Disney+ D23 Roundup: ‘Santa Clauses’, ‘National Treasure’, ‘Percy Jackson’, ‘Disenchanted’ & More!
After our previous D23 Roundups for Marvel and Lucasfilm, we now move on to the other Disney+ shows which were announced over the weekend… and there were a LOT! Disney released a stack of trailers and info for various film and tv projects coming to the streaming service over the next year or so from Disney Branded Television, Walt Disney Animation Studios and Pixar. Here is what was announced over the weekend.
Disney+ TV
The Santa Clauses (Series)
Tim Allen returns to the role of Scott Calvin, who is on the brink of his 65th birthday and realises that he can’t be Santa forever. He’s starting to lose a step in his Santa duties, and more importantly, he’s got a family who could benefit from a life in the normal world, especially his two kids who have grown up at the Pole. With a lot of elves, children, and family to please, Scott sets out to find a suitable replacement Santa while preparing his family for a new adventure in a life south of the pole.
‘The Santa Clauses‘ premieres Wednesday, 16th November 2022 on Disney+ with a two-episode launch.
National Treasure: Edge Of History (Series)
The Disney+ Original series ‘National Treasure: Edge of History‘ is an expansion of the ‘National Treasure’ movie franchise told from the point of view of a young heroine, Jess – a brilliant and resourceful DREAMer in search of answers about her family – who embarks on the adventure of a lifetime to uncover the truth about the past and save a lost Pan-American treasure.
The series stars Lisette Olivera, Catherine Zeta-Jones (“Chicago”), Jake Austin Walker (“Rectify”), Jordan Rodrigues (“Lady Bird”), Zuri Reed (“Flatbush Misdemeanors”), Antonio Cipriano (“Jagged Little Pill”) and Lyndon Smith (“Parenthood”).
‘National Treasure: Edge Of History‘ premieres Wednesday, 14th December 2022 on Disney+ with a two-episode launch.
Percy Jackson and the Olympians (Series)
Based on Disney Hyperion’s best-selling book series by award-winning author Rick Riordan, ‘Percy Jackson and the Olympians’ tells the fantastical story of a 12-year-old modern demigod, Percy Jackson (Walker Scobell – ‘Adam Project’), who’s just coming to terms with his newfound divine powers when the sky god Zeus accuses him of stealing his master lightning bolt. With help from his friends Grover (Aryan Simhadri – ‘Spin’) and Annabeth (Leah Sava Jeffries – ‘Empire’), Percy must embark on an adventure of a lifetime to find it and restore order to Olympus.
‘Percy Jackson and the Olympians‘ is set to land in 2023 on Disney+.
American Born Chinese (Series)
Based on the genre-hopping graphic novel by Gene Luen Yang, ‘American Born Chinese’ tells the story of Jin Wang, an average teenager juggling his high school social life with his home life. When he meets a new student on the first day of the school year, even more worlds collide as Jin is unwittingly entangled in a battle of Chinese mythological gods.
The series stars Ben Wang as Jin Wang, Yeo Yann Yann as Christine Wang, Chin Han as Simon Wang, Ke Huy Quan as Freddy Wong, Jimmy Liu as Wei-Chen, Sydney Taylor as Amelia with Daniel Wu as Sun Wukong “The Monkey King” and Michelle Yeoh as Guanyin.
Emmy Award-winning writer/producer Kelvin Yu (“Bob’s Burgers,” “Central Park”) serves as executive producer and showrunner. Destin Daniel Cretton (Marvel’s “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings,” “Short Term 12”) is set to direct.
‘American Born Chinese‘ is set to premiere in 2023 on Disney+.
Zootopia+ (Short-form Series)
‘Zootopia+’ is a new short-form series, which heads back to the fast-paced mammal metropolis, diving deeper into the lives of some of the Oscar-winning feature film’s most intriguing residents.
‘Zootopia+’ premieres Wednesday, 9th November 2022 on Disney+
Iwájú (Series)
‘Iwájú’ is an all-new original long-form series created in collaboration with Pan-African comic book entertainment company Kugali, and is “a love letter to Lagos, Nigeria.” It is a futuristic depiction – a world bursting with colour, unique visual elements and technological advancements inspired by the spirit of Lagos, which is physically divided into an island and a mainland separated by both water and socio-economic status. The coming-of-age story introduces Tola, a young heiress from the wealthy island, and her best friend Kole, a self-taught tech expert and loving son from the mainland.
‘Iwájú’ comes from filmmakers Olufikayo Ziki Adeola, Hamid Ibrahim and Tolu Olowofoyeku, and is set to premiere on Disney+ in 2023.
Win Or Lose
‘Win Or Lose’ follows the Pickles, a co-ed middle school softball team, in the week leading up to their championship game. Each episode takes place that same week, highlighting the perspective of a different main character – players, their parents, the umpire – each reflected in a unique visual style.
This will be Pixar’s first-ever long-form series, and Will Forte (‘Last Man on Earth’) will voice Coach Dan. The series is directed by Carrie Hobson and Michael Yates.
‘Win Or Lose’ premieres in Autumn 2023 on Disney+.
Marvel’s Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur (Series)
‘Marvel’s Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur’, based on Marvel’s hit comic books, follows the adventures of 13-year-old super-genius Lunella Lafayette and her 10-ton T-Rex, Devil Dinosaur. After Lunella accidentally brings Devil Dinosaur into present-day New York City, the duo works together to protect the city’s Lower East Side from danger.
The series stars Diamond White as Lunella (aka Moon Girl); Fred Tatasciore as Devil Dinosaur; Alfre Woodard as Lunella’s grandmother, Mimi; Libe Barer as Lunella’s best friend and manager, Casey; Sasheer Zamata as Lunella’s mom, Adria; Jermaine Fowler as Lunella’s dad, James Jr.; Gary Anthony Williams as Lunella’s grandfather, Pops; and series executive producer Laurence Fishburne in the recurring role of The Beyonder, a curious and mischievous trickster.
‘Marvel’s Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur’ will premiere on February 10, 2023, on Disney Channel in the USA and then streams shortly thereafter on Disney+.
The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder, Season 2 (Series)
‘The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder’ picks up the story of its central character, Penny Proud, and includes her madcap family: parents Oscar and Trudy, twin siblings BeBe and CeCe, and grandmother Suga Mama (and Puff!). Of course, it would not be “The Proud Family” without Penny’s loyal crew: Dijonay Jones, LaCienega Boulevardez, Zoey Howzer and Maya Leibowitz-Jenkins, among others.
‘The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder’ Season 2 premieres February 2023 on Disney+.
Big Shot, Season 2 (Series)
Marvyn’s (John Stamos) latest plan toward relevance is to get his team broadcast on ESPN, and his method is to recruit an unlikely player: Ava (Sara Echeagaray), a gutsy beach volleyball phenom whose public tantrum got her ousted from her own sport. Between losing their assistant coach Holly Barrett (Jessalyn Gilsig) to a rival school, new friction amongst teammates, a sudden and unexpected proximity to boys, and off-the-court disasters that no one could’ve predicted this season, the Westbrook Sirens have even more to prove.
‘Big Shot’ stars John Stamos (“You,” “The Little Mermaid Live”), Jessalyn Gilsig (“Glee”), Sophia Mitri Schloss (“Potato Dreams of America”), Nell Verlaque (“Secrets in a Small Town”), Tiana Le (“Just Add Magic”), Tisha Custodio, Cricket Wampler (“About A Boy”), Sara Echeagaray and Yvette Nicole Brown (“Community”).
‘Big Shot‘ Season 2 premieres Wednesday, 12th October 2022 on Disney+.
Holiday Specials 2023
In addition to the new and returning shows on Disney+, they also have a bunch of one-off holiday specials coming to the streaming service this year. They include:
‘Best in Snow’ – A festive holiday special, hosted by Tituss Burgess, featuring teams from around the world transported to a magical snowy village, Snowdome, and thrown into a spirited competition to compete for the title of Best in Snow. With the help of Snowdome’s finest carvers, teams will transform their 10-foot, 20-ton blocks of snow into beautiful creations inspired by Pixar, Marvel, Walt Disney Animation, Walt Disney Studios and The Muppets Studio. The teams will take family favourites such as Moana, Coco and The Lion King, and bring the characters to life in a way you’ve never seen before – in snow! Spectacular snow sculptures and lively musical performances from Tituss Burgess, Kermit the Frog and DCappella make this an action-packed winter event for the entire family.
‘Pentatonix: Around the World for the Holidays’ – Superstar a capella group Pentatonix is struggling to find inspiration for their annual holiday album, and the clock is ticking. To make matters worse, their well-intentioned but misguided manager mistakenly locks them in a magic mailroom. But with the help of some Disney magic, we’re soon on a whirlwind tour around the world, discovering holiday traditions and inspiration from Pentatonix fans all around the globe: from Tokyo to Grenada, Ghana to Mexico and Iceland. The fun-filled journey leads the group to realize that wherever we find ourselves, the holidays offer the perfect opportunity to discover how much we have in common and that it really is a small world after all!
‘The Hip Hop Nutcracker’ – Run-D.M.C.’s Rev Run brings us along for a hip-hop reimagining of The Nutcracker ballet set in New York City. It’s the night of the annual New Year’s Eve block party and Maria-Clara’s (Caché Melvin) mom and pop (Allison Holker Boss and Stephen “tWitch’ Boss) aren’t getting along … and it’s bringing her down. Maria-Clara embarks on a holiday adventure to bring her parents back together, finding help along the way from the magical toymaker, Drosselmeyer (Comfort Fedoke), and the Nutcracker (Du-Shant “Fik-shun” Stegall) whom she brings to life. Maria-Clara’s journey takes her from the streets of New York to fantasy worlds where she battles with mice and toy soldiers (Viktor White, BDash, Kevin “Konkrete” Davis”), and back in time to the Land of Sweets in order to find the key to unlock her holiday wish. Will it be enough to rekindle her parents’ lost love before the clock strikes midnight? The special features best-in-class dancers Mikhail Baryshnikov, Tiler Peck, KidaTheGreat AKA Kida Burns, the Jabbawockeez as magical snowflakes, and more.
Disney+ Films
Disenchanted
Featuring music from Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz, the musical comedy picks up 15 years after Giselle (Amy Adams) and Robert (Patrick Dempsey) get married when their family heads to suburbia in search of happily ever after.
Amy Adams, Patrick Dempsey, Maya Rudolph, Gabriella Baldacchino, James Marsden, Idina Menzel, Yvette Nicole Brown and Jayma Mays star. The film is directed by Adam Shankman, produced by Barry Josephson, Barry Sonnefeld and Adams, and features new music from the greats, Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz.
‘Disenchanted’ streams on Disney+ beginning Thursday, 24th November 2022.
Hocus Pocus 2
It’s been 29 years since the 17th-century sisters have been resurrected and they are looking for revenge. It’s up to three high-school students (Whitney Peak, Belissa Escobedo, Lilia Buckingham) to stop the ravenous witches from wreaking a new kind of havoc before dawn on All Hallow’s Eve.
Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, Kathy Najimy, Sam Richardson, Tony Hale and Hannah Waddingham star. The film is directed by Anne Fletcher and produced by Lynn Harris.
‘Hocus Pocus 2’ streams on Disney+ from Friday, 30th September 2022.
Peter Pan & Wendy
‘Peter Pan & Wendy’ spotlights iconic characters in a whole new way. The new film dives deeper into Wendy’s story as she joins the boy who refuses to grow up on a magical journey to Neverland and reveals the history behind Peter Pan’s rivalry with one of Disney’s most memorable villains.
The movie stars Joining Bailey on stage were cast members Alexander Molony (Peter Pan), Ever Anderson (Wendy), Alyssa Wapanâtahk (Tiger Lily) and Jude Law (Captain Hook). It is directed by David Lowery and produced by Jim Whitaker.
‘Peter Pan & Wendy’ begins streaming on Disney+ in 2023.
