CinemaCon 2023: Disney Showcases Marvel, Lucasfilm, and More Movies
On Wednesday morning, Disney kicked off the third day of 2023's CinemaCon event in the Colosseum at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas. The presentation follows earlier showcases from Sony Pictures on Monday night and Warner Bros. on Tuesday morning. CinemaCon has already screened The Flash in its entirety, yielding positive reactions following the event. Outside of the Colosseum on Wednesday morning, Disney plastered posters for The Little Mermaid, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, Elemental, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, and more. The presentation kicked off shortly after 9:30am PT. Below you can find a live recap of the event.
Disney began its presentation with a sizzle reel, looking back at its 100 year history. Moana, Frozen, Free Guy, Avengers: Endgame, The Lion King, Cruella, Wakanda Forever, Avatar: The Way of Water, Indiana Jones, The Little Mermaid, The Marvels, Haunted Mansion, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, The Boodeyman, A Haunting in Venice, Next Goal Wins, Wish, The Creator, amd mpre were featured. It is followed by Alan Bergman taking the stage. "Most importantly, what we want to do today is show you the movies that are coming to your theaters," Bergman said. "I wanted to come and personally thank you for your support," he said to the theater owners in attendance. "I especially want to thank you for the incredible achievement and success of Avatar: The Way of Water."
Marvel Studios is the first topic for the presentation. A clip from the film plays. In the footage, the Guardians are floating through space and landing on a planet. Nebula uses a laser from her arm to cut into it. Peter Quill tries to talk to Gamora on a private communication line. "So you really don't remember anything?" he asks her. Gamora doesn't know any of it. "That was some alternate future version of me," she declares. "Wasn't me." Quill tries to reason with her. "Yuo were everything to me," he says. He wants her to open herself up to trying at it again but she mistakenly calls him, "Quinn." Mantis chimes in and tells him it's an open line. The Guardians start talking to him and debating which line is the proper line between the colored buttons on their suits. A sizzle from the rest of the film plays. Kraglin using the arrow, Nebula's arm, and other powers are on display. Rocket's history is teased. The High Evolutionary seems to meet Quill. There's fights, laughter, screaming, leaping, falling, fleeing, and a declaration from Quill, "We have been running our whole lives," and he's done. Drax let's everyone know he is grateful to fight beside his friends. The group walks into the frame and Rocket says, "We'll all fly away together." At the end, Drax debates whether he can lay on the couch and learns it is not a bed!
"Carol Danvers finds that an important mission becomes slightly more complicated when she unexpected finds herself teamed up with Monica Rambeau and Kamala Khan," is how The Marvels is described before the already-released trailer plays.
Walt Disney Animation is next. Wish is the first film, revealing that its King Magnifico is being played by Chris Pine. A clip from the film introduces a song, seeing its main character dance through trees and sing to the stars and remembering moments with a character presumed to be her father. It's a catchy and delightful tune.
The attention turns to The Little Mermaid. Melissa McCarthy, who plays Ursula in the film, joins the stage. "It was truly such an honor to play one of Disney's most delicious and iconic villains," she said. "She's a conniving broad. Maybe it's why I relate! I don't know...Wait until you see the world that Rob Marshall has brought to life on the screen. It is truly extraordinary. Also, the opportunity to sing 'Poor and Unfortunate Souls...' I just couldn't imagine it." The first look at McCarthy's performance plays. Much of the footage is dark, with Ursula's glowing tentacles standing out for limited illumination of the setting. Halle Bailey's Ariel struggles with the offer of being human for three days, ultimately putting her voice on the line for Ursula's spell and deal.
Next is Haunted Mansion. A "number of cameos that truly are to die for," is promised before the first footage. The trailer shows several moments paying fun homage to the classic ride, including the walls stretching. It's funny, dark, and seems to be truly driven by a family story.
The next title is Pixar's Elemental. 20 minunetes of the film play for the CinemaCon audience in 3D. Following the footage, the presentation turns to Searchlight Pictures. Taika Waititi's Next Goal Wins shows off a first look ahead of its November debut. Fassbender's character, one based on a true story for the most part, loses his job and takes a soccer coaching role in American Samoa. It's a bad team who has lost by as many as 31 goals to Australia. Fassbender's character is determined to coach them to score their first goal, let alone win a game.
Next is A Haunting in Venice. A brand new trailer plays. It appears to be a dark and thrilling murder mystery tale with a supernatural elements playing a strong role. It leads to The Creator, a story set in the distant future following an apocalyptic war between humans and artificial intelligence. A stunning sneak peak plays, seeing John David Washington navigate the distant future while seemingly at war with himself and his own actions throughout his life. Washington's character is raising a robotic child, who assumes they can't go to heaven because they're not human while Washington's character believes he himself can't go because he isn't good. It's directed by Rogue One's Gareth Edwards, with a love story seeming to be a driving factor between Washingotn's character and that of Gemma Chan. The scale looks massive, the visuals look stunning and raw, and it seems to be building out a massive world with rich characters in the driver's seat.
The presentation concludes with a message from Harrison Ford about the new Indiana Jones film. "On behalf of myself, Jim, Kathy, Steven, Frank, and everyone else behind Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, thank you so much for your support," Ford declares before introducing a "very special look" at the movie. The footage previously shown at Star Wars Celebration plays.
Disney ended its presentation in the Colosseum with a screening of The Boogeyman.
