2013 D23 Expo: Walt Disney Studios Animation Opens D23 Expo With Big Announcements!

Among the many other things that are going on at the D23 Expo this weekend, one thing dwarfs them all. Actually one Disney business unit and that is the Walt Disney Studios.

The entertainment company’s studio powerhouse has a rather large prescene at the 3rd D23 Expo this weekend in Anaheim with multiple major presentations and big name stars accompanying them. It’s all to promote the future slate of Disney movies and films that are coming within the next couple of years.

The first Walt Disney Studios presentation that took place on the first day of the Expo highlighted all the animated films coming from Pixar Animation, Walt Disney Animation, and Disneytoon Studios. The presentation had each upcoming film presented by John Lasseter and accompanied by the movies’ stars and filmmakers.

The 3-hour presentation had A LOT going on, so here’s what went down in bullet point form.

Oh, but as an aside, it is this writer’s first time at a D23 Expo and I’ve got to tell you that every second here has already left me flabbergasted as a person who has been following Disney even before my first words were uttered.

Anyway, here’s what went down:

• Attendees to the presentation got to see the first 10 minutes of Disney*Pixar’s “Toy Story OF Terror,” where your favorite toys plunge into a night of family-friendly yet pretty scary scenario away from home. It premieres on ABC October 16, 2013.

• Attendees got to view behind-the-scenes footage of the making of “Frozen,” as well as complete clips from the film that were quite funny. The voice cast including Idina Menzel and Kristen Bell also made an appearance. It hits theaters November 27, 2013.

• “Get a Horse!,” the “long-lost” Walt Disney cartoon (which really is a CGI+hand-drawn animation masterpiece with Walt Disney as the voice of Mickey Mouse) will debut in front of “Frozen” on November 27, 2013.

• Two new Tinker Bell movies were also announced. One of them, called “The Pirate Fairy,” will include the voice cast of Christina Hendricks and Tom Hiddleston and will tell the story of pre-hook Captain Hook. It debuts in Spring of 2014.

The other Tinker Bell movie called “Legends of the NeverBeast” will be about not “judging a book by its cover.” It debuts in Spring of 2015.

• From Pixar Animation Studios, attendees got first looks at “The Good Dinosaur (which will tell the story of what Earth would have looked like if the dinosaurs weren’t put to extinction)” “Inside Out (which will tell the story of a little girl name Riley and what really goes on in the human mind)”, and “Finding Dory (which will tell the story of Dory finding her family)” Keyword: Bill Hader for two of the films.

“The Good Dinosaur” releases May 30, 2014. “Inside Out” releases in 2015. “Finding Dory” releases November 25, 2015.

• In another exclusive for D23 attendees, John Lasseter showed us the full animated short to be released in front of “The Good Dinosaur” called “Party Central.” It’ll take place in the “Monsters University” world and will give a new take to the “traditional” college party.

• Although Disney’s “Planes” has only been out in theaters for a day, Walt Disney Animation Studios have announced a sequel that’ll be dedicated to all the hard working men and women who fight fires. Literally. “Planes: Fire & Rescue” will debut on July 18, 2014.

•  This new film from Walt Disney Animation Studios will take us into a world that we’ve never been to or seen before. Called “Big Hero 6,” the story will combine a long-lost Marvel comic series and a heartfelt hero story. It hits theaters on November 7, 2014.

•  “Zootopia” will literally be a film about if a utopia would be just filled with animals. No humans. That chaos will ensue in 2016.

– – –

That was a lot of information for one presentation, but if you’re like us, we’re excited all the more of what movie magic is coming from the Walt Disney Animation world! How about you? Which of these films are you most interested in seeing?

Let us know in the comments. Remember we’ll be taking part in part 2 of the Walt Disney Studios presentations tomorrow morning for Day 2 of the Expo. Stay tuned for news on the upcoming live film from Disney!