D23 Updates: Disney-Branded Television Edition

Another D23 panel took place yesterday, this one focused on Disney’s various TV projects. The event was hosted by Raven Symoné (That’s So Raven and Raven’s Home) and Lilly Singh (Liv from Dollface.) Check out a statement from President of Disney-Branded Television Ayo Davis here:

“At Disney Branded Television, we create shows full of magic, adventure, thrill, and heart that resonate with audiences around the world,” Davis said. “Our announcements today spotlight the breadth and depth of our commitment to entertaining fans of all ages, across animation, live-action series and movies, unscripted, and documentaries.”

First, I’d like to discuss The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder season 2. I watched the original Proud Family on the Disney channel when I was a kid, and I was naturally curious about the reboot when it was announced for Disney+. I’ve only had time to rewatch a couple of episodes from the original show, but I think the reboot faithfully captures the same feeling. I didn’t feel that strongly about the season, which is why I didn’t review it properly, but I did enjoy it overall. The animation is cleaner than in the original; I imagine they switched from hand-drawn to flash animation. Notably, the original creators, Bruce W. Smith and Ralph Farquhar, and much of the cast returned for the reboot. Season 2 comes to Disney+ in February 2023. Check out the teaser for season 2 here:

Next, in 2023, Muppet Mayhem is coming to Disney+. Read Disney’s official synopsis here:

“Coming to Disney+ in 2023, The Muppets Mayhem is an all-new comedy series that follows The Electric Mayhem Band on an epic, music-filled journey to record their first-ever studio album. The band includes Dr. Teeth on vocals and keyboards, Animal on drums, Floyd Pepper on vocals and bass, Janice on vocals and lead guitar, Zoot on saxophone, and Lips on trumpet.

With the help of a driven young music executive, Nora (Singh), the old-school Muppet band comes face-to-face with the current-day music scene as they try to finally go platinum. The Muppets Mayhem also stars Tahj Mowry as Moog, Saara Chaudry as Hannah, and Anders Holm as JJ in a recurring role.”

A cast performance was also held to promote season 3 of High School Musical: The Musical: The Series, streaming now on Disney+.

A cast appearance and production featurette teased American Born Chinese, based on a graphic novel of the same name by Gene Luen Yang. By the way, Yang wrote the Avatar: The Last Airbender comics and graphic novels. The miniseries stars Michelle Yeoh, Ke Huy Quan, Stephanie Hsu, and more. Check out the featurette here:

A trailer was shown for Percy Jackson and the Olympians:

Brie Larson’s docuseries Growing Up also got a trailer:

And a couple of Disney+ specials got descriptions:

Best in Snow

“Best in Snow, a festive holiday special hosted by Tituss Burgess, transports artistic teams from around the world to a magical snowy village, Snowdome, for a spirited competition for the title of Best in Snow. With the help of Snowdome’s finest carvers, teams will transform their 10-foot, 20-ton blocks of snow into beautiful creations inspired by Pixar, Marvel, Walt Disney Animation, Walt Disney Studios, and The Muppets Studio. The teams focus on family favorites such as Moana, Coco, and The Lion King, and bring the characters to life in a way you’ve never seen before—in snow! Spectacular snow sculptures and lively musical performances from Burgess, Kermit the Frog, and DCappella make this an action-packed winter event for the entire family. The special premieres this holiday season on Disney+.”

Pentatonix: Around the World for the Holidays

“Superstar a capella group Pentatonix is struggling to find inspiration for their annual holiday album, and the clock is ticking. To make matters worse, their well-intentioned but misguided manager mistakenly locks them in a magic mailroom. But with the help of some Disney magic, we’re soon on a whirlwind tour around the world, discovering holiday traditions and inspiration from Pentatonix fans all around the globe: from Tokyo to Grenada, Ghana to Mexico and Iceland. The fun-filled journey leads the group to realize that wherever we find ourselves, the holidays offer the perfect opportunity to discover how much we have in common—and that it really is a small world after all!

The cast includes Mitch Grassi, Scott Hoying, Kirstin Maldonado, Kevin Olusola, and Matt Sallee of Pentatonix, and Nico Santos as manager. Pentatonix: Around the World for the Holidays debuts this holiday season on Disney+.”

The Hip Hop Nutcracker

“Run-D.M.C.’s Rev Run brings us along for a hip-hop reimagining of The Nutcracker ballet set in New York City. It’s the night of the annual New Year’s Eve block party and Maria-Clara (Caché Melvin) is worried that her mom and pop (Allison Holker Boss and Stephen ‘tWitch’ Boss) aren’t getting along… and it’s bringing her down. Maria-Clara embarks on a holiday adventure to bring her parents back together, finding help along the way from the magical toymaker, Drosselmeyer (Comfort Fedoke) and the Nutcracker (Du-Shant “Fik-shun” Stegall) she brings to life.

Maria-Clara’s journey takes her from the streets of New York to fantasy worlds where she battles with mice and toy soldiers (Viktor White, BDash, Kevin “Konkrete” Davis), and back in time to the Land of Sweets to find the key to unlock her holiday wish. Will it be enough to rekindle her parents’ lost love before the clock strikes midnight? The special features best-in-class dancers Mikhail Baryshnikov, Tiler Peck, KidaTheGreat AKA Kida Burns, the Jabbawockeez as magical snowflakes, and more!

The Disney+ Original special The Hip Hop Nutcracker—directed by Nikki Parsons—debuts on Disney+ this holiday season.”

Next, a trailer was shown for The Santa Clauses, a series continuing the story from the film series. Check it out here:

I’ve only seen the movies a couple of times and didn’t care for them, so I don’t have any strong feelings about this. But what do you think? Do you love The Santa Clause? Are you excited to see more from this world?

The next trailer was for Disney+ series National Treasure: The Edge of History. The series premieres with two episodes on December 14th. Watch the trailer here:

I’m not interested in this, to be honest. I think this series is long done, and I’m not interested in it without Nicolas Cage. But what do you think?

And a trailer for Marvel’s Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur:

I don’t know anything about these characters, but I suspect this one will be for the kids. I like the animation style, though! This series will air on Disney Channel beginning in February and is described as follows:

“Marvel’s Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur, based on Marvel’s hit comic books, follows the adventures of 13-year-old super-genius Lunella Lafayette and her 10-ton Tyrannosaurus rex, Devil Dinosaur. After Lunella accidentally brings Devil Dinosaur into present-day New York City, the duo works together to protect the city’s Lower East Side from danger.”

Next, Disney has an upcoming unscripted series called Choir, which is about, well, choir:

“The new series, coming soon to Disney+, is based on the moving and motivational story behind America’s Got Talent finalists the Detroit Youth Choir (DYC). “

Next, a documentary about Nigeria:

“Disney Original Documentary announced the new documentary Madu coming soon to Disney+. The star of the documentary, Anthony Madu, was introduced onstage along with a sneak peek at the inspirational project.

Madu captures Anthony’s story after being discovered through a viral 44-second video that was posted online in 2020 and garnered over 16 million views. Having grown up in an isolated community outside of Lagos and with almost no formal training, audiences will get a close look at Anthony’s journey after being awarded a scholarship to Elmhurst Ballet School, one of the most prestigious ballet schools in the United Kingdom. Anthony comes from a community with limited opportunities, making this the chance of a lifetime to pursue his dream. By immersing the audience in Lagos’ culture and fascinating surroundings, Ogens and Benson use their unique perspectives to bring the film to life in the true spirit of Nigeria and its people.”

Madu’s clip was not released to the public. 

Next, a trailer for Big Shot season 2, coming to Disney+ on October 12th:

Here are some descriptions of coming shows, taken directly from the D23 website:

“Season 2 of the hit series Doogie Kamealoha, M.D. is coming soon to Disney+! Series stars Peyton Elizabeth Lee and Milo Manheim announced the news during the showcase. After spending the summer apart, Lahela (Lee) is finally reunited with Walter (Alex Aiono), although he’s not the same boyfriend she said goodbye to months before. Their relationship has shifted and they’re no longer on the same page. Her head is spinning—and even more so when she meets a new patient, Nico (Manheim). Lahela’s life is full of decisions—Walter, Nico, and choosing her medical specialty. In the end, who or what will she choose? Luckily, she has her family, coworkers, and best friend (Emma Meisel) to support her along the way.

Prom Pact

“It’s the height of prom season, and high school senior Mandy Yang (Lee) and her best friend and fellow outsider Ben (Manheim) are surrounded by over-the-top ’80s-themed prom-posals. However, Mandy keeps her eyes focused on a different goal: her lifelong dream of attending Harvard. When she finds out that she has been put on the waitlist, she is determined to do whatever she can do to get herself accepted, even if that means asking for help from the one person she abhors—popular all-star jock Graham Lansing (Blake Draper), whose father is a powerful senator and Harvard alum. Once Mandy becomes Graham’s tutor, she begins to realize there’s more to him than she thought and perhaps something more to life than Harvard.

Prom Pact also stars Monique Green as LaToya, Arica Himmel as Zenobia, Jason Sakaki as Charles, Margaret Cho as Ms. Chen; Wendi McLendon-Covey as Alyssa, and David S. Jung as Tom.”

A trailer for Zombies 3, the latest in the Disney Channel film series:

Zombies 3 is now streaming on Disney+.

Stars of Young Jedi Adventures Kai Brightstar (voiced by Jamaal Avery Jr.) and Nash Durango (played by Emma Berman) were also teased. Young Jedi Adventures comes to Disney Junior in 2023. 

A trailer for Under Wraps 2, a sequel to the 1997 Disney Channel Original Movie:

Confusingly, this film’s characters are the same as the original despite still being kids played by different actors. 

Descendants 4 is coming, confirmed by returning Star China Anne McClain. 

Finally, Raven’s Home has been picked up for season 6, confirmed by Raven Symoné and her costars. 

There’s a lot to check out here! I’m excited for some of this (Proud Family, Muppets Mayhem), and disinterested in even more (Santa Clauses, National Treasure). Mostly, though, I’m confused. Why recast Under Wraps? For that matter, why make a sequel to it at all? Disney Channel Original Movies have always been bad more often than good. Whether you like the original or not, I don’t see any good coming from this. I’m not a Descendants fan, but I’ve seen all three movies because of little sisters. I am haunted by the “Be Our Guest” rap from the first movie; no amount of therapy or self-reflection will save me from this trauma. But the story was finished in the third film, and not badly, all things considered. Why beat a dead horse? This is a mixed bag, but I think there’s more bad here than good. 

More than anything, though, I’m angry there was no news on The Owl House season 3! They’ve already cut season 3 down from a full 20-episode order to three TV specials and declared this the final season. The least they could do is give us a trailer or a firm release date. Gah!

But what do you think? What are you excited to see, dreading, or skipping outright? Talk to us in the comments!