Benjamin Copelin’s review published on Letterboxd:
D23 HAS ARRIVED!!! And here's my thoughts on some of the announcements. I'm not going to look over everything, just some of the ones that stand out to me.
Zootopia 2: One of my most anticipated films for next year! I've been wanting a sequel for years because there is just so much room to explore this world and seeing how it operates! The possibilities are pretty much limitless! And I also love the fact that they're finally introducing reptiles, which were completely absent in the last film. There's a new snake character named Gary voiced by Academy Award winner Kuey Huy Quan! I'm so happy he's been getting back into the spotlight! Now, I still don't know what the plot is going to be exactly. But regardless of what the story is like and whether or not it'll be as good as the first one (which is going to be hard to do since it's one of my favorite animated movies), at the very least, it's going to be worth it just to explore this fascinating world and getting to see Nick and Judy interact with each other more, which I can't get enough of!
Moana 2: This is one of those movies that I am looking forward to, but for whatever reason, I don't feel as excited as I want to be. The trailers look fine, it's just that nothing is blowing me away or convincing me that I haven't seen a sequel like this before. I'm sure it'll be fun to see Moana and Maui again, and the animation still looks gorgeous. But I am a little worried about how the story will play out considering that it was originally being made as a Disney Plus series, and I hope that the soundtrack can still deliver even without Lin-Manual Miranda who's currently working on the Mufasa prequel. It doesn't need to top the first one, it just has to be a solid movie on its own, and I'm at least hopeful that it'll be a fun movie. Bring back Tamatoa, you cowards!
Mufasa: Speaking of which, I'm not at all excited for this. Granted, it is telling an actual original story this time, and the animal's facial expressions look a tiny bit more expressive this time, but this photo-realistic style still does not work for Lion King. I don't know how to feel about Mufasa not being born into royalty and being an adoptive cub, or the fact that he and Scar now has this sort of comedic, brotherly banter in this. I don't know. It might be better than the remake, but it still doesn't look that great. It comes out on the same day as Sonic 3 and I hope that one makes a bajillion dollars while this movie flops. SONIC MOVIE 3 SWEEP, BABY!!!!!
Snow White: I literally have nothing to say except this is another pointless remake that I don't want to see, and the fact that the dwarves are fully CG only makes it worse. Please stop!
Lilo & Stitch: Once again, pointless remake, not at all interested in watching it. But I will say this...considering how long we've been dreading to see how horrifying Stitch could look like in CG...I expected a lot worse. Yes, he still looks far better in 2D, but I'm at least glad that the CG design doesn't look bad. Dare I say it, he still has some of the charm from the 2D version. And it does help that Chris Sanders is still doing a great job with the voice. But again, I'm not interested in seeing the movie. Just the trailer and people's reactions to the final film.
Skeleton Crew: Okay, I don't care what people say about Disney Star Wars or how many ups and downs they have. I will always stick with this franchise no matter what because it means too much to me to ignore! And I honestly really like the idea of having a Spielberg/Goonies kind of story in the Star Wars universe. Granted, I'm a tad concerned about it being a little too whimsy, and the suburban town is a very jarring addition to Star Wars. But at the same time, it is kinda nice to see a more normal looking location for civilians to live out their daily lives as opposed to everything wanting to kill you. Also, Jude Law as a Jedi? Yes! And I even like the fact that Jon Watts is one of the creators of this upcoming series. He may not be the most standout director, but I still love all of the MCU Spider-Man movies he made, and any and all of the recent hate they've been getting lately is completely 100% undeserved and petty! I WILL WATCH THE MCU SPIDEY MOVIES OVER THE RAIMI TRILOGY ANYDAY AND DON'T YOU FORGET IT!!!Now yes, there could be a chance that this might end up being another disappointment, but I'm not going to let that kill any sort of optimism for any upcoming Star Wars projects. So bring it on!
Agatha All Along: If you think I'm a sucker for Disney Plus shows just because I'm looking forward to Skelton Crew, think again, because Agatha's spinoff series looks incredibly unnecessary and I am honestly not interested. Now, I actually really liked Wandavision. It's not one of my favorite things from the MCU, but I did enjoy it, and Agatha was definitely one of the better villains in the MCU. But to give her her own spinoff show where we're now supposed to be rooting for her after the horrible things she's done? That doesn't sit well with me. The trailer itself didn't look bad necessarily, it just feels underwhelming. It also gives me Hocus Pocus vibes, and I don't know how to feel about that.
Toy Story 5: Okay, stop! There was literally nowhere to go after the last one! I liked Toy Story 4 fine, but the ending didn't leave any room for anymore sequels, and it wasn't even as near as good as the previous three. And now they're introducing IPad's as a potential threat to the toy's usefulness? And Woody is there despite going separate ways at the end of 4? And there's an army of malfunctioning Buzz Lightyears? What's going on? I am not at all looking forward to this. Hopefully the trailer could give me a better impression, but even as a Toy Story 4 defender, I don't have much confidence in this right now.
Win or Lose: A lot of people are excited for this, but I'm not sure how to feel about this. I'm not really into sports, and I don't know how to feel about the crazier looking parts where we get these weird fantasy sequences where the animation changes styles? I can definitely appreciate the effort to make this a more unique series, especially since this is Pixar we're talking about. I just don't know if the fantasy sequences are going to be funny or cringe to me personally, and I don't even know if the story will fully engage me throughout each episode. But again, it's an actual original idea from Pixar, and it's their first ever series, not counting Monsters At Work. So I'll remain cautiously optimistic.
Incredibles 3: And finally, I want to talk about my most anticipated film from Disney next to Zootopia 2! The first Incredibles is my favorite Pixar movie, and I also love the second one regardless of what people say! Sadly, we don't really know much of anything about it other than Brad Bird is coming back, which is a very good sign. I don't know if they'll do a timeskip this time or just play it safe, but I'm definitely looking forward to it either way. I'll admit that it would be nice to finally see the kids actually grow up this time, but I'll still be excited for whatever they have in store as long as they just let Brad Bird cook!
So what are your thoughts on these announcements? Let me know in the comment section.