hard to be mad at them. It’s hard to be mad at Diane [a shark, voiced by Vanessa Bayer]. She’s just doing her job. Once you know her name, she’s nice. That’s true of human society. If you get to know individuals, there may be some things that they have to do in order to survive that you might not agree with — but give ’em a chance.”

Indeed, many of the animals — King George included — subvert Mabel’s expectations, forcing her to reconsider who they are and how they interact. “King George is in charge, but he’s not, like, a true king; he doesn’t believe he should rule over all,” Moynihan said. “He believes that everyone should be equal. He might be naïve, but he is a good beaver.”

Human Nature

Mabel cares for creatures big and small, but she occasionally loses patience with people. So, while it’s easy for her to empathize with the little guys… Mayor Jerry? That’s a tall order, especially for a beaver. “Mabel is a spitfire,” Curda said. “She wants to make the world a better place, and she’s frustrated with all the things that are stopping her from doing that.”

Conversely, Mayor Jerry “is a very happy guy,” Hamm said. “He’s very good at his job. He’s well-loved by his constituents. He loves his gig. He loves family. You think, ‘OK, this guy has probably got a lot of great ideas.’ Unfortunately, one of them is diametrically opposed to [Mabel’s].” And yet, in some ways, they’re two sides of the same coin. “The arc of their journey is very similar, just from opposite directions,” Hamm explained. “The good thing about that is that they both come to understand that they’re part of a bigger community.”

It takes a while for either of them to realize that, of course.

Early on, as a beaver, Mabel successfully rallies the leaders of various animal councils, which includes King George, Bird King (voiced by the late Isiah Whitlock Jr.), Amphibian King (voiced by Steve Purcell), Fish Queen (voiced by Ego Nwodim), Reptile Queens (voiced by Nichole Sakura), and Insect Queen (voiced by Meryl Streep). But getting them to see Mayor Jerry as a major, imminent human threat is more difficult than she predicted.

“I think her biggest surprise is their lack of outrage, because she is filled with so much rage at the injustices that have been put towards this community of animals,” Curda said. “She’s expecting them to also be filled with that rage, and they’re just… not. They’re just kind of happy to be there and making it work. I think that confuses her for a little bit, but she does end up learning from that — because rage can’t be the only thing fueling your fight, you know? There’s got to be something else in there. There’s got to be a little compassion, there’s got to be a little understanding. She definitely learns that from George, for sure.”

According to director Daniel Chong, “Thematically, the movie is about questioning power. Mabel has no power. Jerry has all the power… But when Mabel hops, she enters a world where she suddenly has some power. Once she goes to the council, she gets even more power. Then the question becomes: ‘Once you have that power, what do you do with it?’ We combat some of the heaviness of all that through comedy. We’re having fun with the absurdity of the situation, with all these wild characters who have interesting personalities.”

Another major theme in Hoppers is “the importance of connection,” Andrews noted.

“Because this is about nature now, in this present moment, I knew this story would also be about change,” Andrews said. “Mabel is finding her way through it. It makes the movie emotionally richer.”

Lush Landscapes

Just as rich as the storytelling are the settings, which required multiple departments to collaborate and develop an all-new technological pipeline. The natural world can create a lot of visual noise, so to find the right balance, the lighting and effects artists created a custom workflow that allowed them to put brushstrokes on their models. This, in turn, allowed them to simplify backgrounds without losing the rich texture of the environments.

“The natural world environment is so visually complex,” visual effects (VFX) supervisor Beth Albright said. “There’s so much detail — and it’s beautiful — but it’s a lot. If you put characters into that, and they’re moving, it’s hard to focus the eye. It’s too much to look at.”

Paradis Grindle elaborated, saying, “We had these very stylized characters, and they needed to fit into a natural world that can’t be busy. We wanted to give people the feeling of being in nature without the harsh reality of what a 3D environment can look like. Ultimately, it was about the emotion. We wanted people to feel relaxed, to feel connected, and we wanted the characters to pop in that. We wanted your eye always to follow the characters.”

Once the “cute, chubby, and fuzzy” character designs were done, Albright said, they were able to home in on getting the settings right. “We needed everything to speak the same visual language,” she said. “We also needed to maintain the scale of nature, because if you simplify things too much — or if you make things too cartoony — you can lose the stakes.”

To ensure each environment had “an artistically tactile, handcrafted look,” the compositing, lighting, modeling, shading, and VFX teams collaborated to create the new technological workflow. “I think the quickest way to figure out how to do something crazy is to tell someone smart that they can’t do it,” Albright said. “All of a sudden, things are happening!”

Once completed, they were able to take each individual leaf, turn it into a point, and then replace it with a painted brushstroke. “We’re preserving all that really saturated, really vibrant color detail, and all the shading and lighting work that went into it, and then putting an artistic texture on it,” Albright said. “Ultimately, that helps to ‘quiet’ the setting.”

All that effort was worth it, according to Hamm.

“I’m really impressed with the incredible amount of artistry that went into making this, from the animation and the sound effects to the writing and directing,” Hamm said. “It’s a tremendous team effort. It took a long time to create this, but the proof is in the pudding.”

On Monday, April 27, in celebration of National Deaf History Month, Disney+ will proudly debut Disney Animation’s Songs in Sign Language, three animated musical sequences from recent Walt Disney Animation Studios features, newly reimagined and animated in American Sign Language (ASL).

Directed by veteran Disney animator/director Hyrum Osmond, the featured songs are “The Next Right Thing” from Frozen 2, “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” from Encanto, and “Beyond” from Moana 2. Osmond, along with producers Heather Blodget and Christina Chen, worked in collaboration with artistic director DJ Kurs and the team at Los Angeles’ Tony^® Award-winning Deaf West Theatre to create the new versions of these beloved songs. A special behind-the-scenes featurette will accompany the songs, taking viewers into the collaboration that made these reimagined songs possible.

Osmond led a team of more than 20 animators who worked with sign language reference expressly created for Disney Animation’s Songs in Sign Language. Kurs, artistic director for Deaf West Theatre, working with sign language reference choreographer Catalene Sacchetti, and a group of eight performers from Deaf West Theatre, carefully reimagined and choreographed lyrics into ASL by focusing on concepts and emotion instead of a word-for-word transcription.

“In the majority of cases, we created entirely new animation,” Osmond said. “There were a lot of adjustments that we had to do within the animation to be true to the original intention.”

Osmond, whose father is Deaf, cited two important reasons for wanting to do this project.

“One, sign language is one of the most beautiful ways of communication on Earth. If ever there was a medium to showcase sign language, it was animation,” Osmond said. “The other big reason for doing this project is to connect with the Deaf community. Growing up, I never learned sign language, and that barrier prevented me from really connecting with my dad. This reimagining of Disney Animation musical numbers helps bring down barriers and allows us to connect in a special way with our audiences in the Deaf community. I’m grateful that the Studio got behind making something so impactful.”

Kurs said, “When Hyrum approached me with a potential collaboration involving the integration of ASL into the fabric of Disney storytelling, it was an immediate ‘yes’ for us. Disney stories are the universal language of childhood. The chance to bring our language into that world was a historic opportunity to reach a global audience. Working on this project was very emotional. For so long, we have known and loved the artistic medium of Disney Animation. Here, the art form was adapting to us. I hope this unlocks possibilities in the minds and hearts of Deaf children, and that this all leads to more down the road.”

The world can’t get enough of Zootopia.

Released theatrically in November 2025, Walt Disney Animation Studios’ Zootopia 2 — starring Ginnifer Goodwin, Jason Bateman, and Ke Huy Quan; written and directed by Jared Bush; directed by Byron Howard; and produced by Yvett Merino — broke multiple box office records in its opening weekend. It went on to become the No. 1 domestic and international release of the year and the highest-grossing animated MPA film of all time. Beloved by audiences and critics alike, it is now nominated for Best Animated Feature at the 98th Academy Awards^®.

“It’s a great honor to be nominated,” said Howard. “It sounds cliché to say, but to be a part of the conversation is really great. It’s also been nice to get a chance to meet the other filmmakers from around the world and celebrate really great storytelling from a bunch of different, diverse sources.”

Getting to talk shop with living legends — as Merino did when she was sandwiched in between Steven Spielberg and Chloé Zhao during the 98th Oscars “Class Photo” last month — has been the cherry on top of a fruitful and promising awards season run. “I wanted to go out and buy a lottery ticket, because it was my lucky day!” Merino said. “It was such an honor to talk with them about their films, and for them to talk about our film.”

Outside of industry events, Merino said, “One of my favorite things is to get a text from a friend that says, ‘I just saw the movie! I loved it. It was so funny. It meant so much to me.’ Hearing from so many different people who’ve connected with the film has been amazing.”

In the Q&A below, Howard and Merino open up about their Zootopia 2 experience.

Before Zootopia 2 was released last year, you spoke about how you hoped audiences would receive the movie. Zootopia 2 just won a BAFTA Award and became the top-grossing movie of 2025 — and the Oscars are weeks away. How are you feeling now?

Byron Howard: The Oscars will be a big, glittery wrap-up for us on this wild Zootopia 2 journey. It’s been a joy doing this with Yvett and Jared; I absolutely love working with them.

What made seeing Zootopia 2 in theaters such an important communal experience?

Yvett Merino: The magic of the world of Zootopia is that it reflects our human world, but it’s not our human word; it’s the animal world. That allows people to come in with a sense of openness. Knowing that some people have seen this movie over and over again has been amazing, because they’ve built a community. People are seeing it in full theaters, and maybe they haven’t had that experience before. For some kids, this movie was the first time they’ve ever been inside a movie theater. Being able to laugh together with strangers — having that shared experience — is something truly magical that you only get in theaters.

Byron Howard: Yvett mentioned standing next to Steven Spielberg, and I’m so jealous of her, because growing up, Jared and I were really influenced by Amblin films — those great Spielberg films from way back when. Whether it was E.T., or one of the Indiana Jones films, or Close Encounters, you would go to the theater and experience those movies together. They gave you something to share and to talk about. Once home video became available, you had a way to experience it again and again. Movies are a way to bring people together.

Yvett and I were in Santa Barbara a couple of weeks ago, and they had 2,000 kids in a packed theater watching Zootopia 2, and their reactions made me cry. It was so amazing to see an audience so deeply invested in the movie and enjoying it so much. Those kids, who are probably 10 or 11, will have that for the rest of their lives to talk about. They will remember when they went and experienced that together. That’s amazing to be a part of.

With Zootopia 2 now available on digital and streaming March 11 on Disney+, fans can really take the time to appreciate some of the movie’s finer details. Which elements do you believe deserve a closer look?

Yvett Merino: We have no real-life reference for a place like the Marsh Market; that all comes from our artists and their imaginations. If you pause and look at the bite marks, for example, you’ll see how much work and thought went into creating that environment to make it look and feel like it’s been lived in for years. It’s just incredible to see all that detail.

Byron Howard: I just learned about Merino’s Café — yes, Yvett’s got a café in Marsh Market! The film is the most detail-packed movie that we’ve ever made, and the fact that people can now watch it in their homes, pause it, and walk up to the screen to look at the tiny details of this world is really, really remarkable. It is an incredibly immersive world, with thousands of characters and amazing environments. No matter where you put a camera, there’s a new story. I’m excited to hear from the public and see what else they might notice.

Zootopia is a world within a city. It’s an amazingly tempting challenge to show more of it, because the potential is endless. I think that’s why audiences love going back to it. To Yvett’s point, the detail and thought that our designers, technicians, filmmakers, and animators put into this movie is really unprecedented. They’re all giving 150%, all the time.

Hosted by Conan O’Brien, The Oscars will air live on ABC and stream live on Hulu on Sunday, March 15, at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT from the Dolby^® Theatre at Ovation Hollywood.

Every pixel of Avatar: Fire and Ash is a visual spectacle — right down to the bespoke costumes and accessories created by Oscar^® winner Deborah L. Scott, whose work in the groundbreaking film is nominated for Best Costume Design at the 98th Academy Awards^®.

“I was very surprised by this nomination,” Scott said. “My work on this film was outside the box. I’m really proud of the costume design branch of the Academy, because this nomination is proof that we can design costumes in all sorts of ways, in all sorts of places. That’s the most exciting thing — cracking the door open a bit. That’s what I’m proudest of.”

Scott is one of Disney Legend James Cameron‘s stalwart collaborators, having designed the costumes for Titanic (1997) before reuniting with him to work on Avatar (2009), Avatar: The Way of Water (2022), and Avatar: Fire and Ash (2025) — four of the most successful films of all time. Scott’s designs are singular, as her work in the Avatar franchise imaginatively and sinuously blends artistry with technology — a modus operandi that mirrors Cameron’s.

“Things have changed a lot,” Scott said. “With the first film, we were still figuring out a lot of the technology in real-time. That’s when it became clear that we needed to make physical samples. The VFX houses had a hard time with it; they would sort of shudder if you gave them a feather, or anything else that was soft. But they rose to the challenge. With the second film, the technology was better, so it was almost like, ‘Forget what we did before. Maybe there’s a cleaner, better way to do things — without sacrificing the design.’ We created a smoother pipeline to avoid troubleshooting with the VFX team down the line. That was important, because there were more costumes, and they were far more detailed.”

Impressive Improvement

Avatar: Fire and Ash is once again set on the moon Pandora, home to the Na’vi people. For this film, Scott and her team spent years developing intricate textiles, beading, and embroidery for nearly 1,000 costumes. While Scott’s designs were rendered digitally by Wētā FX, everything was fabricated as real, tangible items. In fact, midway through production, Scott improved efficiency by creating a “lending library” — a digital and physical archive of accessories, costumes, and props for the Wētā FX artists to reference.

“It can be hard for people to understand the design from just a drawing, which is why the initial concept was to make the costumes, and then we would put them into the digital pipeline. I would never dumb a design down; that’s not an option,” Scott said. “The only option is to create each piece to the best of my ability and then turn it over to the VFX artists and recreate it with them. I get to guide them in their process. With a real, actual sample, nothing is left to guesswork. Previously they’d receive an item, scan it, and photograph it — but the wonderful artists didn’t ever have the real thing in front of them.”

“So, I would go over to Wētā Workshop, and I would put the items on mannequins,” Scott continued. “I wanted the artists to see them, to feel them, to look at them — to really get the details down. If you’ve ever been in a workshop, or if you’ve ever made a garment, you know it’s a very particular process. We can have long discussions about the width of the seam or what kind of bead to use. I do the same thing with the digital artists, just in a different way. We discuss things like, ‘How does it move in the wind? How heavy is it? Does it press to the body or is there space?’ It’s a very detailed, very long, but rewarding journey.”

Ceaseless Creativity

Whereas Avatar introduced audiences to the rainforest-dwelling Omatikaya Clan and Avatar: The Way of Water introduced the shoreline-inhabiting Metkayina Clan, Avatar: Fire and Ash doubled the number of clan introductions. Part of Scott’s responsibility was to create clothing, accessories, and props that would distinguish the Tlalim Clan, aka the Wind Traders, and the Mangkwan Clan, aka the Ash People, from the two established Na’vi clans.

“I knew the two clans had to be remarkably different while still following the same rules of all the clans: they weave, they make their own garments, etc.,” Scott said. “You stay within the framework, so the real fun was getting to customize things based off of their stories.”

The Tlalim Clan “mostly flies around in a gondola,” she continued. “It’s a higher elevation, so it’s colder and windier. How did they cover up their bodies? In talking to Jim, I thought, ‘They’re happy-go-lucky. They travel around and spread gossip and bring wares, so they should be much more colorful.’ Then I thought, ‘What colors haven’t we done?’ I settled on some very saturated jewel tones. For their weaving, we loomed cloth; it has a lot of variations. My idea was, ‘When they’re up in the sky, what are they looking at? The sky, the clouds, the earth. What does it look like when they look down?’ I put that into the design.”

Meanwhile, the Mangkwan Clan — whose culture and lifestyle were dramatically altered after a volcanic eruption destroyed their home — have striking look inspired by their wrath.

“These are people who are really masochistic and sadistic,” Scott said. “We knew that the environments always play an important role in the costuming, and their environment is a burnt-out volcanic landscape. They have less materials. They’re not traveling around in a gondola collecting things; they’re living in a pretty yucky situation. Jim gave me the idea for the first headdress that Varang [Oona Chaplin] wears, as well as the idea of minimal clothing; that’s how many first peoples started. You’ll notice that in the supporting players — not with Varang so much, because she’s pretty high ranking and gets whatever she wants. These people don’t have a lot of time to make a lot of stuff, so they decorate their bodies, which is another incredibly common thing indigenous peoples do. The red color scheme, Jim was pretty set on. We talked a lot about, ‘Is it matte? Is it shiny? Is it granular? Is it ink? Is it paint?’ I started doing designs on paper of different ways to put stripes on the body. What does it mean? Does the lowest guy have one stripe? The masochism and the sadistic part comes in through the piercings and the scarification. It’s a way to show that their bodies — and their body ornamentation — are almost more important than clothing.”

For Scott, being able to play in the Avatar sandbox has been a dream come true.

“That’s the gift, right? You get to continually go to new places with Jim; he’s not doing a repeat,” Scott said. “We follow the characters through the script and think, ‘What’s the most exciting way to present this?’ The world’s our oyster. We can come up with anything.”

Hosted by Conan O’Brien, The Oscars will air live on ABC and stream live on Hulu on Sunday, March 15, at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT from the Dolby^® Theatre at Ovation Hollywood.

On an early morning in late January, the filmmakers behind Disney and Pixar’s Elio were over the moon to learn that the cosmic misadventure — about an 11-year-old boy who desperately wants to be abducted by aliens — had been nominated for Best Animated Feature Film at the 98th Academy Awards^®. It marks the second nomination for director Madeline Sharafian; the third for director Domee Shi, who previously won an Oscar^® for Bao (2018); and the first for director Adrian Molina and producer Mary Alice Drumm.

“It’s great that the Academy has recognized Elio,” Shi said. “Being nominated has almost given this movie a second life — a chance for even more people to discover it and enjoy it.”

And there’s plenty for people to discover, whether it’s their first or fiftieth time watching the movie. But, for Sharafian and Shi, its horror and sci-fi references rank high on their list.

“It was fun to start Elio off with the warm familiarity you get from a classic [Steven] Spielberg film and then twist it to surprise the audience,” Shi said. “I remember how much fun I had watching E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial [1982], but I also remember being scared by it, too. At Pixar, our films tend to make people cry or laugh, so we thought this could be a great opportunity to get some thrills, some tension, and some gasps out of the audience.”

“This movie is a love letter to the sci-fi movies we grew up with, and we put our own spin on the genre,” Shi continued. “We hope it can fit into the library of classic sci-fi films like Contact [1997] and E.T., or that it could even be like a kid’s introduction to John Carpenter.”

“Elio is step one,” Sharafian said. “A few more steps later, you can watch The Thing [1982].”

Because they “had never worked on anything sci-fi” prior to Elio, Sharafian said she and Shi rewatched “all the classic Spielberg movies” for inspiration. “There’s a nostalgic romance to them,” she said. “They’re about aliens and space, where things are unsettling but also beautiful, and I wanted to capture that feeling. All the settings on Earth were drawn from movies like E.T. and Close Encounters of the Third Kind [1977]. There’s something about watching those classics with a new eye that I enjoyed and tried to weave into our own film.”

Because Elio is an original story, it was important to “lay the track” for the audience by including familiar references, Shi said. “We wanted to get them settled in so that they expect one thing and then give them the exact opposite. In that sense, it was really helpful for us to draw on those sci-fi tropes and homages.”

However, Sharafian noted, they were mindful not to overstuff the movie with so many references that it might risk taking people out of the story. “Elio has a sort of pushed design, and the world is crazy. The audience needs something to rest their feet on. If it’s all psychedelic and wacky, if nothing makes sense and you don’t have anything to ground yourself, you can easily fall out of the movie.”

“The base of the story, which originally came from Adrian, is about a little boy who makes his first best friend in an alien. That E.T. core has always been there and has never changed,” Sharafian said. “As we began to flesh the story out, we weren’t itching to be like, ‘Let’s put The Thing in this scene.’ You’re just sort of searching for what the movie wants. You realize, ‘Oh, we need another clone scene. We’re a sci-fi movie. What do we both like? The Thing. Let’s draw upon what we love from that and make our own scene.’ It’s all about execution.”

Intergalactic Inspiration

When Elio calls out to the universe, the universe calls back.

But what should that call sound like?

“There’s something about Close Encounters‘ tone that makes you lean in; you want to know more, even if it’s a little unnerving and eerie,” Sharafian explained. “We wanted the first act of the movie to almost feel like a thriller, so that you’re wondering, ‘What is calling [to Elio]? Is it good or is it bad?’ When the spaceship finally arrives, you’re still sort of unsure.”

The directors worked with sound designer Jeremy Bowker to craft the perfect melody, which was influenced by the work Disney Legend John Williams did for Close Encounters of the Third Kind. “The first time Elio hears it, he only hears half of it, so it is a little ambiguous if it’s a friendly or not-so-friendly tone,” Shi said. “Jeremy played us many versions, and some sounded way too scary: ‘Don’t go to the light, Elio!’ We needed a melody that was simple, that you remember, that was mysterious, that was inviting. Once Elio finally arrives at the Communiverse, Rob Simonsen, our composer, takes Jeremy’s melody and finishes it.”

The Communiverse itself was inspired by The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy and The Muppets, Sharafian said: “There’s this absurdity, this silliness, but also this pompousness.”

Another trio of ’80s films — Richard Donner’s The Goonies (1985), Walter Murch’s Return to Oz (1985), Disney Legend Jim Henson’s Labyrinth (1986) — inspired some of the other story elements. “As kids, those films helped teach us how to power through scary moments, because there’s a reward at the end — like a cute little worm, who’s going to be your best friend,” Shi said, referencing Elio‘s Glordon. “You just have to power though all those teeth!”

Ultimately, Sharafian said, what makes the sci-fi and scary scenes “so amazing” is knowing “how many departments have to work in concert to make them happen, and how every single one of them has to take it farther than they usually go. We’re really lucky to work in a place where everybody can be together in the same room and hear the same notes and talk to each other in person. I think those scenes came together so well because of that.”

Cosmic Cast

Zoe Saldaña, who voices Elio’s Aunt Olga, has played aliens across the Avatar, Guardians of the Galaxy, and Star Trek franchises — and casting her in Elio was anything but coincidental.

“It’s all intentional,” Sharafian said with a laugh.

Star Trek’s Kate Mulgrew, who voices the museum exhibit narrator, is another such casting example. “My mom and I grew up watching Star Trek: Voyager,” Shi shared. “Being an immigrant, my mom really attached herself to Janeway, and I think she picked up on a lot of English from watching Voyager as well. That was a fun nod to the sci-fi I grew up with. Plus, Kate’s voice is so soothing but also so commanding. Of course, we have her talking about the Voyager 1 space probe. It’s a fun Easter egg for people who recognize her voice.”

From Disney Legend James Cameron‘s The Terminator (1984) to ALF (1986-1990), Elio contains plenty more references and Easter eggs — more than Sharafian or Shi can count. “Our graphics team heads most of that up. Domee and I were so focused on the story that a lot of Easter eggs were snuck into the movie without us even knowing about it,” Sharafian said. “We said to them, ‘We like Easter eggs. Go ahead!’ There is a PDF that has every single Easter egg listed, and I remember looking at it once and being like, ‘What? No way!’”

Hosted by Conan O’Brien, The Oscars will air live on ABC and stream live on Hulu on Sunday, March 15, at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT from the Dolby^® Theatre at Ovation Hollywood.

TRON: Ares, the electrifying next chapter in Disney’s TRON franchise, expands upon the legacy of its technologically groundbreaking predecessors TRON (1982) and TRON: Legacy (2010) by exploring what it means to be human when the digital and physical world collide.

In the video above, Francesca Scrimgeour, an archivist with the Walt Disney Archives, shares a closer look at the iconic costumes, helmets, and identity discs that have evolved with each story — and whose legacies live on in TRON: Ares. Plus, she recounts how the filmmakers drew inspiration from a visit to Walt Disney’s offices in Burbank, Calif.

“That’s our whole mission,” Scrimgeour said. “We want to collect, preserve, share, and make available for research all these incredible items that are historical to the Walt Disney Company.”

“There’s something very valuable about being able to get your hands on the actual assets and see the art up close,” Justin Springer, who produced TRON: Legacy and TRON: Ares, said. He added that the Archives’ collection helped the filmmakers “draw that connective tissue between the films that came before and the ones we’re making now and into the future.”

See TRON: Ares in theaters, and stream TRON and TRON: Legacy, only on Disney+.

As the Walt Disney Studios’ TRON: Ares enters theaters Friday, Disney invites audiences to experience the next chapter in one of its most visually daring and philosophically rich franchises.

Directed by Joachim Rønning (Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales and Maleficent: Mistress of Evil), this new installment in the TRON saga is a bold evolution of the digital universe first imagined in 1982, and revisited in 2010 with Tron: Legacy.

TRON: Ares introduces Ares (Jared Leto), a highly sophisticated Program who is sent from the digital world into the real world on a dangerous mission, marking humankind’s first encounter with A.I. (artificial intelligence) beings.

In the process, Ares encounters questions of identity, humanity, and purpose.

“For me, it’s the human factor and it’s about Ares and his journey and discovering what it means and what it takes to be human,” Rønning explained. “That’s the heart of the film.”

The film features an all-star cast, including Leto, Greta Lee, Evan Peters, Jodie Turner-Smith, Hasan Minhaj, Arturo Castro, Cameron Monaghan and Gillian Anderson.

Academy Award® winner Jeff Bridges returns in his iconic role as Kevin Flynn.

A Franchise Reborn

TRON: Ares came at the ideal time to be relevant to audiences.

“What a perfect time for the TRON world to be revisited,” Bridges said at D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event last year. “Or, I should say, for the digital world to visit us, because our plot does involve an A.I. program coming into the real world.”

Bridges added, “I think [audiences will] be surprised. I love it when you go to a movie with high expectations, and then those are exceeded — when the filmmakers have done something kind of magical. I’m hoping that’ll be the case with our film.”

Lee, who plays Eve Kim, echoed that excitement at D23: “The scope and the scale of everything — it’s this historic world. The franchise is over 40 years old, so to step into that and to have that as your playground, it’s so exciting. It’s so fun.”

The TRON franchise has always stood at the intersection of storytelling and technological innovation. With TRON: Ares, Disney continues to push cinematic boundaries while still honoring the legacy of its iconic franchise.

“You have to find that line,” Rønning said. “You have to keep the soul of [the franchise] intact and bring back some of the beloved things in the previous films. And then at the same time, you also need to elevate it. You have to bring it to the next chapter. And that’s what we did.”

Transcendent Technology

True to its roots, TRON: Ares is a technological marvel. Rønning and his team embraced a hybrid approach, blending practical effects with cutting-edge digital artistry.

Working with Disney made that possible for Rønning, who has previously directed three other films with the studio.

“You can actually go out and do this [when] you have some of the best crew, film crews, and people in the industry and the designers and the technical crews, that they can make it happen,” he says.

Rønning noted that Disney was able to facilitate world-class film crews to help bring his vision to life. One particular sequence that benefited from that is a pulse-pounding lightcycle chase through the streets of Vancouver, where Programs from the Grid invade the human world.

“We shut down downtown Vancouver for six weeks of nights, and then we built the real lightcycles and other vehicles… I think you can really feel it in the film that we went to that extent to try and do as much of it as possible for real,” Rønning said.

The film also marks a milestone collaboration with Industrial Light & Magic (ILM), the legendary visual effects house.

“Working with ILM is a lifelong dream,” Rønning shared. “It was such a privilege to have that expertise in our film and to blend the practical effects with the CG [computer generated] effects… There’s still 2,000 VFX shots in the film. So, it’s very massive, but it’s all about the story.”

One of the film’s most innovative techniques involves motion-controlled robotic camera arms used to shoot scenes on the Grid — the iconic game simulation environment created by Bridges’ character inside a computer mainframe that has evolved over the course of the franchise into an expansive virtual universe.

“I like the idea of like a computer filming Ares, who is also a program,” Rønning explained. “So, I think you can feel that somehow in the movie that everything on the grid is very controlled, very precise.”

Soundscapes of the Grid

Music has always been integral to the TRON experience, and TRON: Ares continues that tradition with a score crafted by Oscar® winners Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross from Nine Inch Nails.

“I think that they are two of the best movie composers of our time,” Rønning said. “They did this under the Nine Inch Nails banner. It’s their band, so I was very respectful of that… I also wanted to have this be their voice. That was very important for me.”

The collaboration proved to be both artistically rich and personally rewarding. “They just elevate every scene they touch,” Rønning added. “It was a great collaboration.”

A Theater-First Experience

TRON: Ares is unapologetically designed for the big screen.

“Cinema is my art form,” Rønning affirmed. “And I think why I keep coming back to these big movies is that they… have a real chance of seeing the insides of a theater. Because that’s where I want my films to be seen.”

He continued, “When it comes to TRON, it’s such a cinematic universe and it lends itself to the big screen, and the bigger the better. And the sound and the music and all of that comes together. Also, just the sheer technical quality of it is something that belongs on the big screen. It’s very, very immersive.”

Experience TRON at Disney Parks

Fans of the TRON franchise can immerse themselves in the digital frontier at Disney parks through the exhilarating TRON Lightcycle / Run attraction in Tomorrowland at Magic Kingdom Park within Walt Disney World Resort, and at TRON Lightcycle Power Run at Shanghai Disney Resort.

As part of the celebration surrounding the upcoming film TRON: Ares, the attractions currently feature a limited-time overlay inspired by the new movie, offering guests a thrilling new way to experience the Grid. With cutting-edge visuals and storytelling enhancements, this update invites guests to join the next chapter of TRON and race through a world where the boundaries between reality and the digital realm blur.

Expansive Deal Includes First-Look Relationship with Rundell’s Production Company, Impossible Films

Rundell to Pen and Develop Theatrical Feature Film Screenplays for First Two Books in Blockbuster Fantasy Series

The Walt Disney Studios has acquired rights to acclaimed British writer Katherine Rundell’s award-winning and critically celebrated fantasy series, Impossible Creatures. The series which debuted in 2023 and is set in the fictional world of the Glimouria Archipelago, has quickly become a publishing phenomenon. The most recent installment, The Poisoned King, debuted as an immediate global bestseller making Rundell the first U.K. children’s author since J.K. Rowling to simultaneously reach the No. 1 position on the children’s book charts in both the U.K. and the U.S. To date, Rundell’s full body of work has sold more than four million copies worldwide, and in 2024 she was awarded both ‘Author of The Year’ and ‘Children’s Book of The Year’ at The British Book Awards.

Initially envisioned as a trilogy, Rundell expanded Impossible Creatures to a five-book series earlier this year in two major seven-figure publishing deals with Bloomsbury and Knopf. The first two books have already sold over one million copies across 34 territories, and Rundell is in discussions to further expand the franchise beyond the five-novel series.

As part of Disney’s expansive deal with Rundell and her production company Impossible Films, Disney has secured theatrical film and ancillary rights to the Impossible Creatures series, with Rundell central to the creative vision and development of the franchise. She will adapt the first two books into feature film screenplays under the Disney Live Action banner and produce alongside her creative partner Charles Collier. In addition, Impossible Films will begin a first-look development relationship with Disney that includes all of Rundell’s current and upcoming literary properties. Impossible Films will remain based in London and led by Rundell with a team that includes Collier, producer Alexandra Derbyshire and Simon Bax, former CFO of Pixar Animation Studios and President of Studio Operations at Fox.

Rundell’s transportive book series will join Disney’s legacy of groundbreaking storytelling and collaboration with visionary artists and filmmakers. With its richly imagined universe brimming with unique characters and endless possibilities, Impossible Creatures and the world of “Glimouria” are poised to captivate audiences for years to come.

“I’m absolutely thrilled to be linking arms with Disney. It’s a privilege to be writing these screenplays and developing these first movies in the franchise together with Charles, my team at Impossible Films, and with the exceptional team at Disney,” said Katherine Rundell. “I’m especially grateful to Bob Iger, whose enthusiasm after reading the book helped set this collaboration in motion, and to Alan Bergman and David Greenbaum for being incredible partners throughout this process. Our ambition is to build ‘Glimouria’ and Impossible Creatures into a spectacular series of films, so that we can entertain and inspire family audiences across the world.”

“When I read Impossible Creatures, I knew it belonged here at Disney. I was immediately drawn into the vibrant world Katherine imagined and the possibilities of what we could do together with this story,” said Bob Iger, CEO of The Walt Disney Company. “Written by Katherine herself, these movies are in the best of hands with our Walt Disney Studios team, and I can’t wait to see this tale brought to the screen.”

“Katherine Rundell has masterfully crafted a spectacular and immersive world with Impossible Creatures, and her vision is a perfect match for the Disney storytelling tradition,” said Alan Bergman, Co-Chairman, Disney Entertainment, The Walt Disney Company, and David Greenbaum, President, Disney Live Action and 20th Century Studios. “We are thrilled to collaborate with Katherine and Charles to bring this epic saga to life for audiences worldwide—it’s going to be an extraordinary adventure.”

Today, BBC Studios and Walt Disney Studios, in partnership with Ludo Studio, announced that the feature-length Bluey movie will be released in cinemas August 6, 2027.

Written and directed by creator Joe Brumm and produced by Ludo Studio in collaboration with BBC Studios, the CG-animated feature is produced by Amber Naismith and co-directed by Richard Jeffery (, Series 1–3). Joe Brumm is the executive producer, alongside Justine Flynn for BBC Studios, with Charlie Aspinwall and Daley Pearson from Ludo Studio. For Disney, the film will be overseen by David Greenbaum, president of Disney Live Action and 20th Century Studios, and his team.

The film features returning voice talent Melanie Zanetti and David McCormack as Mum (Chilli) and Dad (Bandit). The movie marks the big-screen debut of the beloved blue heeler and her family, bringing the Emmy® and BAFTA Award-winning series to life like never before.

BBC Studios is financing and licensing the picture with theatrical distribution through Walt Disney Studios. The film is being supported by the Australian government through the Producer Offset and Screen Australia, and support from the Queensland Government through Screen Queensland’s Post, Digital and Visual Effects Incentive.

For more information and movie updates, visit bluey.tv

Audiences have been riding a wave of nostalgia with Freakier Friday in theaters.

Not only does the beloved mother daughter duo of Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsey Lohan return to the silver screen as Tess and Anna Coleman, but Los Angeles also reprises its role as the iconic backdrop to the sequel of the 2003 cult classic.

In the Q&A below, Diane Sabatini, SVP, Physical Production, The Walt Disney Studios, shared more about how the unique charm of filming a project entirely in Los Angeles added to the film and how production brought it to life on screen.

Freakier Friday was filmed entirely in LA — what were some of the most unexpected or serendipitous moments that could only have happened in this city?

Having the proximity and access to such great locations proved especially meaningful to our storytelling. Two prime examples include featuring the original Coleman House and Eric Davies’ restaurant in the film.

We revisited the Coleman House from the 2003 film in the Pacific Palisades. The location team dove deep into our archives to track down the owners and fortunately they were amenable to filming there. We also used driving shots within the same neighborhood to add scope and scale.

While the home was immortalized through Freaky Friday and Freakier Friday, it was tragically lost in the wildfires that affected the LA area in January 2025. Thankfully, the owners of the home are safe.

The location for Eric’s restaurant in the film needed to be close to the Wiltern Theater for the final sequence. We were fortunately able to find one right down the street from the Theater; very few cities, if any, could have delivered that kind of proximity and authenticity.

From reuniting a cast after two decades to showcasing beloved Los Angeles landmarks, the heartbeat of this movie is nostalgia. How did you strike a balance between honoring the first film while introducing a fresh new perspective? How do you bring that vision to life through production?

It really was accomplished in many ways because of the depth and breadth of locations selected.

There were many discussions around which locations to use from the 2003 film, particularly the Coleman House and High School that Anna attended. Originally, the script included only 12 locations, and most were the interiors of the Coleman House. After 20 years, it would have been perfectly reasonable to have Tess move, but we felt it would be nice for fans to see the characters in some of their old environments.

Ultimately, the director’s vision shifted to reach beyond the familiar and expand to show parts of Los Angeles that you don’t usually see on the screen. What’s familiar are the beaches, Beverly Hills palm trees, the Hollywood sign — but we wanted to show a lot of the East Side: Echo Park, Los Feliz, Larchmont, South Pasadena, and Altadena.

The final concert scene was written to take place in a large concert venue like the Forum. We wanted the music venue to be iconic yet different, and the conversation became about the story of Ella — about who she is and her magnitude as a performer. Ultimately, the filmmakers chose the Wiltern because of its history, size and vibe, which met the filmmakers’ vision for Ella.

Can you describe what that experience was like for the cast and crew members who call LA home?

The film was met with so much enthusiasm and gratitude — not only because of the genuine nostalgia and affection people have for the title, but also because it arrived at a time when many crew members truly needed the work. It was meaningful on multiple levels, both personal and professional.

Lindsey Lohan had shared that the sequel ‘feels like a tribute’ to the areas impacted by the wildfires that swept through LA early this year, having shot a number of scenes in the Palisades and Malibu. How does featuring these specific California locations contribute to the film in a way that filming elsewhere might not have achieved?

In addition to the beautiful value these locations bring to the story, the film is an opportunity to document and commemorate those places. The Supervising Location Manager photographed many homes during initial scouting and later gave unused photos to several wildfire-affected families who he learned had no property documentation.

How many local vendors or small businesses did the production partner with during filming? Any particularly memorable collaborations with LA-based companies?

We estimate upwards of 150 vendors and businesses that provided goods and services over the course of pre-production and production including residential and commercial businesses that were used as practical locations.

LA remains a vital entertainment hub which gives filmmakers unfettered access to technicians and specialty camera equipment that might otherwise be out of reach financially or logistically if filming elsewhere. For example, the in-camera visuals for the switch scene were achieved working with a local camera support company whose technicians are based here and available at a moment’s notice. Production also hired the team from one of the leading camera vehicle companies, Allan Padelford. That is a level of technical expertise that is truly only available to us here in Los Angeles.

How do you make a body-swap comedy even freakier?

In Disney’s Freakier Friday, a sequel to the 2003 comedy classic, director Nisha Ganatra adds a multigenerational twist when Tess (Disney Legend Jamie Lee Curtis) and Anna (Lindsay Lohan) trade places again — only this time, they’re not trading with each other.

Twenty-two years later, Tess is now a successful psychologist who is about to embark on a book tour, while Anna has her hands full managing a famous pop star, Ella (Maitreyi Ramakrishnan), and being a single mom to 15-year-old surfer Harper (Julia Butters). When Anna meets Eric (Manny Jacinto), a single dad to 15-year-old fashionista Lily (Sophia Hammons), it’s love at first sight. But as they navigate the challenges that inevitably arise when two families merge, Anna and Tess soon learn that lightning can, in fact, strike twice.

“The whole concept of a body-swap comedy is, ‘Walk a mile in my shoes and then see the world through my eyes,’” Curtis said in the video, above. “And in our case, it’s four different perspective shifts.”

Although Curtis and Lohan had done it before, they — along with Butters and Hammons—agreed that learning each other’s mannerisms and quirks proved to be quite complex. “Of course I watched the original movie, but it was really about just observing one another, or even just hanging out [with each other],” Hammons said. “You can’t really rehearse that.”

Butters, who would rehearse her dialogue with Lohan, added, “There was a lot of work that I did, on- and off-screen. And even as we were filming, we were always finding new things.”

Curtis admitted it was “trickier” to play someone as prim and proper as Lily, who is “very body conscious and fashion-forward.” “Playing a [typical] teenager, all you have to do is slump. In my case, it’s a British teenager who’s very conscious of her image, so it’s subtler.”

Undeniable Chemistry

Ganatra said she signed onto the film for two reasons: “Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan.”

“It was a dream to direct those two,” she said. “I think something Disney does that is really special and unique is it brings this magic and this joy, and I just wanted to experience that.”

The “ultimate freakquel” also features Freaky Friday‘s Rosalind Chao, Chad Michael Murray, and Mark Harmon reprising their respective roles as Mama P, Jake, and Ryan. “It was so important to keep the world of the first movie alive, but also to make this a standalone film,” Ganatra said. “If you watch this movie and you don’t know anything, it still comes across as its own movie. But if you are a fan of the original movie, you’ll see easter eggs throughout, you’ll recognize the characters, and you’ll see how they’ve all grown together.”

Freakier Friday offers audiences even more of what they loved about the first movie, from Anna rocking out with her Pink Slip bandmates again to a ceaseless number of visual gags.

“I think whenever women can do physical comedy in a movie, it’s a plus,” Lohan said. “Look at someone like Lucille Ball, who was known for a lot of that. To be able to throw that into a movie, there’s nothing funnier.”

Butters added, “People are like, ‘She’s a delicate flower. Don’t let her get hurt.’ When it’s like, ‘No, I’m going to throw myself on this floor right now — and it’s going to be hilarious!”

As for performing with Pink Slip again in Freakier Friday, Lohan said, “It was very surreal, and really fun and exciting. There’s a different kind of energy when you have all of the Pink Slip band [back together], because we were so close making the first Freaky Friday. We all hung out together, all the time. To have a real reunion on set was such a beautiful thing.”

Fun for the Whole Family

To this day, Freaky Friday remains a career highlight for Curtis — an unexpected, last-minute role that bonded her to Lohan forever. And she counts Freakier Friday as another.

“The Disney combo is heart and humor. We know there’s a lot of humor, because it’s a body-swap comedy, right? But you have to match that with depth,” Curtis said. “It was really beautiful to watch these four artists, in these switched behaviors, find the depths of all of those realities. That’s really where the movie sings for me. That’s when I go, ‘Oh! Wow.’ You can make fun of my face all day long, but that alone is not going to satisfy you. And it was beautiful to watch these two very young people do it, as I watched Lindsay do it 22 years ago in the scene at Tess’ wedding dinner. I remember shooting it and thinking, ‘Oh! Wow.’”

When audiences see Freakier Friday in theaters, Lohan said, “I hope people get a feeling of love and togetherness and comfort. I hope they see how important it is to value your family, to understand each other, and to take the time to ask, ‘How are you feeling? Are you okay?’”

“I love multigenerational comedy. It’s the sweetest thing. I hope people see it with their moms, their daughters, their kids, and their friends,” Ganatra added. “The hope is that you walk away with a sense of joy… I hope it inspires people to stay a little closer to each other.”

Today, Walt Disney Studios announced that the filmed version of the original Broadway production of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Tony®, GRAMMY®, Emmy®, and Pulitzer Prize-winning musical Hamilton will open in theaters on September 5, 2025. Tickets are now available for purchase at Fandango and wherever tickets are sold.

The theatrical release of Hamilton expands upon the version available on Disney+ with the inclusion of “Reuniting the Revolution,” an exclusive special prologue to the film featuring all-new interviews with the original cast and creators as they reflect on the impact the show has had on their lives.

“When we filmed Hamilton, we wanted to try to capture the feeling of being in the Richard Rodgers Theatre during that first year on Broadway,” says director/producer Thomas Kail, “and we’re thrilled that audiences will now have the opportunity to experience it on the big screen.”

Hamilton will be released in theaters in the U.S., Canada, and Puerto Rico on September 5, the U.K. and Ireland on September 26, and Australia and New Zealand on November 13.

An unforgettable cinematic stage performance, the filmed version of the original Broadway production of Hamilton combines the best elements of live theater and film to create a thrilling experience. Hamilton is the story of America then, told by America now. Featuring a score that blends hip-hop, jazz, R&B, and Broadway, Hamilton has taken the story of American founding father Alexander Hamilton and created a revolutionary moment in theatre — a musical that has had a profound impact on culture, politics, and education.

Filmed at The Richard Rodgers Theatre on Broadway in June of 2016, the film transports its audience into the world of the Broadway show in a uniquely intimate way. With book, music, and lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda and direction by Thomas Kail, Hamilton is inspired by the book Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow and produced by Thomas Kail, Lin-Manuel Miranda, and Jeffrey Seller, with Sander Jacobs and Jill Furman serving as executive producers. Filming was produced by RadicalMedia. The 11-time-Tony Award®-, GRAMMY Award®-, Olivier Award- and Pulitzer Prize-winning stage musical stars: Daveed Diggs as Marquis de Lafayette/Thomas Jefferson; Renée Elise Goldsberry as Angelica Schuyler; Jonathan Groff as King George; Christopher Jackson as George Washington; Jasmine Cephas Jones as Peggy Schuyler/Maria Reynolds; Lin-Manuel Miranda as Alexander Hamilton; Leslie Odom, Jr. as Aaron Burr; Okieriete Onaodowan as Hercules Mulligan/James Madison; Anthony Ramos as John Laurens/Philip Hamilton; and Phillipa Soo as Eliza Hamilton.

Once upon a time, a music-driven movie about the teenage progeny of iconic Disney villains premiered on Disney Channel, in turn launching a wildly popular global franchise.

On July 31, 2015, the Disney Channel Original Movie Descendants invited audiences inside the idyllic kingdom of Auradon where Ben (Mitchell Hope), poised to become King, proclaimed that the trouble-making offspring of Maleficent, the Evil Queen, Cruella de Vil, and Jafar — Mal (Dove Cameron), Evie (Sofia Carson), Carlos (Cameron Boyce), and Jay (Booboo Stewart), respectively — would be given a chance at redemption. No longer banished to the Isle of the Lost, the Villain Kids (VKs) had to discover if it’s really good to be bad.

Descendants was an instant sensation, thanks in large part to Disney Legend Kenny Ortega, who had shepherded the tremendously successful High School Musical franchise. Ortega served as the director, choreographer, and executive producer of Descendants, which became the No. 1 television movie of the year (as did its two sequels, Descendants 2 and Descendants 3). Soundtracks for all three films topped the Billboard charts, and its music videos have been viewed over 7 billion times on YouTube and VEVO.

The Descendants franchise also includes an animated spinoff series, Descendants: Wicked World; an animated special, Descendants: The Royal Wedding; and the live-action Under the Sea: A Descendants Short Story. Disney Branded Television president Ayo Davis shepherded in a new era for the franchise, with a fourth film in 2024, Descendants: The Rise of Red, which broke ratings records for Disney Channel and Disney+ and introduced a new cast of VKs. A follow-up film, Descendants: Wicked Wonderland, is set to premiere in 2026.

In a wide-ranging interview, Ortega looks back at the original film and its legacy:

When Gary Marsh, then president and chief creative officer of Disney Channels Worldwide, approached you about directing Descendants, did you already see the potential for it to become a franchise and the global phenomenon that it is today?

When Gary called me, we hadn’t spoken in a while. He said, “Kenny, I’ve been developing this film called Descendants, and it’s written by Josann McGibbon and Sara Parriott. It’s based on the children of the Disney characters, both good and evil.” I was like, “I’m in!” He laughed and said, “I want you to read the script first. But I had a feeling that you were going to connect with this. I haven’t shared it with anyone else. I think it’s yours — if you want it.”

So, Gary sent the script to me. I immediately read it, and I was super excited. As soon as I committed to it, I realized the tremendous responsibility that was layered on top of the responsibilities you already have as a filmmaker at Disney. These are beloved heritage characters that have been around for generations, and now I was going to be bringing their children to life — so I better do it right. I carried a little bit of pressure along with me.

Given the success you previously had with the High School Musical trilogy and Cheetah Girls 2, it begs the question: Is there a secret recipe for sustaining a hit Disney Channel franchise? 

The raison d’être… Is there a great reason for being that lives in the soul of a piece? All of the projects had something in it for me that could be mighty. Beyond being entertaining, they could speak to young people; they could empower, impact, and inspire. Then it was just about creating an environment, as a producer and a director, that let everyone know they were safe and they could take risks. They weren’t going to be judged. Fear was going to be kept as far away from them as possible. So, that was a huge, very helpful ingredient.

At its core, why do you think the characters, the songs, and the lessons from the first Descendants movie and its sequels have resonated with so many people over the years? 

The characters were really born out of their parents. We all did our work — the kids, the studio, and myself — to make sure it felt authentic. That was the beauty of it. Can the daughter of Maleficent actually be trusted? Can the son of Jafar, the daughter of the Evil Queen, and the son of Cruella de Vil become good? We workshopped that before we locked things in. We allowed ourselves time to play, to improvise, and to create backstories.

What was it like juggling so many roles behind the scenes?

When you’re producing, directing, and choreographing, that is a lot. I was also working on the script, developing the music with the studio, and going in for the recording sessions. I was doing it all, casting behind the scenes and in front of the camera. At my age, there are dance moves I can’t demonstrate, so I’ve always bring in a strong team of choreographers.

For the Descendants movies, I brought in Paul Becker, Tony Testa, and Jamal Sims, and some incredible assistants. The choreographers and I have a partnership. We dive in and work hard to make sure that the story is moving forward through the choreography, because it’s a voice that’s taking the place of dialogue. It needs to move the character and story forward and leave you in a place that you weren’t before it started. So, it’s a really fun process. I love it.

The music is a big part of why people love Descendants, and there’s a great mix of pop, R&B, and showtunes. How were you able to make those genres work together so easily? 

David Lawrence scored everything; he’s the brilliant son of Eydie Gormé and Steve Lawrence, two icons in music. Steven Vincent, who is now SVP Music & Soundtracks at Disney Branded Television, is one of the great musical minds in film and film musicals, and he helped me tremendously through High School Musical, Cheetah Girls, the Hannah Montana & Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert, and Descendants in sculpting and outlining where music and dance could move story forward. He also knew all the young and hungry composers and lyricists, so he would bring me their demos. We would listen to them together, narrow them down, and then play them for Gary.

Descendants was so well received that you returned for another two sequels. Given the original film’s success, did you find it easier or harder to keep raising the bar each time?

We just wanted to keep telling the story. We thought that if the stories were there, we would be OK. Sara and Josann gave us the books and were open-minded about working with myself and with the actors to workshop ideas. We had support from the studio and from our hard-working crew. We didn’t try to eclipse ourselves; we just hoped to continue.

What’s it been like to see the first three Descendants movies find new audiences 10 years later thanks to Disney+, and why do you think those stories continue to resonate?

There isn’t a place in the world where someone hasn’t come up to me and said, “Kenny! You created the soundtrack to my childhood. If it wasn’t for this, I wouldn’t have pursued that.” And I’m so grateful. The big thing for me is plugging into the fans. What are they thirsty for? Give them what they want, what they expect — and then give them something that surprises them, that they didn’t know they needed. I’m always thinking of them. Always. What is it that they relate to, that excites them, that does more than just entertain them for a moment? What gets them up and down, wanting to learn the choreography, but also gets them really thinking afterwards? The work honors the fans. The work is in recognition that they exist — that they’re out there. If it weren’t for them, we wouldn’t be where we are.

When the Disney Channel Original Movie ZOMBIES premiered in 2018, it ranked No. 1 among Kids 6-11 and Tweens 9-14* and spawned a global franchise that includes two animated series, two chart-topping soundtracks, and, soon, a one-of-a-kind interactive live concert experience with the cast of Descendants: The Rise of Red. But before the North American tour kicks off July 17 in San Diego, fans will be introduced to two new leads, Victor and Nova, when ZOMBIES 4: Dawn of the Vampires debuts Thursday, July 10, at 7 p.m. ET/PT on Disney Channel and streams globally the next day, Friday, July 11, on Disney+.

What’s the secret to the ZOMBIES franchise’s success?

“I think it’s the music, the dancing, and the message,” Meg Donnelly, who reprises her role as alien Addison and is an executive producer on the film, said. “There’s a really strong message of acceptance, especially in ZOMBIES 4. It applies to kids and adults. It’s a message we all learn, and I think ZOMBIES does a great job of explaining it with really fun, positive vibes.”

“A lot of factors go into it, but I think it’s the people,” Milo Manheim, who returns as zombie Zed and is an executive producer on the film, added. “We have an amazing cast. The crew, the creative team, the production team — everybody is so happy to be making these movies. We took a really bold step in making the first movie; it was a very out of the box idea. It just makes people feel good. It’s got such a positive message, and that created this huge, ZOMBIES universe.”

Captivating Characters

In the first three ZOMBIES movies, Zed and Addison brought human and monster kind together in their hometown of Seabrook. In the fourth film, a summer road trip with their friends, zombie Eliza (Kylee Russell) and werewolf Willa (Chandler Kinney), takes an unexpected detour, landing them in the middle of a new rivalry: Daywalkers vs. Vampires.

ZOMBIES franchise newcomer Freya Skye plays Nova, a Daywalker who can harness the power of the sun. “She lives in perpetual day in Sunnyside,” Skye explained. “Her dad is Commander Bright [Jonno Roberts], so she’s next in line to be leader of the Daywalkers.”

Malachi Barton — a Disney Channel vet who previously starred in Stuck in the Middle, the Under Wraps films, and The Villains of Valley View, among other projects — plays Victor, a Vampire who lives in Shadyside and can harness the power of the wind. “He is a very charismatic kid. He’s super adventurous and always looking for the next experience,” Barton explained. “He’s so curious about what else the world has to offer, but he’s been taught to stay in his Shadyside bubble. But once he meets Nova, he comes out of his shell a little bit.”

Despite all odds, there is an invisible string tying Nova and Victor together — similar to the one that helped Seabrook’s star-crossed couple Zed and Addison unite their people.

“I think the movie does that on purpose, to give ZOMBIES fans that nostalgia of Zed and Addison in the first movie,” Donnelly said. “There are a lot of parallels with Victor and Nova, and that’s what makes this movie so special. It’s like we’re passing the torch in a way.”

Memorable Music

Now available from Walt Disney Records, the ZOMBIES 4: Dawn of the Vampires soundtrack features nine original songs, including “Don’t Mess with Us” and “The Place to Be,” as well as two reprises of fan-favorite hits: “Ain’t No Doubt About It” and “Someday.”

Skye and Barton agreed “Show the World” is their favorite new number in the movie.

“It’s a really happy song, and it summarizes everything the movie talks about,” Skye said. “We were all together that day, so it was a really fun memory for us to all be together. Everyone’s characters are happy — there’s no kind of conflict — so it was a real fun one.”

“It’s a really big number. It’s the closer. It’s really hard to pick and choose a favorite, just because they all flow so well,” Barton said. Referencing Skye’s solo number, he added, “They all play a big part in their own way — or in ‘My Own Way.’ See what I did there?”

However, filming the “Ain’t’ No Doubt About It” reprise in New Zealand was “my singular favorite day of shooting anything ever,” Manheim revealed. “Obviously, that song means a lot to us, but there was something very special about that day. The clouds parted, and it was just so beautiful. It was a moment for me and Meg to reflect on everything we’ve been through with this franchise, and it just felt like everything was leading up to that moment.”

To commemorate “626 Day” — a global celebration of the mischievous yet beloved Stitch from Lilo & Stitch — Walt Disney Studios announced on Thursday that Lilo & Stitch 2 is now officially in development.

The sequel to the live-action reimagining of the 2002 animated classic was announced via a playful video featuring Stitch (a.k.a. Experiment 626) wreaking havoc across The Walt Disney Studios lot.

The live-action Lilo & Stitch — which was directed by Dean Fleischer Camp and stars Maia Kealoha as Lilo and Sydney Elizebeth Agudong as Nani — not only exceeded industry expectations but also set a new benchmark as the highest-grossing 4-day Memorial Day weekend opening in U.S. history. The film also notched an exceptional response from audience, garnering an “A” CinemaScore.

Since its debut, the film has grossed roughly $923 million worldwide.

“The love that people have for Lilo & Stitch continues to grow, and the goal with this new retelling was for audiences to be able to enjoy these characters on the big screen again and hopefully have just as much fun watching it as we had making it,” Alan Bergman, co-chairman, Disney Entertainment, said last month.

David Greenbaum, President of Disney Live Action and 20th Century Studios, added last month that “Stitch is an example of what Disney actually does best.”

“An extraordinary animated film from 2002 that becomes a series that then over time creates a real fanship, which leads to us looking at the idea of creating this wonderful film that we now are bringing out to the world,” he said.

When Disney set out to bring the beloved story of Lilo & Stitch to life in a new live-action adaptation, it took a cue from Stitch and decided to break the status quo by collaborating with local organizations for a first-of-a-kind Hawai‘i film production.

Filmed entirely on the island of O‘ahu, the production took its responsibility to honor the land and the community that made the movie possible to heart — transforming the way a film set can operate to reduce waste, repurpose materials, and give back.

Over 46 days of filming across locations including Mākaha, Kapolei, Haleʻiwa, Kahuku, Kāneʻohe, Hālawa, Honolulu, and Hawai‘i Kai, the Lilo & Stitch production team diverted on-set waste from landfills, instead turning it into valuable resources for the local community.

Local Collaboration, Lasting Impact

Disney worked with four Hawai‘i-based organizations — Sustainable Coastlines Hawai‘i (SCH), Bottles4College, Full Circle Farms, and Aloha Harvest — to rethink traditional production practices and embed sustainability throughout the production process.

The results of this work speak volumes:

• 80% of on-set waste was diverted from landfills and reused in the community with the support of Sustainable Coastlines Hawai‘i. The coastlines protection-focused organization set up waste sorting stations across set locations — with clearly marked bins for recycling, compost, and trash — while providing on-site education to help cast and crew prep traditional waste for its next use.
• 18,000 pounds of food scraps and compostable packaging was sent to the local Full Circle Farms to be transformed into nutrient-rich soil used to grow local product.
• Over 3,500 pounds of surplus food was donated to the food rescue nonprofit Aloha Harvest, providing the equivalent of two years’ worth of meals for one person.
• Meanwhile, nonprofit Bottles4College ensured bottles and cans were not just recycled, but funds collected from the recycling facility were used to support college scholarships for local students.
• Used cooking oil from set kitchens was converted into biodiesel, a cleaner-burning fuel alternative.
• Props, lumber, and set materials found new life with local nonprofits and schools after filming wrapped.

A New Model for Movie-Making

The best part about this work is that it isn’t a one-off project, but rather a proof of concept for how film productions — especially those in resource-limited locations like Hawai‘i — can operate more sustainably and embrace new habits to carry over into future projects.

From the materials used on set to the meals served each day, Disney’s sustainability team found a creative approach to production that only complements the creative process on screen.

To see this good work in action, watch Lilo & Stitch, now exclusively in theaters.

It was a record-setting weekend for The Walt Disney Company and its lovable and rambunctious little blue alien, Stitch.

Lilo & Stitch, the live-action reimagining of the 2002 animated classic, opened as the No. 1 film around the world and has earned an outstanding $361.3 million worldwide to date, which includes a $182.7 million in North America. The film’s debut not only smashed industry expectations, but it also set the record as the largest 4-day Memorial Day weekend opening of all time domestically.

On Memorial Day, Lilo & Stitch took in $37 million, making it the fourth highest-grossing domestic Monday in industry history.

“The love that people have for Lilo & Stitch continues to grow, and the goal with this new retelling was for audiences to be able to enjoy these characters on the big screen again and hopefully have just as much fun watching it as we had making it,” Alan Bergman, co-chairman, Disney Entertainment, said. “We are tremendously proud of this history-making launch, and I want to give my thanks to our teams who have done such great work as well as to the fans who have made this exceptional opening possible.”

With the record opening of Lilo & Stitch this weekend, The Walt Disney Studios has crossed $2 billion at the global box office, becoming the first studios in 2025 to achieve this milestone.

The film — which was directed by Dean Fleischer Camp and stars Maia Kealoha as Lilo and Sydney Elizebeth Agudong as Nani — was the third highest Disney Live Action global opening of all time behind blockbusters The Lion King in 2019 and Beauty and the Beast in 2017. Overall, Disney now owns eight of the top ten PG openings ever.

Lilo & Stitch also notched an exceptional response from audience. The film holds a 93% “Verified Audience” score on Rotten Tomatoes and garnered an “A” CinemaScore.

The film’s historic weekend is another example of the power of Stitch — one of Disney’s most beloved characters and biggest brands.

“Stitch is an example of what Disney actually does best,” David Greenbaum, President of Disney Live Action and 20th Century Studios, said last week. “An extraordinary animated film from 2002 that becomes a series that then over time creates a real fanship, which leads to us looking at the idea of creating this wonderful film that we now are bringing out to the world.”

Producer Jonathan Eirich added that the film is a “perfect kickoff to summer.”

“This movie is such an emotional roller coaster. It’s fun, it’s chaotic, and it has so much heart,” he said. “We talk a lot about the experience of laughing and crying with other people in a cinema — there’s nothing like it.”

Opening in theaters Friday, Disney’s Lilo & Stitch is a live-action reimagining of the animated classic that touched hearts around the world upon its release in 2002. Directed by Dean Fleischer Camp and produced by Jonathan Eirich and Dan Lin, the story has been reimagined for modern audiences while honoring the essence of the beloved animated tale.

“We tried to adapt it in a way that paid loving tribute to the original, but wasn’t a one-to-one literal translation,” Fleischer Camp said. “We were very clear-eyed about the fact that animation and live action are two completely different mediums; there are things you can well in live-action that you can’t in animation, and vice versa. It was always our goal to make something that rhymed spiritually with the original film but was a little modernized.”

Producers faced the unique challenge of translating an iconic animated film into a live-action spectacle while honoring the cultural nuances and values intrinsic to the story — something Eirich knows a thing or two about, having previously produced Aladdin (2019).

“The headline is: Don’t Mess It Up,” Eirich said with a laugh. “That was advice given to us by the internet that time and this time. Now, that doesn’t mean, ‘Do a shot for shot live-action remake.’ The fans want to be sure that fans of the original are making all these decisions and all these changes with love and with a lot of thought behind them. A big thing for us was looking at everything and asking, ‘Is this just different, or is it potentially better and new?’ And if it was the latter, we’d say, ‘Let’s push the story in that direction.”

Through that process, Eirich said, “You realize there are key moments — like ‘Hawaiian Roller Coaster Ride,’ for example — where we, as fans ourselves, would be mad if they weren’t in the live-action movie. Once we figured out what those were, we thought about the logistics. If we’re bringing this into live-action with human actors, what are the best ways to navigate the story? How can we deliver a new experience for a new generation?”

In many ways, Fleischer Camp said, the original Lilo & Stitch was “ahead of its time.”

“The story takes place in contemporary society,” Fleischer Camp said. “It’s not a fairy tale kingdom. There are no Disney Princesses; in fact, it stars the absolute opposite of a Disney Princess. Because of that, in live-action, we’re afforded the opportunity to go a little bit deeper with the characters and ground them in a totally real, very emotional way. We get to tell a real story of a lived experience, growing up in Hawai’i, between these two sisters.”

To do that, however, filmmakers collaborated with several people who worked on the original film — including Chris Sanders, who directed the film and returns to voice Stitch. A trio of cast members who voiced characters in the animated feature — Amy Hill, Tia Carrere, and Jason Scott Lee — also appear as new characters in the live-action adventure.

“The original filmmakers are very proud of their work on Lilo & Stitch — rightfully so — and they were enthusiastic about helping us along the way,” Fleischer Camp said, calling it “an honor” to collaborate with them all. “We made an effort to fold them into the process.”

From Eric Guaglione, who served as an animation supervisor on both films, to Alex Kupershmidt, who was the lead animator for Stitch in the original film, their contributions were invaluable. “Their enthusiasm and their support was incredible,” Fleischer Camp said. “We could not possibly have made this movie without the people who made the original.”

For that reason, Eirich said, Lilo & Stitch should be seen on the biggest screen possible.

“There’s an authenticity and a naturalism to Hawai’i that you’ve never seen before onscreen,” he said. “It’s the perfect kickoff to summer. This movie is such an emotional roller coaster. It’s fun, it’s chaotic, and it has so much heart. We talk a lot about the experience of laughing and crying with other people in a cinema — there’s nothing like it.”

On Friday, the lovable-if-mischievous alien Stitch will be coming back to movie theaters with the all-new live action film Lilo & Stitch.

“Stitch is an example of what Disney actually does best,” David Greenbaum, President of Disney Live Action and 20 Century Studios, said. “An extraordinary animated film from 2002 that becomes a series that then over time creates a real fanship, which leads to us looking at the idea of creating this wonderful film that we now are bringing out to the world.”

As the film hits theaters, Greenbaum discussed what has made Stitch such a phenomenon.

“What people may not realize is that Stitch is actually one of our fastest growing franchises, and he’s global,” Greenbaum said. “There’s real affinity for Stitch among boys and girls, men and women.”

Stitch Across Disney’s Kingdom

Since 2002, when audiences were introduced to Stitch in the Walt Disney Animation Studios film, the blue alien’s brand has expanded across The Walt Disney Company’s various segments.

There are of course the animated sequels and the TV series, but guests at locations such as Walt Disney World Resort and Aulani, A Disney Resort and Spa can have fun in-person encounters with the character. And as a brand for Disney Consumer Products, Stitch has grown 27-fold over the last five years.

And that’s not just in the U.S. “The other thing that Disney does, unlike any other place, is it becomes a global phenomenon,” Greenbaum noted.

Stitch is even celebrated annually on June 26, or “626” Day, which is a nod to the experiment number given to the character.

Reintroducing a Beloved Character

Knowing how beloved a character Stitch is made it incumbent upon the studio to take the proper steps to tell the story of Lilo & Stitch in an authentic and engaging way.

“The creative team did such an amazing job of figuring out how to take Stitch from the animated world and bring him into our own,” Greenbaum said.

While new actors were brought in to play the live action roles — like Maia Kealoha as Lilo and Sydney Agudong as her older sister, Nani. Chris Sanders, the iconic voice of Stitch and co-director of the 2002 film, also returns.

“We’re so lucky to have Chris Sanders return to do the iconic voice of Stitch,” Greenbaum said.

The teams have also made sure to get the loveable Stitch out there to build awareness for the character’s return to the big screen. Stitch has seemingly been everywhere lately, from Disney’s 2025 Upfront presentation, to massive billboards in Los Angeles, and even to the Super Bowl.

“The marketing team has just done an incredible job on this movie,” Greenbaum said. “The spot that hit the Super Bowl that they created, more than 170 million people saw it in 24 hours, which is both about the quality of that spot, but also just the fanship.”

Stitch for the Masses

Stitch has multigenerational appeal across demographics, too.

“A lot of the people who love Lilo & Stitch saw it as kids, now, years later, have their own families who want to share Lilo & Stitch with their own kids, myself included,” Greenbaum said.

Greenbaum added that the thing that’s the most interesting about Stitch is that he’s mischievous yet cuddly.

“And I think that that spirit of troublemaker, but also a kind of sweetness to him, is a big part of why people love him and embrace him,” Greenbaum explained.

As with the original animated film, Lilo & Stitch embraces the concept of “ohana,” which means family, and all the warmth that comes with it.

“One of the things that [Disney Entertainment Co-Chairman] Alan Bergman talks a lot about is that our movies have heart and humor, and I think Lilo & Stitch does exactly that,” Greenbaum said. “The experience of watching this movie with your family, with your friends, is one that is joyful and also, I think leaves you feeling lifted as you exit the theater.”

This Friday, Lilo & Stitch, the live-action reimagining of the 2002 animated classic, lands exclusively in theaters.

“Stitch is an example of what Disney actually does best,” David Greenbaum, President of Disney Live Action and 20 Century Studios, said. “An extraordinary animated film from 2002 that becomes a series that then over time creates a real fanship, which leads to us looking at the idea of creating this wonderful film that we now are bringing out to the world.”

In this video, see how Stitch’s popularity has grown since he first emerged on screen over two decades ago.

The Walt Disney Studios thrilled attendees at CinemaConin Las Vegas Thursday with exclusive looks at its upcoming theatrical releases, including films from some of its renowned production studios—Disney Live Action, Marvel Studios, Pixar Animation Studios, Walt Disney Animation Studios, 20th Century Studios, and Searchlight Pictures.

Alan Bergman, co-chairman of Disney Entertainment, took the stage at The Colosseum at Caesar’s Palace to welcome attendees and speak about the outstanding cinematic events that Disney will be delivering to theaters in the coming months.

Bergman thanked the attendees and then turned the microphone over to Andrew Cripps, head of theatrical distribution, who spoke about the importance of the theatrical experience and the partnerships involved that work together to bring audiences to theaters.

Cripps showcased The Walt Disney Studios’ record-breaking 2024 slate before kicking off the Studio’s 2025 presentation with a montage of footage from Lilo & Stitch, a live-action reimagining of Disney’s 2002 animated classic. The film, which is the wildly funny and touching story of a lonely Hawaiian girl and the fugitive alien who helps to mend her broken family, will open exclusively in theaters May 23.

Lilo & Stitch is directed by Dean Fleischer Camp, the Oscar-nominated filmmaker behind the animated feature film Marcel the Shell with Shoes On, and stars Sydney Elizebeth Agudong, Billy Magnussen, Tia Carrere, Hannah Waddingham, and Chris Sanders, with Courtney B. Vance, and Zach Galifianakis, and introducing Maia Kealoha. The film is produced by Jonathan Eirich, and Dan Lin. The studio also released a brand-new clip and poster from the film.

Next up, CinemaCon Vanguard Award recipient Lindsay Lohan and Disney Legend Jamie Lee Curtis came on stage to talk about Freakier Friday, the eagerly anticipated sequel to the Disney classic, which opens in theaters August 8. Curtis and Lohan spoke about the film, and together they presented an extended trailer and montage.

In the film, Curtis and Lohan reprise their roles as Tess and Anna Coleman, respectively. The story picks up years after Tess and Anna endured an identity crisis. Anna now has a daughter of her own and a soon-to-be stepdaughter. As they navigate the myriad challenges that come when two families merge, Tess and Anna discover that lightning might indeed strike twice. Directed by Nisha Ganatra, Freakier Friday also stars Julia Butters, Sophia Hammons, Manny Jacinto, Maitreyi Ramakrishnan, Rosalind Chao, Chad Michael Murray, and Mark Harmon. Kristin Burr, Andrew Gunn, and Curtis produce.

With a dazzling “grid” light show, Jared Leto and Jeff Bridges walked on stage, where they were introduced by Cripps. Leto and Bridges chatted about Disney’s TRON: Ares and showed an extended trailer. TRON: Ares is the highly anticipated third installment in the TRON franchise and follows a highly sophisticated Program, Ares, who is sent from the digital world into the real world on a dangerous mission, marking humankind’s first encounter with A.I. beings.

The feature film is directed by Joachim Rønning and stars Leto, Greta Lee, Evan Peters, Hasan Minhaj, Jodie Turner-Smith, Arturo Castro, and Cameron Monaghan, with Gillian Anderson and Bridges. Sean Bailey, Jeffrey Silver, Justin Springer, Leto, Emma Ludbrook, and Steven Lisberger are the producers. TRON: Ares opens in theaters October 10.

CinemaCon attendees were next treated to an exclusive clip from The Amateur, an all-new espionage-thriller from 20th Century Studios, which premiered last night in New York and opens in theaters nationwide April 11. The Amateur, directed by James Hawes, stars Oscar winner Rami Malek, Academy Award nominee Laurence Fishburne, Emmy Award winner Rachel Brosnahan, Caitríona Balfe, Jon Bernthal, Michael Stuhlbarg, Holt McCallany, Julianne Nicholson, Adrian Martinez, and Danny Sapani. The film is produced by Hutch Parker, Dan Wilson, Malek, and Joel B. Michaels.

Elle Fanning, the star of 20th Century Studios’ Predator: Badlands, joined Cripps onstage and screened a first look at the trailer for the upcoming film directed by Dan Trachtenberg. The newest entry in the Predator franchise is set in the future on a remote planet, where a young Predator, outcast from his clan, finds an unlikely ally in Thia (Fanning) and embarks on a treacherous journey in search of the ultimate adversary. Predator: Badlands opens exclusively in theaters November 7.

Jeremy Allen White, who plays Bruce Springsteen, and Jeremy Strong, who plays Springsteen’s longtime manager, Jon Landau, in 20th Century Studios’ Deliver Me from Nowhere, surprised fans and gave attendees a first look at the upcoming film. Chronicling the making of Bruce Springsteen’s 1982 Nebraska album, which was recorded on a 4-track recorder in Springsteen’s New Jersey bedroom, Deliver Me from Nowhere is directed by Scott Cooper from his adaptation of Warren Zanes’ book of the same name.

Deliver Me from Nowhere also features Paul Walter Hauser as guitar tech Mike Batlan; Odessa Young as love interest, Faye; Stephen Graham as Springsteen’s father, Doug; Gaby Hoffman as Springsteen’s mom, Adele; and David Krumholtz as Columbia executive Al Teller. The film is produced by Cooper, Ellen Goldsmith-Vein, Eric Robinson, and Scott Stuber.

Up next, Curtis returned to the stage with Emma Mackey, who both star in 20th Century Studios’ Ella McCay, a new comedy written and directed by Disney Legend James L. Brooks, slated for release on September 19. After offering some details about the film, Curtis welcomed the Academy Award- and Emmy Award- winning Brooks and Bergman to the stage, where Bergman presented Brooks with CinemaCon’s Cinema Vérité Award, which recognizes the achievements of actors, actresses, and filmmakers, providing an opportunity for the global theatrical exhibition industry to thank them for bringing the best in filmmaking to their screens.

Brooks then introduced a sizzle reel that was screened exclusively for CinemaCon attendees. Ella McCay is about the complicated politics that arise when a young woman’s stressful career clashes with her chaotic family life. Ella McCay features an all-star cast, including Mackey, Woody Harrelson, Kumail Nanjiani, Spike Fearn, Ayo Edebiri, Jack Lowden, Rebecca Hall, Julie Kavner, Becky Ann Baker, and Joey Brooks, with Brooks and Curtis. The film is produced by Brooks, Richard Sakai, Julie Ansell, and Jennifer Simchowitz.

Attendees were treated to the first trailer from Searchlight Pictures’ film The Roses, which is directed by Jay Roach and written by Tony McNamara, starring Olivia Colman, Benedict Cumberbatch, Andy Samberg, Allison Janney, Belinda Bromilow, Sunita Mani, Ncuti Gatwa, Jamie Demetriou, Zoë Chao, and Kate McKinnon. In The Roses, life seems easy for picture-perfect couple Ivy (Colman) and Theo (Cumberbatch): successful careers, a loving marriage, great kids. But beneath the façade of their supposed ideal life, a storm is brewing—as Theo’s career nosedives while Ivy’s own ambitions take off, a tinderbox of fierce competition and hidden resentment ignites.

The Roses is a reimagining of the 1989 classic film The War of the Roses, based on the novel by Warren Adler. The film is produced by Roach, Michelle Graham, Adam Ackland, Leah Clarke, Ed Sinclair, and Tom Carver. The Roses opens in theaters nationwide on August 29.

Up next, stars Florence Pugh, David Harbour, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Hannah John-Kamen, and Wyatt Russell surprised attendees with footage from Marvel Studios’ Thunderbolts*, which opens in U.S. theaters on May 2. In Thunderbolts*, Marvel Studios assembles an unconventional team of antiheroes: Yelena Belova, Bucky Barnes, Red Guardian, Ghost, Taskmaster, and John Walker. After finding themselves ensnared in a death trap set by Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, these disillusioned castoffs must embark on a dangerous mission that will force them to confront the darkest corners of their pasts. Will this dysfunctional group tear themselves apart, or find redemption and unite as something much more before it’s too late?

Thunderbolts* also stars Sebastian Stan, Olga Kurylenko, Lewis Pullman, Geraldine Viswanathan, Chris Bauer, and Wendell Edward Pierce. Jake Schreier directs, with Kevin Feige producing.

Feige, in a taped greeting, then introduced footage that transported attendees through time to the 1960s-inspired, retro-futuristic world of Marvel Studios’ The Fantastic Four: First Steps. Marvel’s First Family—Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic (Pedro Pascal), Sue Storm/Invisible Woman (Vanessa Kirby), Johnny Storm/Human Torch (Joseph Quinn), and Ben Grimm/The Thing (Ebon Moss-Bachrach)—face their most daunting challenge yet. Forced to balance their roles as heroes with the strength of their family bond, they must defend Earth from a ravenous space god called Galactus (Ralph Ineson) and his enigmatic Herald, Silver Surfer (Julia Garner). And if Galactus’ plan to devour the entire planet and everyone on it weren’t bad enough, it suddenly gets very personal. Directed by Matt Shakman and produced by Feige, The Fantastic Four: First Steps opens in theaters July 25.

Oscar winner Zoe Saldaña came on stage next to talk about her role as Aunt Olga in Disney and Pixar’s Elio. Fans enjoyed six minutes of 3D-footage from the upcoming film, which hits theaters June 20. The cosmic misadventure introduces Elio (voiced by Yonas Kibreab), a space fanatic with an active imagination and a huge alien obsession. So, when he’s beamed up to the Communiverse, an interplanetary organization with representatives from galaxies far and wide, Elio’s all in for the epic undertaking. Mistakenly identified as Earth’s leader, Elio must form new bonds with eccentric alien lifeforms, navigate a crisis of intergalactic proportions, and somehow discover who and where he is truly meant to be.

Directed by Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi and Adrian Molina, and produced by Mary Alice Drumm, the film also features the voices of Remy Edgerly as Glordon, Brad Garrett as Lord Grigon, Jameela Jamil as Ambassador Questa, and Shirley Henderson as Ooooo.

Oscar winner Ke Huy Quan was up next and shared two clips and first-look visuals from Disney Animation’s new big-screen adventure, Zootopia 2. Quan, who voices Gary De’Snake, a venomous-but-lovable pit viper, revealed today that Quinta Brunson is joining the voice cast as therapist Dr. Fuzzby, an adorable quokka who lends a paw to detectives Judy Hopps (voiced by Ginnifer Goodwin) and Nick Wilde (voiced by Jason Bateman).

In the all-new story, Nick and Judy find themselves on the twisting trail of a mysterious reptile who arrives in Zootopia and turns the animal metropolis upside down. To crack the case, Judy and Nick must go undercover to unexpected new parts of town, where their growing partnership is tested like never before. From the Oscar-winning team of Disney Animation chief creative officer Jared Bush and Byron Howard (directors) and Yvett Merino (producer), Zootopia 2 releases in theaters November 26.

Bergman returned to the stage to present director and Disney Legend James Cameron via a taped message for Avatar: Fire and Ash, the third film in the phenomenally successful Avatar franchise, opening exclusively in theaters worldwide December 19.

Cameron addressed the audience and then called out Saldaña, who came back onstage to introduce a sneak peek at the film. Cameron takes audiences back to Pandora in an immersive new adventure with Marine turned Na’vi leader Jake Sully (Sam Worthington), Na’vi warrior Neytiri (Saldaña), and the Sully family. The film also stars Sigourney Weaver, Stephen Lang, Kate Winslet, Cliff Curtis, Oona Chaplin, Jack Champion, Britain Dalton, Trinity Bliss, and Bailey Bass. Cameron and Jon Landau produce.

Once upon a time — December 21, 1937, to be precise — Walt Disney Productions released the classic film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, enchanting audiences around the world and effectively establishing the nascent studio as a preeminent animation powerhouse. Now, the timeless tale has been reimagined as a live-action musical adventure, with Disney’s Snow White set to open in theaters worldwide on Friday, March 21.

Directed by Marc Webb, with a screenplay by Erin Cressida Wilson, Snow White stars Golden Globe winner Rachel Zegler as Snow White, the courageous, kind, and spirited princess; Gal Gadot as Snow White’s icy and unyielding stepmother, the Evil Queen; and Tony Award winner Andrew Burnap as Jonathan, a young man eager to defy the monarchy.

“Snow White is iconic, obviously, and the opportunity to look at that character and her story through a slightly new lens was thrilling,” Webb said. “I kept thinking about my daughter and what messages I want to send her way; I want her to be proud of what her dad is working on, and this was a great way to do that. There’s something elemental about Snow White’s kindness, but she’s also quite brave. She finds the best in people, and so I think Snow White is a reminder that there’s real value in being kind and having good faith.”

“There’s a lot of motifs and themes that are really important, but something that’s stayed with me is Snow White’s optimism, her kindness, and her ability to inspire the people around her,” Webb said of the beloved character’s timeless qualities. “What cuts through everything else in the film is her gentle, thoughtful, quite powerful worldview of kindness.”

In Snow White, the vain Evil Queen rules the kingdom with an iron fist. When her magic mirror reveals her stepdaughter is the fairest in all the land, she devises a devious plan to get rid of the princess. After fleeing the castle to escape her stepmother’s wrath, Snow White encounters woodland creatures that lead her to a picturesque cottage in the woods. There, she befriends seven dwarfs — Bashful, Doc, Dopey, Grumpy, Happy, Sleepy, and Sneezy — who spend their days digging for jewels in the nearby mines. She also meets Jonathan, who is captivated by her beauty and benevolence. Thanks to her new friends, Snow White is inspired to find her voice and summon the strength to face the Evil Queen.

According to Webb, Snow White honors the original story while also expanding upon it. In fact, before cameras rolled at London’s Pinewood Studios in 2021, he visited the Walt Disney Archives for creative inspiration. That visit, Webb recalled, proved to be invaluable.

“One of my favorite discoveries was an early sketch of the prince in the dungeon,” Webb said. “There’s not much of a storyline in the original film about him. It’s all very lovely and graceful and so beautifully rendered. So, we went back and we used what Walt Disney had started to build and expanded on that in our movie. The storyline with Jonathan, who’s the love interest in our movie, really began with that one image of the prince stuck in the dungeon. It felt like we were reaching into the past and connecting with the incredibly talented animators who had come before us.”

Three-time Academy Award winner Sandy Powell — who famously created the costumes for the 2015 live-action adaptation of Disney’s Cinderella — “took copious notes” during that visit, Webb said: “She looked at not just the original renderings of all the costumes in Snow White, but the historical periods from which they came. She fleshed out those ideas. She got a great sense of history, attention, and reverence for these characters to build on.”

Another highlight during his research trip to the Archives involved Jeff Morrow, who wrote the film’s original score. “The Archives brought out the old jugs that were used in ‘Silly Song,’ and Jeff and I actually got to play them on the Disney studio lot,” Webb said. “We recorded them, and you can hear them in ‘Silly Song’ — and in ‘Whistle While You Work, by the way! You can hear the calliope bit as Sneezy is sneezing his way through the song.”

Getting to record a new version of the yodel song that the seven dwarfs perform to entertain Snow White? In hindsight, Webb said, “That was a magical, fun day in Burbank.”

That magic is evident, and the breathtaking live-action adaptation — featuring original songs by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul — demands to be seen on the biggest screen possible.

“You want to be surrounded by all the emotion; it makes for a thrilling, completely profound, fun time at the movies,” Webb explained. “It’s like going to a concert or a live show; you get to experience it with a crowd and hear the excitement. I just experienced it at the premiere, and the response was humbling. It was wonderful to hear the laughs, the cheers, the sighs, the applause. That was as good of an experience as I’ve had in my career.”

Behind a single door in a building at the center of the Walt Disney Studio Lot is a vault — maintained between 37- and 40-degrees Fahrenheit at 25% humidity. That vault holds one of the great treasures of Hollywood: the Walt Disney Studios Film Archive.

Here, original celluloid negatives of classic pictures like Fantasia (1940), Cinderella (1950), and Mary Poppins (1964) are carefully held and periodically reviewed to ensure that the rich history and innovative filmmaking of the studio is preserved for generations to come.

And, thanks to the company’s 2019 acquisition of 21st Century Studios, Disney is not only responsible for its own namesake movies, but also the handling of a century of Fox films. In fact, that acquisition increased the inventory of the Film Archive by 65%.

The work of maintaining Disney’s vault of movies is split between two distinct groups — the Restoration team and the Film Archive team.

Here’s how and why they work year round to inspect and restore their vast library of films.

How Restoring a Film Works

“If not properly archived, film deteriorates over time,” Kevin Schaeffer, Director of Restoration & Library Management at the Walt Disney Studios Film Archive, explained. That’s why the vault is kept at such a precise climate. “Science has shown that archiving the film in this environment will halt the natural deterioration,” he noted.

The Film Archive group maintains and preserves the film elements, performing periodic film inspection of each original negative to ensure any decay is caught and addressed early.

At the same time, the Restoration team oversees, well, the restoration efforts for the studio. Restoring a film is a journey of anywhere from three to twelve months, depending on the age or length of each feature.

In most cases, the Film Archive will hold the original negative and original sound recordings for each film. If the Film Archive doesn’t have this or the next best version in its vault, then external archives maintained at the Library of Congress, Museum of Modern Art, or The Academy Film Archive will be consulted to access their film elements.

On top of obtaining the best restoration sources, the Restoration team also accesses the best existing original print of the feature and reviews it to ensure they are recreating the original color and composition of the original release.

For instance, “on Cinderella we borrowed an original 1950 nitrate Technicolor IB print from the Library of Congress as our guide,” Schaeffer said.

Often times, the Walt Disney Archives (a separate department that preserves historical materials about all aspects of Disney company history) will also be consulted, such as regarding the usage of correct studio logos and main titles when several vintage animated shorts were recently restored.

Once gathered, the best film sources are digitally scanned at a 4K resolution to capture all the detail of each frame. That scan becomes the source for all the Restoration team’s future work.

From there, external post production facilities will be brought in to perform the restoration work: depending on the age and state of the film, groups will clean up any dirt or anomalies on the new digital file, or address image jitter, bumps, warping, and manage the film grain.

One original negative that needed in-depth work was 20th Century Studio’s Planet of the Apes from 1968. In one scene, the film reel was badly torn and had been glued back together in a way that left orange marks across the image of star Charlton Heston’s body.

“We were able to seamlessly stitch the images back together and paint in the missing skin, sand, and sky using current visual effects technology,” Schaeffer said.

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Finding the proper color is also key to the preservation work.

“Depending on the type of film stock used in the original production, the color often fades to some degree and requires manipulation to recreate the look of the original release,” Schaeffer said. So, an expert colorist is employed to set the proper brightness and shade of every color in each shot. This work begins while the restoration queue is in progress.

Once all that work is complete, the Restoration team will review the full film and make any necessary adjustments, consult with the film’s director if feasible, and then finalize the new version.

“A Clearer Image Than Previously Possible”

The first time Schaeffer worked on a restoration of 1937’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs — Walt Disney’s first feature-length animated film made in three-strip Technicolor — the latest technology was used to provide “a clearer image than previously possible,” he said.

And that was 2009.

However, Schaeffer noted that technology keeps improving, “making it possible to capture more detail and fix more damage or anomalies from the original negatives.”

Due to those technological advances, the Restoration team was able to revisit Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs over a decade later and provide even sharper and more detailed images with the full range of color used by the original animators.

Click the images to view in full size

The Disney touch was on full display for this project, as the Restoration team was able to partner with animators from Walt Disney Animation Studios who provided not only their expertise but also reference art from the Walt Disney Animation Research Library. Together, they were able to carefully examine every color in each shot to aid in ensuring that the restoration recreated the original intended look of the film.

In November, for their efforts on the new 4K restoration of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, The Hollywood Professional Association awarded the Walt Disney Studios the Outstanding Achievement in Restoration award.

Preserving Hollywood’s Legacy

For Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs — or any other restored movie — after the long process, the film is returned to the Film Archive and new digital archival and servicing files are entered into inventory so that the movie’s beauty and the artistry of the Walt Disney Studios Film Archive can be shared with the world.

“New files to service any Blu-ray, digital streaming, and broadcast needs are made available in the inventory for any future use,” Schaeffer said. He added that new Digital Cinema masters are also created so “that any future screenings will also use the restored file.”

“We want to ensure the best possible experience for anyone enjoying our features anywhere, on any platform,” he said.

From Disney and 20th Century Studios to lesser-known film labels such as Selznick International and more, the process of preserving film is also about preserving the legacy of cinematic classics that have woven their way into our lives.

“More than just preserving the legacy of an individual studio, we are also protecting parts of a whole culture and history,” Schaeffer said. “We are ensuring that these works of art are available for new generations to discover and love.”

This week, The Walt Disney Studios reached a major milestone as it crossed $2 billion at the domestic box office. That makes Disney the first studio to cross the threshold this year and it is only the second time that any studio has surpassed $2 billion since 2019 (with Disney also achieving the feat in 2022). The studio expects to cross the $5 billion mark globally this weekend as it debuts Mufasa: The Lion King and the Bob Dylan biopic A Complete Unknown.

Disney’s massive year at the ticket booth was powered by the company’s creative strength and storytelling to craft three of the top five highest-grossing films domestically in 2024. Pixar Animation Studios’ Inside Out 2 became the highest grossing animated film of all time, Marvel Studios’ Deadpool & Wolverine followed suit by becoming the highest-grossing R-rated film of all time, and Walt Disney Animation Studios’ Moana 2 was the highest 5-day opening of all time and the highest Thanksgiving opening weekend box office ever. The studio also released hits such as 20^th Century Studios’ Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes and Alien: Romulus, as well as smaller films such as A Real Pain, which had an award-winning debut at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year.

We spoke with Alan Bergman, co-chairman, Disney Entertainment, to learn more about Disney’s record year, the strategies behind the successes, and what audiences can expect from The Walt Disney Studios in 2025.

One of the company’s building opportunities was “improving the output and economics of our film studios.” How has this year been a success in that area?

We remain focused on quality while making sure we have the right volume across theatrical and streaming, and the results speak for themselves. We had a great year in 2024 and will lead the industry once again at the box office thanks to the exceptional performance of Inside Out 2, Deadpool & Wolverine, and Moana 2, and other big releases like Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes and Alien: Romulus.

We finish off the year with two fantastic yet completely different films, Mufasa and A Complete Unknown. We also had a strong streaming slate from Echo and Agatha All Along to Skeleton Crew and Dream Productions, which just came out. It shows the power of our brands which can deliver compelling storytelling to our audiences all around the world.

What kind of a mix are you looking for in the slate? 

Our goal is to offer something for all audiences. We have seven world-class production studios and work with the best directors, producers, writers, and actors in the world, and we aim to put together a broad slate of originals, sequels, and spinoffs. We know that our Disney, Marvel, Pixar, and Star Wars branded content is able to drive experiences and engagement far beyond the big screen, including in our parks, consumer products, streaming, and more — and no other company is better able to bring that to life than Disney.

Speaking of animation, it was a pretty big year led by Inside Out 2 and Moana 2. What’s your view on that? 

Animation is obviously a cornerstone of the Walt Disney Studios and the company, and something that audiences closely associate with us. The success of Inside Out 2 and Moana 2 shows without a doubt that animation remains a huge draw for viewers. Our animation studios continue to have a unique ability to create compelling franchises like these, which were both introduced to audiences less than a decade ago.

Whether it’s an original or a sequel, it ultimately it comes down to having a great story to tell. That is what keeps them in the zeitgeist and is why Moana, for example, was the most viewed movie across all streaming platforms last year. We are fortunate to have incredibly talented teams at both Disney Animation and Pixar that bring these wonderful films to life.

Mufasa: The Lion King debuts this weekend. What can you tell us about it?

The story is so surprising and full of heart — a fresh perspective on one of Disney’s most iconic tales. We have a phenomenally talented director in Barry Jenkins and wonderful music from Lin-Manuel Miranda. It’s a visual masterpiece. I am excited for people to finally have the chance to experience it this holiday season.

Disney has also seen critical acclaim from smaller films such as A Real Pain and A Complete Unknown, among others. How do films like these fit into the strategy?

We could not be prouder of these films and the Searchlight team that continues to put together a slate of incredible movies from the very best filmmakers in the world. Searchlight has a unique role within our studio, and this is what we mean when we say we have something for everyone. These are high-quality, lower-budget films that appeal to more mature audiences. And of course, we’re film fans, and it’s very gratifying when these movies find themselves in the awards conversation.

What can audiences expect from The Walt Disney Studios in 2025?

We have a highly anticipated slate of films and series ahead. On the film side, Marvel Studios’ has Captain America: Brave New World, Thunderbolts*, and The Fantastic Four: First Steps. We have Snow White from Disney Live Action in March, Lilo & Stitch in May, plus Freakier Friday and Tron: Ares later in the year. Disney Animation has Zootopia 2 and Pixar has a new original called Elio.

We have the third Avatar film, Avatar: Fire and Ash, in December, and 20th will also put out The Amateur and Predator: Badlands, and I’m really excited about Deliver Me From Nowhere, our Bruce Springsteen biopic. We also have some great Disney+ series from our brands including Marvel’s Daredevil and the second season of our highly rated Star Wars series, Andor. So those are just a few of the projects we have coming in the next year.

Moana 2 made big waves at the box office this week.

The Walt Disney Animation Studios film — which takes audiences on another epic adventure across the sea with Moana and Maui — opened at the No. 1 spot at the domestic box office this weekend, notching an estimated $225 million since opening on Wednesday.

That makes Moana 2 the highest 5-day opening of all time surpassing the $204.6 million of 2023’s The Super Mario Bros. Movie and the highest Thanksgiving opening weekend box office, beating Frozen’s $94 million total in 2014. It was also the highest 5-day Thanksgiving all-time box office, beating Frozen 2’s second weekend of $125 million in 2019.

Disney is now responsible for the top seven opening Thanksgiving weekends of all time as well as nine out of the top ten.

As for the global total of Moana 2, it has made $389 million worldwide so far. Moana 2 brought in the highest ever reported global animated opening weekend, beating the previous record held by The Super Mario Bros. Movie ($377 million).

Moana 2’s record-setting performance also keeps Disney’s hot streak going at the box office this year. The company is now responsible for the top three domestic openings of 2024, with Inside Out 2, Deadpool & Wolverine, and now Moana 2.

“Moana 2 has far surpassed our high expectations this weekend and is a testament to the phenomenon that Moana has become,” Alan Bergman, co-chairman, Disney Entertainment, said. “We’re fortunate to have an incredibly talented and hard-working creative team at Disney Animation who brought this new adventure to life, alongside our wonderful stars Auli‘i and Dwayne and great new music. This is a moment to celebrate, and we’re thankful to all the moviegoers and fans who’ve helped make this a record-breaking debut.”

Away from the box office, the film was a hit with audiences as well. Moana 2 received an “A-” CinemaScore and a Rotten Tomatoes audience score of 87%.

The success of Moana 2 is just another example of the might of the sea-faring franchise.

Since hitting theaters in 2016, Moana has consistently been among the Top 10 most-streamed movies of the year —and in 2023, the film starring the voice talents of Auli‘i Cravalho and Dwayne Johnson crossed 1 billion hours streamed on Disney+. In fact, it was the most streamed movie on any platform in the U.S.

However, the franchise’s popularity goes far beyond her onscreen appearances.

Not only are apparel, books, and toys offered at Disney Store and other retailers, but Moana’s story continues across the globe at Disney’s theme parks and soon guests can enjoy Disney The Tale of Moana aboard the Disney Treasure cruise ship, which will bring Moana’s musical journey to the stage for the very first time.

“Seeing the popularity of Moana grow since it was released eight years ago is incredible,” Jared Bush, the Chief Creative Officer of Walt Disney Animation Studios, said. “We spend so long making these movies, and everyone puts their heart into them. That people still find themselves in her story and want to be with Moana on the canoe, it’s a dream come true.”

Sixty years ago today, Walt Disney brought to life one of literature’s most beloved and delightful heroines: Mary Poppins.

Mary Poppins (1964) would not only become one of the world’s most delightful motion picture spectacles, winning multiple Academy Awards (including Best Actress for Mary Poppins herself, Disney Legend Julie Andrews), but it would go on to showcase the unique joy, innovation, and magic that has come to define The Walt Disney Company.

To celebrate the anniversary of Mary Poppins — a film that has been critically hailed as one of Walt Disney’s crowning accomplishments and is beloved by generations — the Walt Disney Archives proudly presents a collection of iconic props, documents, and artifacts from the musical fantasy.

One of the most awe-inspiring movie props — the charmingly mysterious carpet bag — is seen above.

Darlene Fogg — Senior Secretary with the Archives — remembers going to see Mary Poppins during its 1980 theatrical re-release, commenting that the title character was unlike any she had ever seen before and that everything “from the scenery to the music, right down to the special magical carpet bag” was perfect.

“I am so thrilled that the Walt Disney Archives has the carpet bag in [our] collection,” she says, “along with other precious pieces from Mary Poppins.”

Covering more than 100 years of storytelling, the Archives’ collection is a testament to Walt’s enduring legacy, housing countless historical objects, each with a unique story, that are carefully preserved in unassuming, secret locations in and around the company’s headquarters in Burbank, California. Over 500 objects related to the 1964 film are safeguarded in the vaults of these locales.

A Marvel of Creativity and Ingenuity 

The production of Mary Poppins was a marvel of creativity and ingenuity.

Some of the most lavish sets ever seen in a Walt Disney production were designed and housed across four sound stages on The Walt Disney Studios lot. The Cherry Tree Lane and nearby park set filled an entire stage and was a testament to the filmmakers’ attention to detail. Every cherry blossom, made of materials imported from France and Portugal, was mounted into place by hand, creating a stunning (and memorable) visual effect.

A 360-degree cyclorama was painted to surround the entire set, adding depth and dimension to the lovely London sky. These settings were designed and created by art directors Carroll Clark and William H. Tuntke, with two-time Academy Award winner Emile Kuri and Hal Gausman handling the set decoration. Noted English designer Tony Walton created colorful costumes and was a design consultant for the overall production.

Pictured above are several items from Mary’s wardrobe that Walton and his team designed: Mary’s classic black hat, with bright red cherries and flowers; her “Jolly Holiday” boots; and her arrival shoes. Becky Cline, Director of the Walt Disney Archives, recalls a time in her career when she received frequent phone calls from Disney enthusiasts who inquired how many cherries were on Mary’s hat. (If you’re wondering, the answer is eight.)

Some passionate Poppins experts may notice that Mary’s “Jolly Holiday” boots look a bit different than how they first appeared on-screen in the pastel English countryside. These shoes were indeed worn by Andrews but were later painted white and used in the 1968 Disney musical The One and Only, Genuine, Original Family Band, where they were worn by actress Lesley Ann Warren.

A Monumental Work of Artistry

Speaking of the pastel English countryside… a team of remarkable studio professionals collaborated to ensure Mary Poppins was a monumental work of artistry.

The rich and fantastical animated world they created for the film’s “Jolly Holiday” segment acts as a whimsical break from the characters’ everyday London schedule, offering an inviting, impressionistic journey into one of the sidewalk drawings by Bert (played by Disney Legend Dick Van Dyke).

The production art above, which depicts the iconic horse race sequence, is a perfect example of the talent, skill, and imagination of art director Carroll Clark and artists (and Disney Legends) Xavier “X” Atencio, Don DaGradi, Bill Justice, and Peter Ellenshaw. This colorful artwork is among hundreds of concept drawings, exploratory sketches, matte paintings, and other visual art from the production carefully preserved in the Walt Disney Archives.

Above is a glimpse at one of the most beloved props in the Archives collection, and from a pivotal scene in the film: a moment when Mary teaches the Banks children a precious life lesson as she sings to them the special lullaby “Feed the Birds” (written by Disney Legends Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman).

The story of how this snow globe, featuring St. Paul’s Cathedral, found its way to the Archives is remarkable.

One day, years after the film’s release, the head janitor at the Disney studio found the object in the trash. Thinking it was interesting, he saved it and displayed the snow globe in his office. In the early 1970s, when a then newly hired Dave Smith (founder of the Walt Disney Archives and Disney Legend) saw it on the janitor’s shelf, he correctly identified it as the one from the film.

The legendary snow globe is currently on display at Disney100: The Exhibition in Kansas City, Missouri.

The Historic Premiere

Mary Poppins famously premiered at Grauman’s Chinese Theatre on Thursday, August 27, 1964. Songwriter Richard Sherman recalled, “It was one of the most amazing experiences of my life… After four years of working on this film, I was floating on clouds.”

The Archives collection preserves several unique pieces from the historic premiere, including this ticket and envelope; an official lapel ribbon worn by premiere staff; and a police pass.

It took seven months to plan for such a lavish and special premiere, and this one would be Walt’s first massive Hollywood event since the groundbreaking Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs in 1937. The evening also served as a benefit for CalArts, a groundbreaking school being developed to train a new generation of artists. Before Walt’s masterwork was unveiled to the invited audience, a 15-minute film, The CalArts Story, narrated by famed actor Sebastian Cabot, was screened.

Then, the opening credits for Mary Poppins rolled for the first time.

Richard Sherman recalled, “We were all praying it would be a success. We thought it was good, but maybe we were just [biased]. Everybody was just glued to that screen. They laughed at all the right places. After ‘Step in Time,’ there was thunderous, screaming applause… [and] when it was over, everybody stood up en masse and applauded. And they continued standing for five minutes. Women were wiping their eyes. [Co-producer and Disney Legend] Bill Walsh leaned over and winked. I looked over at Walt, and he was all smiles. He felt so good. What a wonderful thing for the creators of the film to feel and see.”

A Testament to Walt Disney

In its initial release, Mary Poppins was a box office hit and received 13 Academy Award nominations, resulting in five wins. The love for Mary Poppins continues to soar all these years later, and the Archives houses an impressive array of representative merchandise produced from the film’s release through the present.

Merchandise played a vital role in the marketing of Mary Poppins the world over, as Disney licensed the film’s characters to a variety of companies for use on a plethora of product. On the heels of the film’s 1964 release, Poppins’ magical prop carpet bag left the Disney studio as part of a promotional giveaway by Kraft Chocolates.

The first prize was the carpet bag filled with $10,000 in cash. The winners apparently valued the money more than the bag, which reportedly sat in an attic for some 40 years before being correctly identified and finding its way to the Walt Disney Archives.

Pictured above are several notable pieces from the Archives’ collection of merchandise. Two Mary Poppins dolls—one more vintage, in a stylish blue jacket with matching hat, and a more recent one sporting her iconic “Jolly Holiday” look—showcase the differences and looks across generations.

Sixty years later it’s clear that no other studio but Disney could have created a film like Mary Poppins. Its continued popularity over the last six decades is a testament to the dreams of Walt, the company he built, the happiness the film holds for millions of people around the world.

This past spring, “Let It Go” from the Frozen Original Soundtrack was certified Diamond by the RIAA(Recording Industry Association of America), signifying 10 million in sales—a historic first for Walt Disney Records. And on Saturday at D23: The Official Disney Fan Event presented by Visa^® in Anaheim, California, Disney Music Group President Ken Bunt presented two Diamond plaques to songwriters Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez.

Performed by Disney Legend Idina Menzel, “Let It Go” took home the Academy Award^® for Best Original Song in 2014, as well as the GRAMMY Award for Best Song Written for Visual Media in 2015. The Frozen Original Soundtrack features eight original songs from Anderson-Lopez and Lopez, plus a score by the award-winning composer Christophe Beck.

In a 2023 interview with D23.com, Lopez opened up about the success of “Let It Go” and its enduring impact.

“In the documentary series about Frozen 2, Into the Unknown, there’s a scene where one of the animators shows the directors this letter about ‘Let It Go,’” Lopez recalled. “This girl shared her experience of having been really depressed and thanked Disney for changing her life and being her strength in a moment of need. That got me.”

Lopez further explained that his collaborators were hoping to help along the narrative of the film and write something meaningful to themselves. “We never were trying to help a girl get through a tough time. But it turns out that’s the purpose of this,” Lopez said. “At its best, music can save people’s lives. It can help people get through rough times. That’s one of the functions of art. And God bless Disney for having the reach that it does, in terms of in terms of helping people all over the world.”

Menzel, who accepted the Diamond certification for “Let It Go” on ABC’s American Idol in May, previously opened up about the song’s impact. “It’s been this incredible gift in my life. What’s so beautiful is that not only does Elsa connect with a young audience, but she gives us all permission to be our greatest selves,” she said. “And because I get to perform the song over and over, she never goes away. When I’m feeling down or insecure about my own power, she reminds me to harness that. So, it’s really been this constant gift that just keeps on giving.”

Speaking of the “gift that just keeps on giving,” the Frozen franchise continues to snowball. At D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event, it was announced that Disney on Broadway’s Frozen, which was filmed onstage, will premiere on Disney+ in 2025—and Samantha Barks, who stars as Elsa, dazzled the audience with a rendition of “Let It Go.” Plus, Walt Disney Animation Studios’ Jennifer Lee, who wrote and directed 2013’s Frozen and 2019’s Frozen 2, shared concept art for Frozen 3, opening only in theaters on November 24, 2027.

In addition to multiple attractions and experiences at Disney theme parks around the world, the first Frozen-themed land, World of Frozen, opened its gates at Hong Kong Disneyland late last year. What’s more, World of Frozen will open at Disney Adventure World in 2026 as part of Disneyland Paris’ largest expansion and transformation to date.

Beyond the Frozen films and various Disney theme park offerings, Disney Store offers a range of Frozen products that includes apparel, books, costumes, games toys, and more.

Production on the sequel to Freaky Friday — the studio’s hit comedy from 2003 starring Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan — began today in Los Angeles. The film will be released in theaters nationwide in 2025.

Curtis and Lohan reprise their roles as Tess and Anna Coleman.

Other returning cast members from the original film include Mark Harmon, Chad Michael Murray, Christina Vidal Mitchell, Haley Hudson, Lucille Soong, Stephen Tobolowsky, and Rosalind Chao.

They are joined by Julia Butters, Sophia Hammons, Manny Jacinto, and Maitreyi Ramakrishnan.

The film is directed by Nisha Ganatra.

The producers are Kristin Burr, Andrew Gunn, and Jamie Lee Curtis, with Nathan Kelly, Ann Marie Sanderlin, and Lindsay Lohan serving as executive producers.

A sequel to the beloved 2003 film with a multigenerational twist, the film picks up years after Tess (Curtis) and Anna (Lohan) endured an identity crisis. Anna now has a daughter of her own and a soon-to-be stepdaughter. As they navigate the myriad challenges that come when two families merge, Tess and Anna discover that lightning might indeed strike twice.

Trudy Ederle may not be a household name, but Walt Disney Studios’ Young Woman and the Sea, which hits theaters this weekend, is looking to change that.

“I love the story about Trudy and the fact that nobody’s ever heard of her before,” Jerry Bruckheimer, the film’s producer, said. “I felt audiences around the world should know about this amazing athlete who accomplished something back when it wasn’t kind of cool for women to be in the water.”

Daisy Ridley, who stars as Trudy and is an executive producer on the film, added that she loves how supportive Disney has been in helping tell Ederle’s story.

“A lot of people have said they haven’t seen a film like this in a little while,” she noted. “We had to have really good support in order to facilitate that.”

After battling punishingly cold waters, jelly fish, and intense fatigue over the course of 14 hours and 34 minutes, Ederle became the first woman to swim the 21 miles of the English Channel — faster than any of the five men that had come before her. Her accomplishment was greeted with one of the biggest ticker-tape parades ever for an athlete.

And now her story gets the big screen treatment.

See it Big

Director Joachim Rønning captured Ederle’s journey in a way that “is undeniably awe inspiring on the big screen,” Ridley said.

In a movie theater, “you really get to experience that in its grandiose setting” she added.

“That scope, particularly watching it on a cinema screen, is so undeniable,” Ridley continued. “The majesty of what you’re witnessing and also this tiny speck of a person next to this boat who did this unbelievable feat.”

The joy of seeing Young Woman and the Sea in a theater extends not only to the grand sweep of the wide-open seas, but also to the immersive sound design and the meticulous work of production designer Nora Takacs Ekberg.

“What she created is so unbelievable,” Ridley explained. “Even the apartment [Trudy’s family] live in, the attention to detail is so stunning. Oscar Faura, our Director of Photography, the way it was filmed is so beautiful. And it really is this very intimate story, but obviously in a very large scale for a lot of it.”

“It Had to be Real”

A key challenge for Ridley was accurately portraying Ederle’s swimming skills.

“I trained for 3 months,” Ridley said. “We filmed and I also had to train after the filming day and on the weekends.”

To accomplish the proper effect of Ederle swimming through the English Channel, Ridley was filmed swimming in actual open waters in the Black Sea.

“It just feels like it had to be real” to allow audiences to connect with the story, Ridley said.

Bruckheimer noted that the film tried to “make it as real as possible.”

“There are plenty of visual effects movies, but it’s a true story,” he said. “You want to keep true as possible.”

“A Perfect Movie for Disney”

Bruckheimer felt that Young Woman and the Sea was “such a perfect movie for Disney.”

And he should know, having produced almost 30 films with the studio over the last three decades.

“It’s an emotional story,” he said. “We all want to go to the cinema and be transported some place. And this takes you on this journey.”

It harkens back to other Disney classics such as Remember the Titans, Miracle, and Invincible.

When screened for test audiences, Young Woman came back with the highest ratings for a film Bruckheimer has produced since The Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, over 20 years ago.

“I think that’s what resonates with audiences. They laugh, they cry. There’s humor in it. There’s a lot of emotion,” Bruckheimer explained. “Emotion is one that wins it every time for an audience.”

He added, “I love the story about Trudy and the fact that nobody’s ever heard of her before.”

“Now, people will know who she is,” Bruckheimer said.

Young Woman and the Sea will open in select theaters May 31, 2024.

A new kingdom. Some new feelings. The return of an Oscar®-winning duo. A swearing Super Hero and his clawed companion. Silent screams in space. The return to Motunui. And the origins of a lionized king.

That’s just some of what moviegoers can expect as The Walt Disney Studios rolled out its 2024 theatrical film slate at CinemaCon in Las Vegas on Thursday.

The 2024 releases represent an eclectic group of films from across Disney’s blockbuster brands with franchise films from Marvel Studios, Walt Disney Animation, 20th Century Studios, Pixar, and more. It’s also an example of the company’s ongoing effort to deliver creativity and excellence from its film studios.

“The upcoming lineup from our studio is incredibly exciting,” Alan Bergman, Disney Entertainment Co-Chairman, said. “With a mix of established franchises and fresh stories, there’s something for everyone and we look forward to serving up a variety of films that deliver a steady flow of exceptional cinematic events to theaters.”

This year’s slate follows a 2023 that saw Disney bring in nearly $5 billion at the global box office. That includes $1.9 billion domestically across 17 titles. Acclaim also followed financial success last year as Disney led the industry with 20 Oscar® nominations, including five wins.

Now, 2024 is shaping up to be a great year. Here’s some of what Disney is bringing to a theater near you this year:

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes

May 10

Disney opens its summer movie season with the latest chapter in 20th Century Studios’ Planet of the Apes franchise, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes.

The film — which is directed by Wes Ball — takes place generations after 2017’s War for the Planet of the Apes to tell the story of a young ape’s harrowing journey across a new empire. The Planet of the Apes franchise has showcased innovative storytelling by introducing remarkable motion capture technology to bring the apes to life and to bring audiences into this brave new world.

The last three films in the franchise (2011’s Rise of the Planet of the Apes, 2014’s Dawn of the Planet of the Apes and 2017’s War) have not only been groundbreaking in terms of their creativity, but have also been hits with moviegoers, bringing in a combined $1.6 billion at the worldwide box office.

Inside Out 2

June 14

Growing up can be emotional, and Pixar is once again ready to show audiences how much with Inside Out 2. The highly anticipated sequel to one of the animation studio’s most popular films brings audiences back into the head of Riley as she takes on the trials and tribulations of being a teenager.

Riley’s Emotions such as Joy (voiced by Amy Poehler) will have to deal with Riley getting older as well as some new feelings taking up space as Anxiety (Maya Hawke), Envy (Ayo Edebiri), Ennui (Adèle Exarchopoulos), and Embarrassment (Paul Walter Hauser) all move in.

Since racking up $858 million in 2015 and earning an Academy Award for Best Animated Feature, Inside Out has gone on to become one of Pixar’s most beloved and recognizable titles. Excitement over the film has been found everywhere from shorts to merchandise to attractions showing that even the smallest of emotions can have the biggest of impacts.

Kinds of Kindness

June 21

Emma Stone and Yorgos Lanthimos are wasting no time getting back to the big screen following their award-winning collaboration with last year’s Poor Things.

Searchlight Pictures’ Kinds of Kindness — a triptych fable directed by Lanthimos — brings the studio together again with Stone and the director just a few months after Poor Things took home four Oscars— including a Best Actress win for Stone.

Stone leads a stellar cast that also includes Jesse Plemons, Willem Dafoe, Margaret Qualley, Hong Chau, Joe Alwyn, Mamoudou Athie, and Hunter Schafer.

Deadpool & Wolverine

July 26

Deadpool & Wolverine brings Deadpool — the merc with a mouth played by Ryan Reynolds — to the blockbuster Marvel Cinematic Universe… and he won’t be coming alone.

Reynolds will be joined by Hugh Jackman — who is once again playing the iconic character Wolverine — to take on common enemies and likely some hijinks across the Marvel Universe.

Deadpool & Wolverine comes in at No 1. on Fandango’s list of Most Anticipated Summer Movies of 2024 (a list that also includes Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes and Inside Out 2). The film follows two hugely successful films with 2016’s Deadpool and 2018’s Deadpool 2, which brought in $784 million and $734 million at the global box office, respectively.

With that type of popularity, Deadpool should fit right in with the Marvel Cinematic Universe, a franchise that has brought in nearly $30 billion at the global box office.

Alien: Romulus

August 16

In space, no one can hear you scream, but come this August the screams will be loud and clear at the cineplex.

Alien: Romulus is set to terrify audiences as the latest film in the Alien series — a franchise that has made more than $1.5 billion worldwide going back to 1979’s touchstone horror science fiction film, Alien.

Romulus — which stars Cailee Spaeny and is written and directed by Fede Alvarez — takes place between the events of the 1979 film and its sequel, 1986’s Aliens, as a space crew attempts to survive the most horrifying creature in the galaxy.

Moana 2

November 27

The ocean is calling and so is the return of one of Walt Disney Animation Studios’ most adored films.

Moana 2 brings audiences back to Motunui as Moana, Maui, and a brand-new crew of unlikely seafarers journey to the far seas and into dangerous, long-lost waters for an adventure unlike anything she’s ever faced. The all-new epic animated musical will feature the returning voices of Auli‘i Cravalho as Moana and Dwayne Johnson as Maui.

Since 2016’s Moana — a smash hit that made $645 million worldwide — love for the high seas adventures of Moana and Maui has not wavered. The original film recently crossed 1 billion hours streamed on Disney+ and was the most streamed movie of 2023 on any platform in the U.S.

Mufasa: The Lion King

December 20

The popularity of The Lion King has spanned generations and now audiences will be able to see the origin story of the king himself, Mufasa, this holiday season.

Directed by Oscar-winning filmmaker, Barry Jenkins, Mufasa: The Lion King will explore the story of how Mufasa became one of the greatest kings of the Pride Lands.

The prequel continues the tradition of the original 1994 movie and follows the cinematic style of 2019’s The Lion King, which made $1.6 billion at the global box office. The innovative approach blends live-action filmmaking techniques with photoreal computer-generated imagery.

But 2024 is just the start.

Disney has multiple notable releases in the years to come such as Captain America: Brave New World, The Fantastic Four, Blade, Toy Story 5, Zootopia 2, Tron: Ares, Snow White, The Mandalorian and Grogu, the live-action Moana, Avatar 3, and the Bruce Springsteen biopic Deliver Me from Nowhere.

Disney’s Snow White—a live-action musical reimagining of the classic 1937 film—is coming to theaters on March 21, 2025.

The film—which stars Rachel Zegler—invites audiences back into the magical world of Snow White with beloved songs and recognizable characters such as the Evil Queen and, of course, Dopey, Grumpy, Sneezy, Bashful, Happy, Sleepy and Doc.

The film is directed by Marc Webb (The Amazing Spider-Man 2), produced by Marc Platt (The Little Mermaid) and includes original songs from Benj Pasek and Justin Paul (The Greatest Showman).

After enchanting audiences around the world, The Little Mermaid made a big splash on Disney+ this weekend.

The live-action reimagining of the studio’s Academy Award®-winning animated musical starring Halle Bailey and Melissa McCarthy is the most viewed Disney movie premiere on Disney+ since Hocus Pocus 2, garnering 16 million views in its first five days streaming.

Its success on Disney+ follows a strong theatrical run this summer. The movie—which was directed by Rob Marshall and opened over Memorial Day weekend to $118.6 million in North America—was one of the top five highest-grossing films of the summer domestically with nearly $300 million.

The Little Mermaid—which also stars Javier Bardem, Daveed Diggs, and Awkwafina—is also among 2023’s top ten films worldwide to date, earning $570 million at the global box office.

The film was praised by audiences who gave it an “A” CinemaScore and a 94% on Rotten Tomatoes.

2023’s The Little Mermaid builds on the incredible legacy of the original 1989 classic, continuing to bring the story to life through a treasure trove of merchandising, parks and resorts attractions, video games, books, and theater productions for millions of fans around the world. The release of the live action The Little Mermaid has also given a boost to Disney’s existing library resulting in tremendous engagement for The Little Mermaid animated films on Disney+.

A view is defined as total stream time divided by runtime.