Los Angeles, Ca
What we learned about Disney's upcoming film and TV projects at D23
Disney’s three-day fan festival D23 entertained guests at the Anaheim Convention Center with interactive exhibits and unique activations, but the major announcements regarding the entertainment giant’s future plans took place Friday evening at the nearby Honda Center.
Night one of D23 featured a star-studded, three-hour presentation from Disney Entertainment, with never-before-seen production footage, advanced screenings of Disney trailers and, most exciting for many in attendance, the official reveals of some Disney projects that are in the pipeline.
Here is a breakdown of some of the biggest announcements Disney Entertainment made Friday night:
New Films
The biggest pop of the night came from the Disney Pixar segment of the show with Chief Creative Officer Pete Docter announcing that there will be a third installment of the Pixar classic “The Incredibles.” Docter said creator Brad Bird is currently developing the story.
Docter also announced the next original Pixar film that’s in the works, and showed a brief sizzle reel to hype up the crowd.
“Hoppers” will premiere in the spring of 2026 and while details were limited, the loose plot involves a girl who body switches with a robot beaver — like Avatar if you replaced the Na’vi with… beavers. The film includes voice acting from Piper Curda, Jon Hamm and Saturday Night Live alum Bobby Moynihan, and will be directed by “We Bare Bears” creator Daniel Chong.
New Series
“Dream Productions,” a new animated series set in the world of Pixar’s “Inside Out” will premiere on Disney+ in 2025. The series follows the production crew responsible for creating Riley’s dreams, styled after a typical daily TV program.
The four-part series is set between the timeline of the first “Inside Out,” and the 2024 follow-up sequel, and features the voice talents of Paula Pell, Richard Ayoade and Maya Rudolph, with appearances from the original cast of Riley’s emotions.
Pixar’s first original series “Win or Lose,” headlined by the voice of Will Forte, will premiere on Disney+ on Dec. 6. The new series will focus on eight different characters, including “the insecure kids and their helicopter parents,” as well as their overwhelmed coach as they prepare for a championship softball game.
National Geographic has partnered with magician and illusionist David Blaine for a new series called “Do Not Attempt,” in which the iconic performer travels the world to meet with like-minded individuals who push their minds and bodies to the limits, to discover how and why they do it. Blaine also mystified the entire crowd at the Honda Center by performing a mind-blowing card trick that left the audience speechless (and confused).
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Alan Bergman announced a new documentary series about the lives of monster truck drivers entitled “Monster Jam,” which Johnson’s production company will produce.
New Titles
The newest entry into the Avatar franchise will be called “Avatar: Fire and Ash.” Director James Cameron, who made a rare appearance in support of the film, departing from New Zealand mid-production, announced that the third entry into the series will be “not what you’re expecting.”
The long-awaited sequel to “Freaky Friday” starring Lindsay Lohan and Jamie Lee Curtis will officially be titled “Freakier Friday,” and will continue the story of the film’s two protagonists 20 years after the events of the beloved 2003 film. Actor Chad Michael Murray will return, it was also announced.
The fifth installment of the “Toy Story” franchise will aptly be called “Toy Story 5.” The film will pick up with the old gang of Buzz, Jesse and friends and will feature a tale of “toys vs. tech,” focusing on modern kids and their preference for electronics.
“Frozen” director Jennifer Lee announced that the next chapter of the Walt Disney Animation Studios’ production will be a two-parter
First Looks
Pixar presented an in-depth look at its upcoming film “Elio,” starring kid actor Yonas Kibreab. Zoe Saldana, who was in attendance in support of the Avatar franchise, was also announced as a new member of the voice cast.
Star Wars fans were treated to trailers and sizzle reels for several highly anticipated properties, including season two of “Andor,” an extended look at the upcoming “The Mandalorian and Grogu,” and the original Disney+ series “Skeleton Crew,” streaming in December.
Marvel gave the crowd looks at the upcoming Disney+ series”Daredevil: Born Again,” “Agatha All Along,” and Iron Heart,” as well as an extended trailer for the next Captain America installment “Captain America: Brave New World.” The presentation also featured a short message from the cast of “The Fantastic Four: First Steps,” and a brief teaser for the long-awaited film.
Fans of the Disney+ original “Percy Jackson and the Olympians” were given a preview of season two.
The Rock and Auliʻi Cravalho previewed the upcoming sequel to “Moana,” the digital animation one, not the live-action adaptation.
Ginnifer Goodwin provided new information and a brief scene from “Zootopia 2,” and announced that Oscar-winner Ke Huy Quan has been added to the cast.
A new logo for the live-action “Lilo and Stitch,” was shown and fans in attendance got to see the first look of the beloved Experiment 626 in his new digital animation form.
Disney Music
Disney provided new information about a number of planned stage productions, including “Hercules” which will debut at London’s West End in summer 2025.
Following in the footsteps of 2020’s “Hamilton,” a stage production of “Frozen” will premiere as a feature on Disney+ in 2025.
“The Greatest Showman,” which skyrocketed up the music charts during its unexpected smash success in movie theaters is now in development as a stage production.
The cast of “TRON: Ares” shared a brief clip of what to expect when the film premieres in October 2025, including the news that Nine Inch Nails would provide the soundtrack.
To close out the show, it was announced that the aforementioned “Hamilton” scribe Lin Manuel Miranda has penned the music for the upcoming “Mufasa: The Lion King,” and the writer, rapper, producer himself premiered a first look of a song from the film.
D23 is taking place at the Anaheim Convention Center from Friday through Sunday.
The future of voice to text is here.
I’ve been testing a variety of tools that make taking notes, transcribing audio, and even voice typing faster and easier than ever.
If you have a smartphone, you’re already halfway there!
Google’s Pixel Recorder app is free and built into their smartphone. It’s excellent for transcribing meetings, lectures, and conversations – all in real time.
Apple’s Voice Memos App recently added transcriptions if you’re upgraded to iOS 18.
Samsung’s Voice recorder app now offers transcripts too – as long as you’re on their latest One UI 7 software. (Check Settings > About Phone > Software Information)
Got an older phone? Try Otter.AI. It works great for transcriptions across devices and you get 300 minutes a month free.
Don’t want to tie up your phone?
I’ve been testing AI-powered digital audio recorders from a startup named Plaud.
The Plaud Note is thin, records for hours, and can even clip to the back of your phone to record calls. Just make sure you know your local laws before using that feature.
The Plaud Pin can be clipped to your shirt or worn on your wrist for hands-free recording.
Both devices sync audio to a companion app that auto transcribes and summarizes.
You get five hours of transcription a month included, with options to pay for more.
Pricing for each gadget starts around $160 dollars.
Want to transcribe audio files on your computer?
My favorite Mac app is MacWhisper. You can even get it completely free – although paid versions are avaialble with more features and options.
On Windows, check out Vibe Transcribe, also free.
And for a web-based option, Whisper Web gets the job done.
Finally, if you want to type less and talk more… there’s an excellent AI voice-to-text app called Wispr Flow. It was previously Mac only but just became avaialble for Windows, too.
One you install it, you pick a hotkey. Then, instead of typing just press and hold down that key and dictate what you want to write.
Since it uses the power of AI, you can even stumble or ramble and it will clean up your words and get the punctionation right.
It’s a gamechanger for responding to emails fast! You get 2,000 words free each week with options to pay for more.
Enjoy your newfound time!
An alleged attack on a state prison officer by a 43-year-old inmate transferred from Los Angeles County is being investigated as attempted homicide, California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation officials announced Tuesday.
The March 18 incident at Salinas Valley State Prison in Soledad reportedly unfolded just before 9 a.m. on what authorities describe as a “dayroom floor.”
The inmate, Anthony G. Ramirez, is believed to have pulled an improvised weapon from his waistband before attempting to attack custody staff member, according to a CDCR news release.
“Staff immediately responded, disarming Ramirez and placing him in handcuffs without incident,” the release detailed.
The 43-year-old, who was transferred to SVSP in 2008 after being sentenced to life with the possibility of parole for second-degree murder, with enhancements for the use of a firearm and causing great bodily injury or death, was placed in restrictive housing pending the investigation and possible felony prosecution by the Monterey County District Attorney’s Office.
Both Ramirez and the custody staff member were examined by medical personnel who noted no serious injuries.
Officials said that the California Correctional Peace Officers Association was notified of the incident and prison staff were offered peer support services and employee assistance programs.
Salinas Valley State Prison, opened in 1996, houses more than 2,400 minimum, medium, maximum and high-security inmates. The facility also offers vocational programs and academic classes and employs some 1,800 people.
A toxic algal bloom leaving an increasing number of marine mammals stranded along Southern California beaches shows no signs of subsiding and “will only get worse,” officials said Monday.
“This week, we saw more stranded dolphins (both alive and deceased) than we saw during the major domoic acid (DA) bloom in 2023,” Marine Mammal Care Center (MMCC) Los Angeles posted on Facebook.
Recent tests showed DA-producing algae levels have increased, and officials believe that trend will continue in the coming weeks. “We anticipate that it will only get worse,” the post read.
MMCC asked the public not to approach sick dolphins or sea lions on the beach because they can become aggressive upon awakening from a seizure.
“This is a safety issue for people and their pets as much as it is for the marine mammals,” officials said.
Beachgoers were also urged not to push stranded dolphins back into the water, saying it can reduce their chances of survival.
More information about domoic-acid poisoning can be found at https://marinemammalcare.org/domoic-acid/.
The volume of sick marine mammals has also had a financial impact on the MMCC.
“Our team is working heroically to respond to every call and to rescue every animal they can. Please share this post and give now at marinemammalcare.org/donate to give these marine mammals a second chance at life!” the MMCC stated.
Anyone who encounters a sick or stranded marine mammal can alert the nearest lifeguard and call 1-800-39-WHALE to make a report.
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