D23 Expo 2022 is just over a week away and is expected to showcase many Disney films from franchises besides Marvel and Star Wars. With Disney owning a vast amount of different studios and being the heads of many releases, Marvel and Star Wars naturally dominate the majority of Disney events. However, it is worth exploring some other major releases coming from the studio over the next year or so that may feature at Disney's very own expo.
D23 Expo 2022 begins on September 9th, 2022, running until the 11th of that month. The expo will take place at Anaheim Convention Center and is set to be the main hub for all news Disney-related for the remainder of 2022 and going into 2023. Many panels will showcase different releases with many D23 announcements to come from Marvel and Star Wars, the two franchises considered Disney's flagship studios.
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However, other major franchises owned by Disney are expected to showcase some of their more significant releases coming in the next year. These include 20th Century Fox, Walt Disney Animation Studios, Walt Disney Pictures, and Pixar Animation. In order of release, here is a comprehensive guide to every potential film that could be showcased at D23 Expo 2022 that isn't a part of Marvel Studios or Star Wars.
Hocus Pocus 2
One of the next films to be released by Disney after D23 Expo is Hocus Pocus 2, a sequel to 1993's Hocus Pocus. The film will follow the villainous trio of witches from the first film, Winifred, Sarah, and Mary Sanderson played by Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy, respectively. The film picks up 29 years after the original film and follows Hocus Pocus' Sanderson sisters' resurgence in modern-day Salem and the exploits of three high-school students who try to stop them. The film has had one teaser trailer so far that was released in June 2022. Given that the release date for the film is currently set as September 30th, 2022 on Disney+, it would make sense for Disney to release the first official trailer for the film at D23 Expo, around three weeks out from the film's release.
Strange World
Strange World is the 61st animated film produced by Walt Disney Animated Studios and will be the studio's first release since Encanto in 2021. The film is directed by Don Hall of Winnie the Pooh, Big Hero 6, Moana, and Raya and the Last Dragon fame and follows the Clades, a family of explorers that travel to a mysterious planet filled with otherworldly lifeforms. Like Hocus Pocus 2, Strange World has only had one short teaser trailer so far that was released in June also. The film is set for a theatrical release in November 2022, meaning D23 Expo releasing an official trailer two months before the film's release would be a smart and expected move for the studio.
Disenchanted
The next film set to be released by Walt Disney Pictures after Hocus Pocus 2 is Disenchanted, the long-awaited sequel to 2007's Enchanted. The film is set to premiere on Thanksgiving, November 24th, as a Disney+ exclusive. Unlike both Hocus Pocus 2 and Strange World, Disenchanted has not yet had any trailers released for the film. With the main cast from the first film returning, including Amy Adams, Patrick Dempsey, Idina Menzel, and James Marsden, the film is highly anticipated given the positive reaction to Enchanted. With Disenchanted's release date set for November, and no trailer having been shown for the sequel yet, D23 Expo is a logical place for Disney to give some more updates on the upcoming sequel and debut the very first look at the film.
Avatar: The Way of Water
One of the biggest releases of the year set for December 16, 2022 is Avatar: The Way of Water. The upcoming sequel to James Cameron's Avatar has been 13 years in the making and is expected to be one of 2022's biggest film releases in terms of the box office by the end of its theatrical release. The first teaser trailer for Avatar 2 was released at CinemaCon 2022 and was attached to Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Given how D23 Expo would mark four months until another trailer has been shown, and only three months until James Cameron's Avatar 2 releases, a second trailer could potentially be shown at the convention, along with further updates on the film's story and cast.
The Little Mermaid
The next of Walt Disney Pictures' re-imagined live-action remakes that began with Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland is The Little Mermaid. While Robert Zemeckis' Pinocchio will release before this, its release date is September 8th, 2022, a day before D23 Expo 2022 begins. This puts The Little Mermaid, directed by Rob Marshall after his work on Into the Woods and Mary Poppins Returns for the studio, as the next live-action Disney remake to be released. It is currently scheduled for May 26th, 2023, and stars Halle Bailey as The Little Mermaid's Ariel alongside Melissa McCarthy as Ursula and Javier Bardem as King Triton. With filming for the film having wrapped in mid-2021, a trailer has likely been cut after the amount of time the film has spent in post-production. A small teaser trailer for the film could certainly debut at D23 Expo 2022, and showcase the latest of Disney's live-action remakes.
Elemental
Elemental is the next film to be released by Pixar Animation Studios and is expected to release in June 2023. The film is set in a city where fire, water, land, and air residents live together, and two characters from opposing elements find out they actually have a lot in common. The film is directed by longtime employee Peter Sohn, whose directorial debut came with Pixar's The Good Dinosaur. Given how next to nothing has been revealed about Elemental thus far, with no trailer or even cast members announced, D23 Expo 2022 would be the perfect place for Disney to market their next Pixar film after Lightyear.
Indiana Jones 5
Finally, one of the biggest movies of 2023 that will likely be showcased at D23 Expo 2022 is Indiana Jones 5. The fifth installment in the franchise is directed and co-written by James Mangold of Logan fame. Harrison Ford returns to the titular role alongside newcomers to the franchise Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Mads Mikkelsen, Boyd Holbrook, Toby Jones, and Antonio Banderas. Production around a fifth Indiana Jones film has been ongoing since 2008 and the release of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. With Indiana Jones 5 expected to be Ford's last film in the franchise, it is highly anticipated. This anticipation and the fact that D23 Expo 2022 is the last Disney-centric con before the film's release in June 2023, makes the expo the perfect time to release some information on the film. Given how the film is still untitled, and there is no information at all on the plot or characters of the film, D23 Expo is an ideal place for Disney to begin marketing what is likely to be the final adventure of the iconic hero.