Check this out:

The movie promises 8 new original songs for the Moana sequel, but the preview only gives us a tease at one power ballad titled Beyond. This time around, the music will be provided by songwriter duo Abigail Barlow and Emily Bear (Barlow and Bear) who had won a Grammy for Best Musical Theater Album for their work on The Unofficial Bridgerton Musical.

To compare, the first movie’s music was provided by Lin-Manuel Miranda, along with Mark Mancina, and Opetaia Foa’I, who are also attached to this movie.

Though we know that Moana gets her own song, it’s possible that we’re also going to get some new tracks for Maui, and the rest of the people from Moana’s village. Of course, there’s also the obligatory villain song (for new character Matangi). This time around, Moana also has her own crew to help her on the boat, so maybe they get a song as well—a classic sea shanty, if you will.

There’s honestly a lot of pessimism with the Disney movie since it was originally planned as a series then retooled into a film; and the lack of marketing is kind of telling—but hopefully the film will be completed fully by the time we get to the end of November.

Catch Moana 2 when it comes out in theatres on Nov. 27.

The movie is set to hit theatres this November, and we have a new look at the film, and a better understanding of the story. Check this out:

Here’s the synopsis for the plot:

Walt Disney Animation Studios’ epic animated musical “Moana 2” reunites Moana (voice of Cravalho) and Maui (voice of Johnson) three years later for an expansive new voyage alongside a crew of unlikely seafarers. After receiving an unexpected call from her wayfinding ancestors, Moana must journey to the far seas of Oceania and into dangerous, long-lost waters for an adventure unlike anything she’s ever faced.

The trailer for Moana 2 also gives a look at new character Matangi (Awhimal Fraser) who doesn’t look to be a goddess like in the first film, but seems to be more than human. I wouldn’t be surprised if she was another demigod like Maui, but it would be cool if she was just like Moana and has a special connection with nature.

And though she never really got the focus in the first film, Moana’s sister Simea makes her formal introduction in this movie. We know she has a bond with Moana, but knowing Disney, it’s very likely Simea could be the lead of the next spinoff waiting to happen.

Admittedly, I don’t know how to feel about Moana 2, especially since there was news that this was originally planned as a series; but Disney has botched marketing in the past, and maybe Moana 2 could be worth checking out.

Catch it when it swims into theatres on Nov. 27.

According to The DisInsider, development is currently ongoing for an animated Kingdom Hearts movie. The project was said to have been originally conceived for Disney+, but it was then pivoted to be something made for a theatrical release.

Before you get too excited about seeing Sora, Donald, and Goofy in the big screen though, it’s said that ‘these are just rumblings and nothing has been greenlit.’ For now, Disney doesn’t seem to be too interested in adapting things from video games, but seeing as how The Super Mario Bros. Movie and Sonic the Hedgehog have been doing so well in theatres, they could be changing their tune.

The lore for Kingdom Hearts is admittedly too complicated, but essentially it boils down to a Final Fantasy crossover with Disney characters. The game follows Sora, the master of the Keyblade, as he goes on a journey through different Disney-themed worlds to fight against an enemy called The Heartless.

With the game’s story being as complicated as it is, this could be the best time for Disney to swoop in and give new fans a cliffnotes version of Sora’s story; but maybe they should just go the Fallout route and give fans an expansion of the story with the same Final Fantasy meets Disney aesthetic.

I’m sure KH fans would eat that film up if they managed to release it alongside the upcoming game, but that’s just speculation on my part.

A Kingdom Hearts movie has not been officially announced. Kingdom Hearts IV is yet to receive a release date.

Here’s our first look at Moana 2:

Here's your first look at #Moana2, only in theaters this November pic.twitter.com/dYBmFMzfce

— Disney Animation (@DisneyAnimation) February 7, 2024

We don’t know what the story could be about yet, but we should expect Moana and Maui to come back and go on another mystical adventure.

In the first movie, we saw Moana take over her tribe and finally have them exploring outside of their island, as they were originally explorers. We should expect the sequel to expand on that concept; but since we’re expecting some kind of conflict, it’s possible that opening up the world to her people could lead to some consequences that Moana should be expecting.

It’s also worth noting that Lin-Manuel Miranda, who wrote music for the original movie, is said not to be returning for the sequel.

It’s said that this sequel was originally conceptualized as a series, but with Bob Iger taking over again, it’s possible that he saw the success of the Moana property and decided that it would probably draw in an audience in the movie theaters.

With Disney also gearing up for a live-action adaptation of Moana with Dwayne Johnson, it would make sense for the studio to keep audiences updated on Moana’s world and lore, just to keep everyone excited about its mystical pacific islander influence.

Moana 2 is set to release in theaters in November.

As per IGN, a recent earnings call at Disney had Iger reveal that sequels were being developed for Toy Story, Zootopia, and Frozen. We don’t have any official breakdowns for the upcoming projects, but some think that these movies were greenlit in an attempt to take back all of Disney’s recent losses. The same earnings call had also reported that Disney+ had lost millions of subscribers in the past few months; and if that wasn’t bad enough, the company is also said to be laying off 7000 employees.

Going back to the sequels though, a lot of fans have some mixed feelings about the announcements. Though sequels for Zootopia and Frozen II seem to be on track for where the characters had been left, a return to Toy Story does feel a bit risky. After all, Toy Story 4 didn’t really stick the landing the way the third movie did; then again, this could be a chance to ‘course correct’ the direction of Woody’s story (which turned out to be a metaphor for parenthood by the latest film).

Personally, I don’t blame Disney for going back to established IPs, but it is telling that the studio would allow Strange World to drown in the box office when the film was marketed so poorly. Hopefully Iger will handle his exit a lot better this time. Let’s just hope another pandemic doesn’t get in the way of whoever his next successor will be.

Watch the latest trailer which pits three generations of Clades against each other:

It looks like the story will focus mainly on Jake Gyllenhaal’s character Searcher Clade, who was raised up to be an adventurer by his father, but has embraced the more quiet life after his father (Dennis Quaid) goes missing. With the resurgence of his father though, it seems that Searcher will now have to cope with the feelings of his son (Jabouki Young-White) taking an interest in his grandfather’s knack for adventuring.

It has a very interesting approach when it comes to the family dynamic, and I’m sure a lot of people can relate to not wanting their kids to get close to parents whom they consider didn’t take care of them properly. Of course, this is still a Disney movie, so we should expect some fun laced in with this spoonful of family therapy.

Here’s the official description:

The feature film introduces a legendary family of explorers, the Clades, as they attempt to navigate an uncharted, treacherous land alongside a motley crew that includes a mischievous blob, a three-legged dog and a slew of ravenous creatures. “Inspired by classic adventure stories,” said director Don Hall, “‘Strange World’ is an original animated adventure/comedy about three generations of the Clade family who overcome their differences while exploring a strange, wondrous and oftentimes hostile world.”

Strange World flies into theaters Nov. 23.

Watch the Baymax trailer down here: 

The all-new series of healthcare capers returns to the fantastical city of San Fransokyo where the affable, inflatable, inimitable healthcare companion robot, Baymax, sets out to do what he was programmed to do: help others.

The series is only set to run for six episodes, and will have Baymax attempting to help anyone who he sees has been physically injured. Series creator Don Hall had this to say about the spinoff:

“In each of our six episodes, Baymax just wants to help someone—and a lot of times they don’t want to be helped. He sets out to fix a physical issue that he’s identified, and in the process, gets to a deeper, more emotional place and can be almost transformative in that role.”

For a series, I wasn’t really expecting the show to have the same level of animation as the film, but I guess this opens Disney up for more experimental approaches in the future when it comes to their spinoffs. Each episode actually has different directors behind the helm, so it’s going to be fun to watch each of their takes when it comes to this inflatable robot nurse.

Could we get a Big Hero 6 sequel eventually? I guess we’ll just have to wait and see. In the meantime, Baymax! starts streaming on Disney+ on June 29.

Watch the trailer for the movie down here: 

Here’s the official description:

Disney and Pixar’s “Turning Red” introduces Mei Lee (voice of Rosalie Chiang), a confident, dorky 13-year-old torn between staying her mother’s dutiful daughter and the chaos of adolescence. Her protective, if not slightly overbearing mother, Ming (voice of Sandra Oh), is never far from her daughter—an unfortunate reality for the teenager. And as if changes to her interests, relationships and body weren’t enough, whenever she gets too excited (which is practically ALWAYS), she “poofs” into a giant red panda!

The movie is directed by Domee Shi who had helmed the Pixar short Bao. With her short film taking an intimate look at the Asian-American experience, it looks like Turning Red will be doing the same thing—but this time, from the child’s perspective.

With films like Coco and Soul having very big concepts when it came to story, I’m actually up for these smaller, simpler plots—like Luca. The premise seems simple for Turning Red, but I’m sure it’s still going to have Pixar’s signature tearjerker moments.

After Walt Disney Animation’s Encanto comes out this month, the baton is back to Pixar to wow audiences with some dazzling visuals and adorable characters.

Catch Turning red when it hits theaters on March 11, 2022.

Watch the trailer for Baymax! down here: 

While Baymax! is described as a series, the quality is very consistent with the film. That being said, it’s very possible that the show’s episodes won’t run for a half-hour like a usual series. With that quality of animation, it’s likely each episode will only be for a 5-10 mins.

Besides the return of Baymax, we should probably expect some other side characters from Big Hero 6 to show up. We know that the internet-famous Aunt Cass is going to show up, but so far we haven’t seen any clips of Hiro or anyone else from the team.

If anything, the show looks fun, and Baymax as a character is always a delight to watch. While the movie had focused on Baymax’s ability to be a superhero, I’m up for just watching him go around and try to help the community, either by doing some actual health care or just doing random tasks around town. Hopefully Walt Disney Animation didn’t blow all the good jokes in the series on this one trailer.

Baymax! Is set to hit Disney+ sometime in the summer of 2022.

Watch the brand new clip for Encanto down here:

Admittedly, the song is cut short, but I can feel that we already met some of the most important characters of Encanto. Besides Mirabel, we get the mention of a character named Bruno, who we barely get to see in any of the trailers. With Bruno being able to see the future, and having disappeared from the family, I’m sure he’ll know something about the plot which consists of the family losing their powers.

If I were to guess, Bruno was never able to see the future at all, and is just like Mirabel who has no powers. Since this is a Disney movie, we should expect that the central message would be for Mirabel to accept she is extraordinary even if she doesn’t have powers. Then again, with that being obvious, I’m open to Disney trying something a bit more unexpected.

Walt Disney Animation Studios’ upcoming feature film “Encanto” tells the tale of the Madrigals, an extraordinary family who live in a wondrous, charmed place called an Encanto. Each child has been blessed with a magic gift unique to them—each child except Mirabel. But when the family’s home is threatened, Mirabel may be their only hope.

Encanto is set to release in theaters on Nov. 24.