CNN
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Familiarity feels good. That was clearly the mood among the audience at the D23 Disney Entertainment Showcase on Friday, where the company presented a preview of its upcoming lineup of films and streaming content.

For those unfamiliar with Disney fans’ biennial pilgrimage to Anaheim, California, D23 is part cosplay convention, part promotional pep fest. For the 12,000 people who gathered in a packed arena for an evening of Disney trailers, teasers and stars, it was like a pop revival full of infectious fun.

Featuring previews of Moana 2, Avatar 3, The Mandalorian & Grogu, Mufasa: The Lion King and (much) more, the event was peppered with confetti, pyrotechnic explosions, an impressive magic trick by David Blaine and music by Lin-Manuel Miranda. It was as if Disney, borrowing a line from Russell Crowe in Gladiator, had asked, “Are you not entertained?”

It’s hard to be different.

Here’s a look at some of the new – and recently updated – titles from across the broad spectrum of Disney studios.

Walt Disney Studios and Animation

Dwayne Jonnson opened the presentation with a look at the upcoming animated sequel “Moana 2”.

“Maui is singing again, and in keys that don’t exist,” Johnson joked. “My hair looks amazing in ‘Moana 2.’ I can’t wait.”

Johnson called the film a “perfect escape” and it is scheduled to be released on November 27.

Later, Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan took the stage to introduce their previously announced sequel to “Freaky Friday” – the 2003 film in which they played a body-swapping mother-daughter duo – which will now be called “Freakier Friday.”

“It’s more fun, it’s more emotional and it’s all for you,” Lohan told the audience. “Seriously, the only reason we’re here doing this is because of your love. That’s the reason.”

“It feels like we’re picking up where we left off, and that’s really nice,” Curtis said.

Oscar-winning director Barry Jenkins has unveiled a scene and a new trailer for the live-action prequel Mufasa: The Lion King, featuring original music by Miranda. The film hits theaters on December 20.

Director James Cameron also came to play some hits and took a break from production of “Avatar 3” in New Zealand to give an update on the project.

“I can’t wait to show you what we’ve created,” Cameron told the crowd.

“There’s a lot of emotion involved,” he added. “The new film is not what you would expect, but it’s definitely what you want.”

“Avatar” stars Zoe Saldana and Sam Worthington were present at D23 and revealed the official title of the third part: “Avatar: Fire and Ashes”.

Other highlights included appearances by Ginnifer Goodwin in “Zootopia 2,” Rachel Zegler and Gal Godot in the live-action adaptation of “Snow White,” and Jeff Bridges, Jared Leto and Greta Lee, who gave first glimpses of the upcoming third film in the “Tron” sequel, titled “Tron Ares.”

Pixar Chief Creative Officer Pete Docter celebrated the continued success of Inside Out 2, which became the highest-grossing animated film of all time this summer, and previewed Dream Productions, a spin-off series to Inside Out set in Riley’s mind between the two films, coming to Disney+ next year.

Docter also revealed a storyline for the previously announced film “Toy Story 5,” which will premiere in summer 2026.

“Toys will compete with what kids are obsessed with today: electronics,” he joked. “This time it’s toys versus technology.”

After giving a preview of the upcoming Pixar original films “Elio,” which will be released in summer 2025, and “Hoppers,” which will be released in spring 2026, Docter ended with even more news about the sequel: “The Incredibles 3” is in development.

Marvel President Kevin Feige – whom Ryan Reynolds jokingly referred to as “Marvel Jesus” in a video introduction – took the stage to unveil another slate of sequels, most notably “Captain America: Brave New World,” the fourth installment in the franchise.

Feige had some help from Anthony Mackie, who will make his official debut as the Captain in the film.

A new preview showed more of his encounters with Harrison Ford’s Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross – a role previously played by William Hurt – as well as the menacing Red Hulk.

Marvel’s other big highlight on Friday was the casting of “Agatha All Along,” led by Kathryn Hahn, who reprises her witchy role as Agatha Harkness from “WandaVision.”

Hahn joined Aubrey Plaza, Broadway legend Patti LuPone, “Heartstopper” star Joe Locke, Okwui Okpokwasili and Ali Ahn to perform a dark and eerie song from the series. “Agatha All Along” will premiere in October.

Other Marvel highlights at D23 included a message from the set of “Fantastic Four: First Steps,” a look at the series “Ironheart,” and the reboot series “Daredevil: Born Again,” which welcomes Charlie Cox to the Disney team.

The world of Star Wars also continues to grow, as was evident at the Expo: a new original series, the second season of an acclaimed show, and a feature-length film based on a beloved series are all impressive showings.

Jude Law presented “Skeleton Crew,” a new family-friendly show that he said was inspired by “the Amblin coming-of-age films of the ’80s.” The show will premiere on Disney+ in December.

Diego Luna was also a guest and told the audience that his beloved series “Andor” changed his life. He revealed more details about the second season of this series, which is scheduled to premiere next year.

And finally, Star Wars wunderkinds Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni were at D23 to talk about The Mandalorian & Grogu, the first Star Wars movie in five years. Get ready for more Baby Yoda in 2026.