The Coolest Announcements (and Cosplay) From Disney's D23 Expo!

This past weekend our editor extraordinaire Katie Marzullo and I attended Disney’s D23 expo, the ultimate convention for Disney fans, and we are still recovering! The con was filled with magical cosplayers, fascinating panels, and announcements galore. Here are some of the biggest things to look forward to!

New Star Wars: The Rise of SkywalkerTrailer Blew Everyone's Minds

In addition to all of the characters who survived The Last Jedi, two new characters will join the Star Wars verse. The first, Zorii Bliss, played by Keri Russell, is a "criminal" and an "old friend” of Poe’s (Oscar Isaac) and is sure to cause some trouble. The other, Jannah, played by Naomi Ackie, is connected to Finn--we just aren’t sure how yet. The new poster spells trouble for Rey (Daisy Ridley) and Kylo Ren (Adam Driver), who battle it out atop a seafaring vessel. We’ll find out who wins when the saga concludes on December 20, 2019. (Check out our breakdown of the D23 Special Look trailer here!)

Two Kings In The North Will Reunite In The MCU

We’ve got some fresh faces joining the MCU. Eternals features the first deaf superhero in the MCU (played by Lauren Ridloff); the cosmic powered Kingo (played by Kumail Nanjiani); the wise and spiritual leader Ajak (played by Salma Hayek); and the fierce warrior Thena (played by Angelina Jolie). "Game of Thrones" alum Richard Madden will lead the charge as Ikaris, and it was announced at D23 that Madden's on-screen half-brother Kit Harington will be joining the cast as well, as Dane Whitman. We don’t yet know who the Eternals will battle, but we do know they will land in theaters on November 6, 2020.

We’re About To See The Backside of Water

All of the gags from Disney’s beloved ride, the Jungle Cruise, are about to come to life in next summer’s Jungle Cruise. Starring Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and Emily Blunt (both of whom introduced their own trailers highlighting their respective characters; sadly neither trailer is real), the film follows a riverboat captain (Johnson) who is hired by Dr. Lily Houghton (Blunt) to take her on a cruise on the Amazon -- although things don’t go quite as planned. The film seems to feature all of the jokes we know and love from the ride as well as a bit of romance -- could it be between the two leads? We’ll have to find out on July 24, 2020.

No More Sequels For Pixar

Pixar’s original films are back next year, and we’re getting not one, but TWO original films. The first, Soul, will be released on June 19, 2020, and will feature the voices of Tina Fey, Jamie Foxx, and Daveed Diggs. Soul is Pixar's musing on metaphysics, which is strangely fitting for a Pixar film. In it, Joe Gardner (Foxx) is a frustrated middle school music teacher who desperately wants to play jazz. He ends up in the “You Seminar”, where souls receive training that form our distinctive personalities. He meets 22 (Fey), a disgruntled soul who believes life on Earth is terrible. They work together to find a way to get Joe back to work and question what it truly means to have “soul”.

The next film will be released much sooner (March 25, 2020) and will take us Onward. In the film, two elf brothers (voiced by Tom Holland and Chris Pratt) go on a quest to bring their dead father back for just a day. As their quest continues, they begin to discover that there may still be a bit of magic in the world. The film also features Julia Louis-Dreyfus as the boys’ mother. The script was actually inspired by director’s Dan Scanlon’s own experiences with his brother and late father. Based on the plot alone, Onward is guaranteed to get us all in our feels.

We’ve Got 2 New Movies Coming From Disney's Own Animation Studios

Disney is about to get a bit more diverse with their next film, Raya and the Last Dragon. Inspired by Southeast Asian mythology, the film follows Raya (Cassie Lee), a fierce warrior living in the fictional land of Kumandra who sets out to find the last dragon and bring unity and light into her world. She ends up finding that the dragon (voiced by Awkwafina) isn’t quite what she expected. This will be the first animated Disney film to feature characters of Southeast Asian descent. Raya and the Last Dragon will fly into theaters on November 25, 2020.

Although we thought we had “let it go”, the characters of Frozen are returning to theaters on November 22, 2019. In Frozen II, we will find out how Elsa got her powers, which will lead the characters on a whole new adventure. There are two new characters in the film, including Iduna, Ana and Elsa’s mother (voiced by Evan Rachel Wood--who has quite a great singing voice!), and Lieutenant Destin Mattias (voiced by Sterling K. Brown). Songwriters Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez wrote seven new songs for the film, including another soaring Elsa ballad on her desire to go into the unknown, and “Some Things Never Change”, which was performed by the entire Frozen cast during the presentation at D23.

A Whole Lot of New & Original Content Is Coming to Disney+

Disney+, Disney’s very own streaming service, will include Disney films and TV shows, as well as some original content. Six new shows are coming to the service, including: “The Mandalorian”, a new Star Wars live-action series; “High School Musical: The Musical: The Series”, a mockumentary on the making of a high school putting on a production of High School Musical; a live-action version of Lady and the Tramp; Noelle, starring Anna Kendrick, which focuses on the children of Santa Claus; and “Encore”, which will have former high school musical casts reunite to put on a new staged production of their musical. Later shows will include a She-Hulk show, Ms. Marvel, a reboot of "Lizzie McGuire", and, perhaps most hype-worthy of all, a Star Wars series focusing on Obi-Wan Kenobi starring Ewan McGregor.

Whew, that was a lot! And to top it all off, there was some amazing cosplay. Keep clicking through to check out some of our faves!

(Images © Sarah Mina Osman)