Disney

Feels like it’s been ages since we heard anything about Pixar’s Elio from co-directors Domee Shi, Madeline Sharafian, and Adrian Molina. But the studio has just dropped another trailer teasing how an alien bathroom is one of the most beautiful things young Elio (Yonas Kibreab) will see on his space adventure when the film hits theaters on June 13th.

The film surpassed Black Panther: Wakanda Forever as the most-viewed live-action title on Disney Plus and Hulu, Variety reports. Deadpool & Wolverine made its debut on Disney Plus on November 12th.

The company is dropping its legal battle in favor of an 11-year settlement for domestic and global rights to “a significant amount of NBA content,” reports The Wall Street Journal.

WBD’s TNT will still lose NBA games to Disney, Amazon, and NBCUniversal next year, but got one consolation:

In addition, these people said, ESPN will sublicense Big 12 conference college football and basketball games to Warner Bros. Discovery that it can air on TNT, as well as on its Max streaming service.

Disney is searching for potential CEO candidates outside of the company, and one person being considered is EA CEO Andrew Wilson, Variety and The Wall Street Journal report. The company plans to announce Bob Iger’s successor in early 2026.

To me, his blue fur looks a little dull. But I really can’t complain — especially when the creepy live-action Minecraft animals and a photorealistic Simba exist.

Disney co-chairman Alan Bergman announced the Office of Technology Enablement in an email seen by Reuters:

The pace and scope of the advances in AI and XR (extended reality) are profound and will continue to impact consumer experiences, creative endeavors and our businesses for years to come - making it critical that Disney explore the exciting opportunities and navigate the potential risks.

Disney CTO Jamie Voris, who helped create the Disney Plus Vision Pro app, will reportedly helm the new division. The company eliminated its metaverse unit last year.

As outlined in a federal complaint spotted by 404 Media, the former employee also allegedly locked 14 staff members out of their Disney accounts using a script to perform thousands of login attempts. He’s also accused of having a “dox” folder on his computer containing personal information about the workers he targeted.

Variety is reporting that the next live-action Spider-Man movie has been given a tentative July 24, 2026 premiere date. That isn’t necessarily when the movie will end up coming out, but it definitely tells us that Marvel and Sony are bullish about getting the Destin Daniel Cretton-directed feature into theaters.

Following the first wave of Disney Plus series coming out on 4K UHD and Blu-ray last year, physical copies of The Mandalorian’s third season, Ahsoka’s first season, Hawkeye’s first season, and Loki’s second season are set to hit stores on October 31st.

Disney Tron: Catalyst, a new title from Devolver Digital’s new Big Fan indie label, is an “all-new story-driven, isometric action adventure game.” The game is being developed by Bithell Games, the team behind the visual novel Tron: Identity.

Catalyst is set to launch in 2025 on Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation, and Xbox.

There’s white smoke from ESPN’s HQ in Bristol, CT, today, as Shams Charania broke the news of his own free agent signing, saying:

I am honored to join ESPN as the company’s Senior NBA Insider.

He will take over the spot from his one-time mentor and longtime rival, Wojnarowski, who announced his retirement last month.

The New York Times meticulously pieced together the bitter power struggle inside Disney between CEO Bob Iger and his successor, Bob Chapek, who was fired in 2022. The piece, which follows up a 2023 report from CNBC, chronicles Chapek’s rise and fall, and Iger’s quest to return to power.

DirecTV alleged in a complaint to the FCC Saturday that Disney, which pulled its channels from DirecTV last week in its latest carriage dispute, is being anticompetitive, as quoted in Variety:

“The negotiations have stalled because Disney insists on bundling and penetration requirements that a federal district court judge in New York recently found ... to be unlawful, anticompetitive, and ‘bad for consumers.’”

From Disney’s statement to the outlet:

“We urge DirecTV to stop creating diversions and instead prioritize their customers by finalizing a deal that would allow their subscribers to watch our strong upcoming lineup of sports, news and entertainment programming, starting with the return of ‘Monday Night Football.’”

Disney Imagineering debuted its bipedal BD-X droids at its theme parks last year which can remain balanced even while autonomously walking over uneven terrain.

Their creators have been working to improve the droids’ movements and capabilities and are now teaching them to balance on terrain that’s dynamically changing beneath their feet using Disney’s equally innovative HoloTile treadmill floors.

It’s the one that got away — from Star Wars toymaker Hasbro, that is! Hasbro acquired the rights and even patented it around the world, then abandoned it. It’s no “real Disney lightsaber,” but it’s the first to scratch the same self-retracting itch.

The start of this carriage dispute even nixed a US Open viewing session on a screen at New York’s Hudson Yards. While DirecTV, DirecTV Stream, and U-verse customers miss the services they pay for and Venu Sports remains on hiatus, both sides point fingers over the blackout.

Disney / ESPN:

...we will not enter into an agreement that undervalues our portfolio of television channels and programs.

DirecTV:

Disney is again taking an anti-consumer approach, demanding that customers from DirecTV and other TV distributors be forced to pay for channels they don’t watch...