Disney's CinemaCon 2026 Showcase: Full Recap With Exclusive Footage Descriptions
The Walt Disney Company closed out CinemaCon 2026 with its now-customary role as the convention's grand finale, delivering a sprawling, star-studded presentation that spanned Disney Live-Action, Walt Disney Animation Studios, Pixar Animation Studios, Marvel Studios, 20th Century Studios, Searchlight Pictures, and Lucasfilm. The showcase was a victory lap of sorts: Alan Bergman, Co-Chairman of Disney Entertainment, opened by celebrating the studio's recent triumphs before turning hosting duties over to new Head of Distribution Andrew Cripps and SVP General Sales Manager Matt Kalavsky — who appeared on stage together wearing red shoes and carrying The Devil Wears Prada 2 popcorn bucket purses, setting a playful tone for the afternoon ahead.
Bergman cited Disney's remarkable run at the global box office, noting that Zootopia 2 crossed $1.9 billion to become the biggest Hollywood animated film of all time, Avatar: Fire and Ash reached nearly $1.5 billion to push the Avatar franchise to $7.7 billion globally, and the live-action Lilo & Stitch also crossed the billion-dollar mark. He reaffirmed that Disney keeps films exclusively in theaters longer than any other studio, with an average theatrical window of approximately 60 days, and called on exhibitors to help elevate cinema as a premium experience worth leaving home for.
Cripps and Kalavsky, the dual MCs, noted that Disney's collection of world-class studios is responsible for $37 billion in box office grosses, four times as many billion-dollar titles as any other studio. On the heels of three consecutive $1 billion hits and a lineup stacked with franchise tentpoles alongside compelling originals, Disney's CinemaCon 2026 showcase made a convincing case that the studio's theatrical dominance shows no signs of slowing.
The Devil Wears Prada 2 — May 1, 2026
The hottest title in Disney's presentation arrived before a single frame of footage: The Devil Wears Prada sequel. Cripps noted that their trailer from February became 20th Century Studios' most-viewed trailer of all time, clocking 222 million views in the first 24 hours. The original cast, including Meryl Streep, is on a global press tour, so the stars could not attend in person, but a video message from Anne Hathaway was played exclusively for CinemaCon attendees, who were given a first look at a scene from the film.
Footage Description
The clip takes place inside a conference room where Miranda Priestly is given pitches. An art director pitches a concept for an editorial inspired by "gorpcore" — technical outdoor fashion — and suggests an interactive app feature that lets readers choose a national park and pair a hiking shoe with a "bum bag." Miranda's withering responses are routinely tampered by an HR representative trying to keep her compliant.
As attendees exited the presentation, they were handed a branded issue of Runway magazine and a pair of Miranda shades. A special edition Diet Coke can was a beverage option on the way in.
The Mandalorian & Grogu — May 22, 2026
Star Wars is back on the big screen for the first time in years, and Jon Favreau — who directed the pilot of the series and has served as its showrunner throughout — took the stage to express his joy at bringing these beloved characters to theaters. He noted that the film was specifically designed to take advantage of large-format and IMAX screenings, with over 49 minutes of expanded-aspect-ratio sequences created exclusively for those presentations. "We filmed it to be experienced in the cinemas," Favreau said, crediting collaborators including Dave Filoni , Peter Ramsey, and a score from three-time Academy Award winner Ludwig Göransson.
To maximize the moment, a new trailer debuted during the presentation and CinemaCon attendees were treated to the opening sequence of the completed film. It was the first time Favreau had seen it with a theater crowd.
Footage Description
The film opens on a wintry, snow-covered planet (strongly suggesting Hoth) where a gathering of trade leaders sits under the thumb of a remaining Imperial officer. He raises their tributes and shoots one defector to keep the rest in line — until alarms begin blaring. MSE-6 droids patrol the halls. As the Imperial leader descends into an elevator shaft to escape, the Mandalorian enters the meeting chamber, dispatching troopers at the door. The trade leaders point him toward the shaft. Mando drops in; blasterfire exchanges. Meanwhile, Grogu waits near the base entrance. An MSE-6 droid approaches, and Grogu uses the Force to disassemble it. An Imperial AT-RT walker follows, but Mando appears just in time. They escape together on the two-legged vehicle, chased to the edge of a cliff and down a canyon wall.
Three AT-ATs bear down on them; the Empire target is inside the lead one. Mando destroys the third AT-AT with explosives, then boards the second, fighting his way to the cockpit through the roof. In the first AT-AT, the Imperial leader sends pilots topside — it doesn't work. Mando seizes the first cockpit, but finds it on autopilot with detonators primed. He catches the leader escaping in an evacuation pod, pulls down the periscope — and Grogu, panicking, starts frantically tapping on Mando's helmet to get out NOW. Mando scores the hit; they rocket free just in time. Zeb picks them up. In the ship, Mando checks on Grogu, who sneezes snow (The audience melted.)
From there, a Top Gun-style title sequence gives way to a lush tropical planet. Mando meets Colonel Ward — played by Sigourney Weaver, a colonel and leader of the New Republic's Adelphi Rangers who previously served as a Rebel Alliance pilot — who reprimands him for the sloppy takedown: they needed the target alive for intelligence. She pivots quickly, however, enticing him with the next job. First, she shows him a salvaged, fully restored ship built to the same spec as the Razor Crest. The bounty: Commander Coin, a figure so mysterious that nobody knows what he looks like. The only people with a lead are the Hutts — and they will only cooperate in exchange for one thing: the rescue of Jabba's sole surviving heir, Rotta the Hutt. The ship is Mando's payment, up front. He boards with Zeb and Grogu and takes it for a test flight — clearly won over — which led into a wider sizzle reel of footage.
The reaction in the room was thunderous. A brief announcement from Cripps noted that a second Star Wars theatrical film — Star Wars: Starfighters, starring Ryan Gosling and directed by Shawn Levy — is on the horizon for next year.
Toy Story 5 — June 19, 2026
Pixar's crown jewel franchise returns to theaters for its fifth installment, and it arrives with a premise that feels genuinely of-the-moment: the toys face an existential threat from technology. Tom Hanks and Tim Allen made a surprise appearance — their first time on the CinemaCon stage together — to introduce two exclusive clips and reflect on more than 30 years with these characters.
"We looked at a video of us doing the first film," Allen said. "We looked like our grandchildren." Hanks described Pixar's animatics as so polished that "quite frankly, they show us the movie in animatic form and we obviously say, 'Why don't you just release this?'" Together, they heaped praise on the Pixar team before unveiling the footage.
Footage Description
CLIP 1: Bonnie receives a tablet device — a kid-friendly AI companion called Lily Pad — as a gift and immediately becomes obsessed, staying up all night. The next morning, her dad announces screen time is over, and she must come to breakfast. Jessie introduces herself to Lily Pad, explaining that the toys have been working all summer to help Bonnie make friends with the twins across the street. Lily Pad immediately fires off a friend request to all of Bonnie's dance classmates — and within 15 seconds, one accepts and invites her to a sleepover. The toys are stunned. Jessie is furious. The clip ends with Bonnie getting the sleepover invite and her parents saying yes — to the toys' mixed horror and grudging acknowledgment.
CLIP 2: Woody — bald and without his hat — returns to Bonnie's room and reunites with Buzz Lightyear, who is now Jessie's deputy. Woody bristles at this, insisting Jessie called him back. He steals a star sticker from Forky to re-deputize himself. Bo Peep, who escorted Woody back, departs with Duke Caboom and Giggles McDimples.
The audience's response was enormous — both Tom Hanks and Tim Allen were warmly received, and the footage demonstrated that this fifth film has found a genuinely resonant contemporary hook without abandoning the emotional core of the series.
Moana (Live-Action) — July 10, 2026
Dwayne Johnson returned to CinemaCon to champion live-action Moana, bringing with him the film's star, 19-year-old Catherine Laga'aia, who is receiving the CinemaCon Rising Star Award. Johnson spoke at length about his personal connection to the material — the character of Maui was physically inspired by his late grandfather, Chief Peter Maivia, and he paused the presentation to show a photograph of him to the audience. "That's my grandfather, and he inspired the character of Maui," Johnson said. "He'd be very proud right now."
Johnson emphasized his view that the live-action medium allows these stories to reach audiences in a distinctly powerful way: "There's something special and important about — you take animation to live-action — and it's real human beings, and it's flesh, and it's blood, and it's mana." He also praised Laga'aia warmly.
Footage Description
The exclusive sneak peek makes one thing immediately clear: this is a faithful, emotionally grounded live-action reimagining rather than a revisionist take. The footage includes Moana on the boat accompanied by the spirit of Gramma Tala; young Moana being bestowed the heart of Te Fiti by the ocean; sequences from the musical number "How Far I'll Go"; Maui's first appearance; footage set to "You're Welcome"; and an extended showcase of Maui's shapeshifting abilities, which Johnson delivers with enormous physical and comedic commitment. Laga'aia is magnetic — her Moana carries both the warmth and the fierce determination of the animated original. The footage earned a warm reception, with Johnson's unmistakable charisma amplifying every moment.
The Dog Stars — August 28, 2026
Based on the critically acclaimed post-apocalyptic novel by Peter Heller, The Dog Stars is directed by Ridley Scott and stars Jacob Elordi, Margaret Qualley, Josh Brolin, and Guy Pearce. A video message from Scott introduced the world premiere of the trailer from 20th Century Studios, in which he praised the scope of the film as being "particularly geared for the big screen" and promised that "every frame will really blow you away."
Footage Description
The trailer is set in a world ravaged by a catastrophic flu virus that has nearly wiped out humanity. We meet Jacob Elordi's character, Hig, before his world ended, playing with his dog and kissing his wife before losing both. Haunting wide shots of abandoned infrastructure give way to an intense scene in which Hig and a tough ex-Marine (Brolin) face down a group of invaders. The emotional spine of the trailer is the tension between survival and hope.
Whalefall — October 16, 2026
Written and directed by Brian Duffield (No One Will Save You), Whalefall is based on Daniel Kraus' acclaimed novel, which was itself inspired by a viral video of kayakers being swallowed by a sperm whale. The film stars Austin Abrams as Jay Gardiner, a young man who dives into the ocean to search for his estranged father, Mitch (Josh Brolin), only to find himself trapped inside a sperm whale with roughly an hour to escape before the creature digests him.
Footage Description
The exclusive early look was genuinely terrifying. Jay is scuba diving along a dramatic undersea cliff face when a massive giant squid suddenly rises from the deep below, ascending in a panic — pursued by something far larger. A sperm whale rockets upward past Jay in pursuit of its meal. Jay kicks furiously toward the surface, but breaks a flipper against the top of the rock face. In the chaos of the feeding, a squid tentacle catches him, pulling him into a dizzying spiral. For a moment, it looks as though Jay might escape — the squid disappears down the whale's throat, and he's still on the creature's tongue, suspended — but then the gape opens again. He's dragged inward. The footage ended on the horrifying, claustrophobic image of the whale's throat compressing around him. The audience let out a collective gasp that may have been the loudest reaction of the entire afternoon.
Wild Horse Nine — November 6, 2026
Writer-director Martin McDonagh (Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, The Banshees of Inisherin) returns to Searchlight Pictures with a darkly comedic espionage film set against the backdrop of the 1973 Chilean coup. The premise finds CIA officers Chris (John Malkovich) and Lee (Sam Rockwell) dispatched from Santiago to Easter Island by bureau chief MJ (Steve Buscemi), ostensibly on a side trip among the iconic moai statues while they wrestle with their dark professional histories and a present conspiracy. Chris's unexpected bond with two young Chilean women threatens to upend everything.
Footage Description
Two scenes were shown. In the first, Chris and Lee wait for their flight at the airport, chatting with two young women about Chile's newly elected left-wing president. The dynamic between Malkovich (expansive, unhinged, dangerously candid) and Rockwell (quietly mortified, professionally cautious) is instantly hysterical and completely distinct. A second scene finds the pair on their flight, with Chris bragging about his kills while Lee tries to enjoy an in-flight meal. And in a final shot, Chris sits in the grass next to an Easter Island head, feeling like if you’ve seen one, you’ve seen them all.
Other Searchlight titles mentioned, with no footage shown: Super Troopers 3 (August 7th), plus Behemoth and Sweetsick, both currently in post-production.
Hexed — November 25, 2026
Walt Disney Animation Studios unveiled the first footage from their entirely new original animated film during the presentation: Hexed, a coming-of-age magical comedy about an unconventional teenage girl named Billie who accidentally discovers she's a witch and is whisked away to a hidden realm of magic — unfortunately with her sheltered, uptight mother in tow. The voice cast was announced: Hailee Steinfeld as Billie, and Rashida Jones as her mother, Alice.
Footage Description
The exclusive first look opens on Billie arriving in the hidden realm in a wooden, glowing corridor. At the end is a table with a book, a feather quill, and a jar of ink. To her surprise, these objects are alive, with the book and quill asking Billie a series of questions that ultimately lead to her acceptance into the realm. After signing the book with the quill, the door opens, and we see her welcomed into a little town.
The footage felt like a perfect blend of contemporary Disney animation with classic throwbacks. The design of the book and quill was particularly reminiscent of Beauty and the Beast, as was the quick shot of the village.
Avengers: Doomsday — December 18, 2026
Marvel Studios saved its biggest moment for last — as expected — and it was genuinely historic. Kevin Feige took the stage to introduce the Infinity Vision initiative: a new certification for premium large-format theaters designed to help audiences identify the best screens and most immersive sound experiences. Feige also announced that Avengers: Endgame will return to theaters in September 2026 as an Infinity Vision release, with never-before-seen footage and new surprises.
The Russo Brothers — Anthony and Joe — are back with Avengers: Doomsday, reuniting the team behind Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Civil War, Infinity War, and Endgame. And the villain? Victor Von Doom — Doctor Doom — played by Robert Downey Jr, who surprised the crowd by entering through the audience rather than from backstage.
Anthony Russo declared Doom "the greatest Marvel villain of all time," noting his complexity as a scientist, technologist, genius, and sorcerer who is "always three moves ahead of even the most brilliant heroes." Joe emphasized that Downey is the only person on Earth capable of bringing the required weight and magnetism to the role.
RDJ appeared on stage to thunderous applause, joking that he "couldn't have imagined reuniting with this amazing team, let alone as a new character." After teasing — and then declining — to give away 37,000 spoilers, he unveiled a new trailer.
Footage Description
Professor Xavier stands at the window of the mansion, watching a flash of bright light. Avengers Tower carries a new, ominous red logo. The Fantastic Four arrive. Gambit faces off with Shang-Chi. Black Panther strides forward. Cyclops fires optic blasts. Yelena transforms — she’s actually Mystique! Namor rises. Xavier tends to a withered, frail-looking Magneto. Then: Doctor Doom stops Thor in his tracks. Thor declares him more powerful than Thanos. The last shot: Thor sees someone familiar but impossible off-screen. He lets Mjolnir fall from his grasp as a test. It flies in the direction of his worthy friend — Steve Rogers is alive!
Chris Evans was then invited onto the stage to join RDJ. The two played out the tension between Doom and Rogers with obvious relish, underscoring the thematic stakes of the film. The crowd was on its feet.
Ice Age: Boiling Point — February 5, 2027
Presented before Avengers: Doomsday, but cited here in release date order, Ray Romano, Denis Leary, and Queen Latifah took the stage to herald the return of the Ice Age franchise for its sixth installment — the first theatrical entry in over a decade. The herd faces a new roadblock in their lives, and a journey to a lost world filled with an active volcano provides the franchise's signature blend of peril and comedy. As always, the Scrat-and-Baby-Scrat prologue opens the film, which was the footage shown.
Footage Description
Scrat and a miniature Baby Scrat are in pursuit of an acorn — but this one is so intensely hot that it burns through the ice on contact. The pair follow it underground into a churning lava river, leading to a chaotic, physics-defying chase sequence that ends with the acorn so charred it crumbles to ash. Classic Scrat.
"When we did Ice Age one, I know I wasn't wearing compression socks," Romano deadpanned, earning the biggest laugh of his portion of the presentation.
Final Assessment
Disney's 2026 CinemaCon showcase was, by any measure, one of the most content-rich presentations the studio has mounted. The breadth of IP on display — from tentpole sequels spanning Star Wars, Toy Story, Avengers, and Ice Age, to bold original bets like Hexed, Whalefall, and Wild Horse Nine — underscores a studio that has doubled down on the theatrical experience as its primary brand statement. There was also a Pixar title on the slate that didn’t get a showcase, Gatto, releasing March 5th, 2027.
The night's undeniable highlight was the Avengers: Doomsday reveal. Robert Downey Jr. as Doctor Doom, with the Russo Brothers back in the director's chair and the X-Men finally crossing over, represents the kind of once-in-a-generation convergence that theaters were built for. The trailer — capped by Steve Rogers' return — generated the kind of crowd energy that only a packed auditorium can produce, and it is difficult to imagine this moment landing the same way on a laptop.
The Mandalorian & Grogu opening footage felt like exactly the right reintroduction of Star Wars to the theatrical experience. If there was any doubt that this Disney+ series would translate well to the big screen, it’s been put to rest. The force is strong with this film, and box office numbers should follow.
On the animation front, Toy Story 5's premise is clever and timely. Hexed demonstrates that Disney Animation is willing to take genuine creative risks. And Ice Age: Boiling Point — however sequelized — had the room laughing harder than almost anything else shown.
Whalefall was the most intriguing live-action non-IP reveal: the kind of viscerally original genre experience that should find its audience through strong word-of-mouth. Wild Horse Nine, meanwhile, reaffirms that Martin McDonagh at Searchlight is a reliable source of awards-season gems.
If there was a note of caution to strike, it is the same one that has followed Disney for several years now: the studio's reliance on franchise sequels and IP extensions is more pronounced than ever. But with execution at this caliber across this many brands, it is hard to argue with the results.
Stay tuned to LaughingPlace.com for more coverage from CinemaCon.