The unprecedented Disney rollout kept on going with a huge slate of upcoming animated projects. Disney Animation’s Jennifer Lee announced both films and series for Disney+ featuring beloved characters from previous films, including Moana, Princess and the Frog, and Zootopia, plus some brand new stuff.
Remember when all of the Disney princesses basically looked the same, meaning they were all white? Well, that has long since changed, and now the first to receive their own Disney+ shows will be Moana, from her own self-titled film, and Tiana from Princess and the Frog.
Moana is based on the hit 2016 movie about the daughter of a Polynesian chief who sets out on an ocean adventure, joined by the demigod Maui, to save her village. There aren’t any details about the “long form musical comedy series” yet, but let’s hope Auli’i Cravalho and Dwayne Johnson can return to reprise their voice roles. Look for it to arrive in 2023 on Disney+.
Then there’s Tiana, a sequel to 2009’s musical fantasy The Princess and the Frog, about a black girl from New Orleans with dreams of launching her own restaurant. That is until she is kissed by a Prince who has been turned into a frog, thus turning her into one, as well. Together they brave the dangerous swamps to find a voodoo sorcerer to break the curse. The original film was notable for being one of the last by Disney to feature hand-drawn animation at a time when studios were fully transitioning to CG. I’m curious to see who returns for this, although I’d be surprised if Anika Noni Rose doesn’t return to voice Tiana. The series arrives in 2022.
Also arriving in 2022 is Zootopia+, a series based on the big-city mammals of the smash hit 2016 film. The short-form show will be directed by Trent Correy and Josie Trinidad, and follow some of the other popular characters from the movie, including everyone’s favorite DMV employee, Flash the sloth!
That same year will see the release of Baymax, following the inflatable healthcare bot hero from Big Hero 6! Don Hall, the Oscar-winning director of that film, returns for a series set in the futuristic city of San Fransokyo.
JUST ANNOUNCED: Disney Animation’s first-ever original animated series on #DisneyPlus: Baymax!, Zootopia+, and Tiana are coming in 2022, and Moana, the series, in 2023. pic.twitter.com/KTiAsjj4MB
— Disney Animation (@DisneyAnimation) December 11, 2020
Encanto is the long-rumored Disney film featuring music by Lin-Manuel Miranda. Set in Colombia, the film centers on “an extraordinary family, the Madrigals, who live hidden in the mountains of Colombia, in a magical house, in a vibrant town, in a wondrous, charming place called an Encanto. The magic of the Encanto has blessed every child in the family with a unique gift from super strength to the power to heal—every child except one, Mirabel. But when she discovers that the magic surrounding the Encanto is in danger, Mirabel decides that she, the only ordinary Madrigal, might be her exceptional family’s last hope.” Zootopia duo Byron Howard and Jared Bush will direct, with Charise Castro Smith as co-director and co-writer. The film arrives on November 24th 2021 and if the music heard in this brief teaser doesn’t make you want to dance, you aren’t alive.
This Fall, Walt Disney Animation Studios’ all-new film Encanto takes you to Colombia, where a magical family live in a magical home. Directed by Byron Howard and Jared Bush, co-directed and co-written by Charise Castro Smith, and music written by Lin-Manuel Miranda. pic.twitter.com/bdxag3SzPv
— Disney Animation (@DisneyAnimation) December 11, 2020
Finally, there’s Iwájú, and this one is going to get a lot of attention because the series is a first-of-its-kind collaboration between Walt Disney Animation Studios and Pan-African entertainment company Kugali. The title roughly translates to “The Future”, and will inform the sci-fi aspects of the series which is set in Lagos, Nigeria.
In a first-of-its-kind collaboration, @DisneyAnimation and Pan-African entertainment company Kugali will team up to create an all-new, science fiction series coming to @DisneyPlus in 2022: Iwájú. Check out a first look at visual development art from the series. pic.twitter.com/x46dreKcu0
— Disney (@Disney) December 11, 2020
