Boardwalk Times: Stories from the Seashore — D23 Fallout: Everything We Learned from Disney's Super Bowl
This month's newsletter we will be sharing our everything we learned from D23, Disney's version of the Super Bowl.
Welcome back to Boardwalk Times: Stories from the Seashore!
In this issue, we will be covering:
D23 Fallout: Everything We Learned from Disney's Super Bowl 📰
5 Insightful Panels That We Saw At D23 💡
Podcast Plugs 🎙
Links of the Month 📰
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D23 Fallout: Everything We Learned from Disney's Super Bowl 📰
Experiences
Avengers: Infinity Defense and Stark Flight Lab begin construction next year
Finally. Disney is moving forward with its Avengers Multiverse attraction now titled Avengers: Infinity Defense. That’s not all though. Another attraction, Stark Flight Lab is also coming. The kicker to it all? Robert Downey Jr. will reprise his iconic Iron Man role in both attractions.
Josh D’Amaro took the “Blue Sky” feedback seriously
I think Disney Experiences Chairman Josh D’Amaro is more self-aware than he’s given credit for. D’Amaro acknowledged the Blue Sky feedback early in the presentation and got cheers.
Spaceship Earth isn’t getting a refurb but it’s getting a lounge!
Spaceship Earth isn’t getting that refurbishment, but it’s going to get a lounge! At least a Spaceship Earth-inspired lounge is coming to EPCOT.
Coco isn’t Beyond Big Thunder but it will receive its own attraction at Disney California Adventure
Coco is coming to the Disney Parks and it’s getting an attraction at Disney California Adventure. However, the construction won’t start until 2026.
We’re Going To Wait For That Inside Out Attraction
Despite being the runaway success story for Disney this year sans Deadpool it still wasn’t enough for Disney to announce a proper Inside Out attraction. Hopefully, Disney realizes they have a stellar opportunity next year at Destination D23 to make a huge splash.
Disney Parks Team Is Enjoying Using Deadpool
Deadpool has been a success for Disney. It’s also clear that the Disney Parks team enjoys using the character. It wouldn’t surprise me in the slightest if Deadpool ends up appearing in Avengers: Infinity Defense.
Monsters Inc. Door Coaster Announced: But We Don’t Know If It’s Taking Out Muppets or Animation Courtyard
Remember how I predicted Muppet Courtyard? Welp, it seems like Disney didn’t consider that proposal. The long-awaited and rumored Monsters Inc. coaster was finally announced. Yet we don’t know if Monstropolis will take out Muppet*Vision 3D or if it will finally take out Animation Courtyard.
Magic Kingdom nighttime parade announced
A nighttime parade has been rumored to be in the works at Magic Kingdom for a while now. Disney finally announced Disney Starlight which will begin next year.
Avatar at Disneyland officially revealed
Avatar is coming to Disneyland Resort. It’s coming to Disney California Adventure. Where? Who knows. When? Who knows. What is it? Ah, it’s a new attraction/land based on Avatar: The Way of Water, Avatar: Fire and Ash, and future Avatar films.
Cars to Frontierland
An absolute shocker as Cars will take over Rivers of America/Tom Sawyer Island. As someone who loves Cars, it’s still a ballsy decision to kill the Rivers of America.
Tropical Americas with Encanto and Indiana Jones will open in 2027
Tropical Americas will open in 2027. The Encanto attraction will feature the Casita and will have an animal component. The Indiana Jones attraction will be an original story with Indy investigating a Mayan temple with a mythical creature. The land will feature a carousel that has a cute backstory about the village’s woodcarver making Disney characters so the kids of the village could have a nice carousel. A nice meta-storytelling tie-in.
Lion King was announced for Disney Adventure World
The Lion King was announced for Disney Adventure World. A win for Paris.
An updated Journey into Imagination isn’t in the cards
Despite being a no-brainer, Disney has not given any update on a future iteration of Journey into Imagination. You have to wonder the strategy at this point. Are they afraid they can’t make something new with Figment? This is the easiest win Disney could ever get. Maybe it happens in 2025 or 2026? One of these years?
The Mandalorian & Grogu are coming to Smugglers Run
Smugglers Run is getting a much-needed injection of energy. Sure the attraction opened in 2019 but having one mission has severely damaged the ride’s re-rideability in my honest opinion. The addition of Mando & Grogu should make this attraction a bit more entertaining.
Walt Disney Is Getting An Audio-Animatronic (And A Show At Disneyland)
They are doing it. Walt Disney is getting an audio-animatronic and his own show at Disneyland titled Walt Disney: A Magical Life. It will play in rotation with Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln.
Disney Cruise Line Dramatically Expands
Josh D’Amaro announced four more ships at D23. Quadrupling down on a growing business! A few days after D23, Disney Cruise Line also showed a first look at the Disney Adventure (a ship they bought and are renovating) and fans loved it.
Spider-Man Shanghai Coaster Confirmed Along With New Spider-Man Drop Tower Attraction for Hong Kong Disneyland
Disney confirmed the Spider-Man coaster for Shanghai Disneyland and also teased a new Spider-Man/Doc-Ock drop tower attraction for Hong Kong Disneyland. Yet the real money is in the patent they filed years ago where guests feel like they are swinging with Spider-Man.
No Wakanda for DisneylandForward Tease
Ryan Coogler showed up at the Honda Center on two out of the three nights. Sadly we missed out on Coogler getting to announce Wakanda for the Disney Parks. Maybe next time?
Outside of Mando, Parks Goes Light On Star Wars
After years of Star Wars projects at the Disney Parks, this feels like a quiet moment for the franchise. There’s room for additional offerings in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, new scenes for Star Tours, and what will become of Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser.
Daniel Jue Was Named Portfolio Creative Executive for Disneyland
Daniel Jue was named Portfolio Creative Executive for Disneyland. Jue previously oversaw various award-winning projects for Tokyo Disney Resort. Overall this is a tremendous sign for the future of Disneyland Resort.
Disney’s Epic Games Universe Wasn’t Revealed
There was a Fortnite segment but the details of Disney’s Epic Games Universe weren’t revealed. We didn’t even get a true timeline on when that project will arrive.
Storyliving by Disney Not Mentioned!
Disney’s community initiative shockingly didn’t get mentioned. Maybe D’Amaro’s team knew that plugging an ultra-rich, super-fan community wouldn’t go over well. Although people who attend D23 may be top prospects for Storyliving by Disney.
Josh D’Amaro used Disney Villains As His “One More Thing”
Josh D’Amaro delivered a perfect “one more thing” as it was the announcement of Villain’s Land. An announcement we already knew was delivered with the right energy, but it still made the arena go crazy. A huge win for D’Amaro.
Entertainment
Win or Lose Looks To Be Another Pixar Home-Run
Pixar’s first original series Win or Lose looks to be another home run. I got to listen to Carrie Hobson, Michael Yates, and David Lally discuss the making of the series. The footage I’ve seen so far looks exciting, and the early reactions from the Win or Lose watch party are positive. It’s my most anticipated Disney+ series for 2024.
Percy Jackson's Presence Was Felt Throughout The Weekend
Percy Jackson didn’t get an early Season 3 renewal but it had a looming presence throughout D23 weekend. The show went on after Kevin Feige at the Honda Center, had a big panel on the biggest convention center stage, and on the final day of the convention had a lot of fans in Camp Half-Blood t-shirts.
Elio was retooled
Elio was retooled and the new footage looks stronger and less like Lightyear. Zoe Saldana replaced America Ferrera, who had to leave due to scheduling conflicts. Pixar is honing in on the concept of loneliness. The new directors are Domee Shi and Madeline Sharafian.
Avatar 3 is now Avatar: Fire and Ash
The third Avatar film is now titled Fire and Ash. It looks intense as ever and James Cameron says he’s about to deliver a story we didn’t know we needed.
Pixar’s New Original Film Hoppers Sounds Bonkers
Pixar has another original film in the pipeline called Hoppers. The film is about an animal lover who can hop her brain inside of a robotic beaver. It sounds bonkers and it includes a stellar voice cast of Piper Curda, Bobby Moynihan, and Jon Hamm.
Skeleton Crew & Andor Look Great
Skeleton Crew and Andor both look incredible. The Acolyte may have been canned but the next two Star Wars Disney+ projects look as strong as ever.
The Mandalorian and Grogu will feature Zeb from Rebels
Jon Favreau provided an update on The Mandalorian and Grogu. The new footage teased a big snow battle and it featured Zeb from Rebels. The film is currently in a release date for 2026 but a part of me wonders if it will be moved back to December 2026.
The future of the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise wasn’t revealed
Multiple Pirates projects are in the works at Disney. Yet it seems none of them were ready for D23. Disney has a powerful franchise in its back pocket for now.
20th Century Studios/FX/Hulu & Others Not Featured in Entertainment Showcase
The Entertainment Showcase didn’t showcase any of Disney’s more adult fare. I’m assuming it was due to time. I’m shocked however Disney didn’t use 12,000 people in an arena to market Alien: Romulus before it was released. No, Dana Walden victory lap for dominating Emmy nominations? No details about future Apes films?
Toy Story 5 is Toys vs Tech
The fifth Toy Story film will be about the toys taking on technology. A truly universal story will be told in 2026. Written and directed by Andrew Stanton.
Incredibles 3 Is Happening
Incredibles 3 is happening with Brad Bird. Pixar CCO Pete Docter confirmed Bird knows what he wants to talk about regarding the film. The project is still in the early stages.
Frozen III and IV Get Cryptic Updates from Jennifer Lee
Frozen III and IV are in development at the same time. Jennifer Lee revealed this is the first time they’ve ever worked on two films at once for the same franchise. It will be fascinating to see how it turns out but Jennifer Lee just cryptically teased the films with concept art and with some questions like “Where did Elsa get her powers?” and “Will Hans return?”
Disney’s 2025 Slate Has Less Sure Bets
Disney’s small 2024 slate worked out because it led to every film feeling like a distinct event. The 2025 slate is a bit all over the place. You got your Marvel fare like Captain America: Brave New World, Thunderbolts*, and The Fantastic Four: First Steps. Then you have films like Zootopia 2 and Avatar: Fire and Ash that have solid footing. Then the slate is risky with Elio, Lilo & Stitch, Snow White, Tron: Ares, and Freakier Friday. Some of the risks may pay off and some may flame out.
The Rock Is Making A Monster Jam Movie
The Rock just signed a new massive deal with Disney. Besides two Moana projects, the first thing The Rock is doing at Disney is… Monster Jam? Overall odd decision. Sure the project has a star and has some adjacent IP but it just doesn’t make a ton of sense. I think The Rock needed something a tad more Disney for his first major announcement.
Disney+’s Original Programming Slate Is Unclear
D23 was the perfect opportunity to showcase an upcoming slate. The event ended up as the place where we realized that Disney has an unclear direction when it comes to original programming on Disney+. Disney needs to keep down costs but they still have to feed the beast. I think the minimal original programming approach may hurt in the long run, especially with churn.
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5 Insightful Panels That We Saw At D23 💡
“So How Do You Direct Animation, Anyway?”
This panel included a bit of everything. Moderator Don Peri noted it was a “therapy session.” You had heavy-hitter directors from both Pixar and Walt Disney Animation discussing the making of animated films, dealing with notes, the creative process, story trust/brain trust, and how these films often stumble into something great.
30 Years of Toy Story
To me, the panel was the perfect way to discreetly build hype and confidence in Toy Story 5. It was an insightful look at Pixar’s first film. The panel provided some new anecdotes that I didn’t know about including the three film ideas they had before Toy Story, the origins of Pizza Planet being Pizza Putt, and that Pixar originally thought Disney wanted a Christmas special and not a full-length animated feature.
Marvel Animation
Marvel Animation’s output looks stellar. The studio feels fresh with unique animation styles for every show. The current lineup is strong, even though some series will have lower episode counts. I think Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man will be a major win for Marvel Animation and Disney+. I hope they are working on Season 2 now.
A Beautiful Tomorrow — Just a Dream Away: Disney at the 1964–65 New York World’s Fair
This was such a joyful panel. A stellar lineup discussing Disney at the 1964 World’s Fair. Kevin Feige, Jon Favreau, and Michael Giacchino came out to discuss Richard Sherman and the 1964 World’s Fair. Feige also noted how the World’s Fair will inspire The Fantastic Four: First Steps.
Disney Legends
Every legend shared a good bit of advice. I listed some of my favorite quotes throughout my piece on the ceremony. It was just an honor to watch it all unfold.
Bonus: A Goofy Movie & The Sherman Brothers panels
I couldn’t attend any of these due to scheduling conflicts throughout the weekend but I heard these panels were stellar. I’m excited about the Not A Goof documentary which is about the making of A Goofy Movie.
I also loved all the highlights I saw from the Sherman Brothers panels throughout the weekend.
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Podcast Plugs 🎙
The Lowdown on the Plus-Up: Kelly McCubbin and Peter Overstreet discuss the history of shooting galleries in the Disney Parks. Right in time for the Frontierland discourse! (Spotify) (Apple)
This is the Waycast returns soon with new episodes ahead of Skeleton Crew. (Spotify) (Apple)
Zach and Richard discuss Deadpool & Wolverine. Future episodes include a dive into Avengers: Infinity Defense/D23 Marvel Park announcements & coverage of Agatha All Along. (Spotify) (Apple)
LINKS OF THE MONTH
— Disney almost made an all-time blunder of announcing Muppet*Vision 3D’s closure at the Honda Center. Now we have to wait and see if the beloved attraction survives. [Whoever told D’Amaro to not announce the closure in front of 12K fans probably needs a huge raise] (TheWrap)
— Lisa Henson provided a brief update on the Jim Henson biopic that’s in the works at Disney. (The Hollywood Reporter)
— Society of Explorers and Adventurers, Swiss Family Robinson, and Witch Mountain are not moving forward at Disney+. (Boardwalk Times/Agents of Fandom)
— Mailbag: Ryan Reynolds’ S.E.A. film, Figment film, Big Hero 6/Wreck-It Ralph in the Disney Parks, and more. (Boardwalk Times)
— Disney Earnings: Entertainment Rises, Parks Show Warning Signs. (Boardwalk Times)
— Disney’s new CTO is a YouTube vet. (ADWEEK)
— We Need To Talk About Frontierland. (Boardwalk Times)
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