Disney lifted the lid on "Avatar: Fire and Ash" and presented new footage from "Star Wars" and Pixar movies at a giant showcase in front of 12,000 fans in California on Friday.
"Avatar" director James Cameron took the stage at the company's biennial D23 fan gathering to announce the name of the latest instalment of his sci-fi franchise, due out December 2025.
"The new film is not what you expect. But it's definitely what you want," teased Cameron of his third visit to Pandora.
The previous two "Avatar" films are the highest and third-highest grossing movies of all time, earning $5.2 billion (R96 billion) combined.
New #Avatar3 concept art is shown along with a title reveal - #Avatar: Fire and Ash - at the #D23 Entertainment Showcase pic.twitter.com/i8pXcMLfV1
Images from the new movie, currently in production in New Zealand, showed its blue Na'vi characters dancing around a campfire, as well as images of giant floating ships and flying beasts.
The director promised higher emotional stakes, and "new cultures and settings and creatures and new biomes."
"You'll see a lot more Pandora, the planet, that you never saw before," he said.
The fourth and fifth "Avatar" films are scheduled for 2029 and 2031.
New Star Wars movie
Also in Friday's presentation, Disney fans saw a first glimpse of "The Mandalorian and Grogu."
Out in May 2026, it will be the first "Star Wars" film since 2019's divisive "The Rise of Skywalker."
Der Teaser zu „THE MANDALORIAN & GROGU“.
— Marvel | Star Wars News (@CinematicxNews) August 10, 2024
Erscheint 2026 in den Kinos! 🔥
pic.twitter.com/PUFglLXh4z
Disney, which had been churning out a new "Star Wars" film every year to that point, dramatically slammed the brakes in the face of diminishing box office returns.
"We're putting 'Star Wars' back on the big screen,'" said Dave Filoni, producer of the new movie - which is spun off from streaming series "The Mandalorian," and will feature its beloved Baby Yoda.
Footage showed the cutesy creature and his mercenary friend speeding around a snowy planet.
On the television side, Jude Law plays a Jedi in "Skeleton Crew," streaming in December.
The kid-centric show is "in the spirit of... coming-of-age films of the '80s like 'The Goonies' and 'E.T.,'" promised Law.
The giant D23 fan gathering caters to and showcases the obsessive loyalty of Disney's most die-hard devotees.
Every two years, thousands flock to a California convention center, dressed as their favorite princesses and heroes.
But beneath the euphoria, Friday night's presentation of new movies and TV shows comes at a key time for Disney.
The company's Pixar and Marvel franchises have suffered uncharacteristically poor runs in recent years, with high-profile flops like "Lightyear" and "The Marvels."
Disney's stock price remains well below half its 2021 peak. Rounds of cost-cutting have seen thousands of jobs cut since last year, mirroring trends across Hollywood.
This summer has brought welcome relief, with monster hits "Deadpool & Wolverine," and "Inside Out 2" -- already the biggest animated film of all time.
'Toy meets tech'
Pixar on Friday announced "Hoppers," a new animated movie about a young girl who can "hop" her brain into a robotic beaver.
Out in spring 2026, it will follow her undercover adventures into the animal world, where she befriends a "regal beaver" called King George, and helps battle an evil mayor voiced by Jon Hamm.
And Pixar's "Toy Story 5," out a few months later, will see the beloved toys vie with electronic devices like phones and tablets for children's attention.
"This time around, it's toy meets tech," said director Andrew Stanton.
AFP