on Google Preferred Source Google News Link copied to clipboard By Polygon Staff Published Aug 14, 2026, 9:55 PM EDT D23 Marvel, Star Wars, Pixar, and Walt Disney Animation assemble for one big hype sesh
Graphic: Polygon Two years after Disney used D23 to hype the futures of Marvel, Star Wars, Pixar, Disney Animation, and its theme parks, the company is back in Anaheim to ask: What comes next?
The company has a new CEO in former parks chief Josh D’Amaro , Toy Story 5 is a billion-dollar hit, and the streaming business is on firmer ground as a consolidation of Disney Plus and Hulu looms. But The Mandalorian & Grogu and the live-action Moana underperformed, Marvel's Avengers plans feel like a gamble instead of a sure thing, and YouTube #content remains an existential threat. In 2019, nothing looked bigger than Disney. In 2026, the mega-corp's future looks unclear.
The only sure thing, the only real savior of a flailing cultural icon: more Kingdom Hearts . We can all agree on that.
The stakes make this year's D23 one to watch. Based on rumors, potential reveals include:
Image: Lucasfilm The Mandalorian and Grogu brought Star Wars back to movie theaters, and now the duo is heading to their original home: Disney Plus. On Friday, Lucasfilm and Disney announced a home streaming release date for The Mandalorian and Grogu alongside the kickoff of D23 , confirming that we'll all be streaming this summer's Star Wars flick starting in September.
After a digital release in July and an upcoming 4K Ultra HD/Blu-ray release , The Mandalorian and Grogu will finally come home to the masses on Sept. 2, when the film starts streaming on Disney Plus.
Image: Square Enix It’s been two months since the surprise drop of a new Kingdom Hearts 4 trailer during a Nintendo Direct livestream, and fans have a new reason to get their hopes up for more news very soon.
Disney is celebrating the 25th anniversary of Kingdom Hearts in 2027. That celebration kicks off this weekend with a special panel at Disney's D23 fan expo that brings together some of the key developers and voice actors behind the franchise. Anyone can watch the whole thing on YouTube — but only if they tune in live, Square Enix says.
Image: Square Enix Update: We manifested a Kingdom Hearts anime. A few hours after pleaing for action, Disney announced at the 2026 D23 convention that a series would indeed be coming to Disney Plus in the future.