Disney Animation @D23 EXPO 2017: What Do We Know?

The Walt Disney Company's biannual D23 Expo 2017 is only one day away! The main event that Disney Animation fans should be looking forward to is the Animation presentation, held tomorrow, Friday, July 14th, at 2:30 PM. Hosted by Pixar and Disney Animation Chief Creative Officer John Lasseter, the presentation will give Disney fans excited about upcoming projects Ralph Breaks The Internet: Wreck-It Ralph 2, Frozen 2, and Gigantic a little flavor of what's to come. As we prepare for tomorrow's animation presentation, what should we expect to hear about these upcoming projects? And, more importantly, what surprises may be in store?

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The main event that Disney Animation fans should most anticipate is the animation presentation held on Friday, July 14th, from 2:30-4:30 PM PST. The official press release for the presentation is below:

PIXAR AND WALT DISNEY ANIMATION STUDIOS: THE UPCOMING FILMS, HOSTED BY JOHN LASSETER

Join host John Lasseter, chief creative officer of Pixar and Walt Disney Animation Studios, as he presents Pixar and Walt Disney Animation Studios: The Upcoming Films. Watch never-before-seen footage from Pixar’s upcoming feature Coco and Walt Disney Animation’s Ralph Breaks the Internet: Wreck-It Ralph 2, and be prepared for surprise announcements, musical performances, and appearances by star voice talent. Cell phones, cameras, and all recording devices will be checked for this presentation.

What To Expect:

We should definitely expect to view first look footage at Ralph Breaks the Internet: Wreck-It Ralph 2, and possibly receive either new concept art or a film still that will be released online to the public. We should also expect to get an official plot synopsis for the upcoming film. From then on, the rest of what we may want or think we may receive is all speculation.

Here is a breakdown per upcoming film of what we will/should/want to see during the animation presentation:

Ralph Breaks the Internet: Wreck-It Ralph 2:

• Never-before-seen footage
• Teaser Poster?
• New concept art?
• Official film synopsis?
• Publicly released film still?
• Casting/character announcements?

Rich Moore, Director "Wreck-It Ralph" and "Zootopia"

Frozen 2:

• Official Director(s) announced?
• Official Title Treatment?
• Concept art?
• Official film synopsis?
• First look at updated character designs?
• Casting/character announcements?
• Musical performance?

Jennifer Lee and Chris Buck, Directors "Frozen," *RUMORED* "Frozen 2"

Gigantic:

• Updated concept art?
• Updated film synopsis?
• First look at character designs?
• Casting/character announcements?
• Musical performance?

Nathan Greno, Director "Tangled" and "Gigantic"

What about the Untitled Disney Animation Film?

As of April 2017, the upcoming Disney Animation release schedule is as follows:

11/21/18: Wreck-It Ralph 2
11/27/19: Frozen 2
11/25/20: Gigantic
11/24/21: Untitled Disney Animation Film

So, what could this untitled film be? Who could be directing? Most recent rumors indicate that Zootopia and Tangled director Byron Howard is working on an original project with Lin Manuel Miranda. Miranda commented to Vulture in November 2016 during Moana's release about the new project:

“That’s the fun thing about working with someone and having it go well — you go, ‘Okay, what else can we do?’” Miranda told Vulture. “Lasseter took me aside and said, ‘I have an idea: Here’s Byron, and you guys should start talking.’” Though he was excited, Miranda couldn’t say much else about the project, except to caution that it could take years to bear fruit, given the glacial pace of animated production. “We literally haven’t gotten in the room yet,” he said, “but we’re plotting.”

Maybe we'll get an official announcement about this project at the animation presentation. Maybe we won't. Let's not get our expectations too high for anything past 2020 given how long these projects take to begin production. Additionally, we still have another D23 Expo in 2019 before this project were to come out.

With that, let's expect some firm annoucements about the current projects that Disney Animation has already announced. 

​The Animation Presentation, PIXAR AND WALT DISNEY ANIMATION STUDIOS: THE UPCOMING FILMS, HOSTED BY JOHN LASSETER, at D23 EXPO 2017 is on Friday, July 14th!