The second anniversary of the launch of Disney+, Disney’s own streaming service, has come and gone. Fresh off the release of Eternals and with even more projects on the horizon, the media conglomerate celebrated its first so-called “Disney+ Day”. Festivities mostly included the announcement of a wealth of new streaming content, along with many same-day releases (including the streaming debut of Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings). Despite Disney’s initial promise of quality over quantity, last Friday saw the announcements of almost 40 shows, documentaries, films, and shorts. Below, I’ll summarize the most intriguing announcements from the first Disney+ Day.
First looks at Moon Knight, Ms. Marvel, and She-Hulk
To begin, Disney+ Day revealed first look videos at its three upcoming Marvel shows during its Marvel Disney+ Day Special (yes, that exists). Marc Spector, played by Oscar Isaac, is a former US Marine with dissociative personality disorder who finds himself as a conduit for an Egyptian god, becoming the vigilante Moon Knight. In the preview, it seems like Isaac will sport a British(?) accent and very unfortunately, will NOT have his impeccable Dune beard. Next is She-Hulk, starring Tatiana Maslany (one of my favorite actresses, well-known for her several roles in the sci-fi show Orphan Black) as Jennifer Walters. The show will be structured as a legal comedy and will consist of ten 30-minute episodes. It seems she, following a blood transfusion from Bruce Banner (they’re cousins), will also gain the ability to transform into a large, green-hued version of herself, however, while retaining her personality and intelligence. Finally, newcomer Iman Vellani will play the character Kamala Khan in Ms. Marvel. I distinctly remember the comic’s vast popularity when it was first released (starring Khan) in 2014, as it was well-loved for its authentic exploration of the Muslim-American diaspora. In-universe, 16-year-old Kamala is a fan of superheroes (and of Captain Marvel in particular). Presumably within the show, Kamala must learn adjust to her new shape-shifting powers and identity as a superhero.
Obi-Wan Kenobi (ConCept Art)
There were many expectations for Disney to release footage of the upcoming Obi-Wan Kenobi show (with Ewan McGregor and Hayden Christensen reprising their roles). Drumroll…we got a one-minute clip with concept art from the show (which, to be fair, looked pretty damn cool). Apparently, the show will focus on the years following the downfall of Anakin Skywalker and his transformation into Darth Vader in Revenge of the Sith (2005). McGregor’s Kenobi will be in a “darker place,” living in exile on Tatooine and watching over Luke Skywalker. From the concept art, it seems inevitable that Obi-Wan will have to face his past sins in the form of a light-saber battle with Vader (Christensen). Hopefully, we’ll also see the emergence of the wise and experienced Obi-Wan Kenobi (played by Alec Guinness) that fans loved from the original trilogy.
And…even more Marvel
Yep, you didn’t think Disney would tease only three shows, right? In addition to the aforementioned shows (the first looks of which you can watch in the above video), Disney revealed a slate of new shows and seasons that will continue to expand the MCU in infinite ways. Newly announced shows include: Echo (the main character to be introduced in Hawkeye later this month), Ironheart, Secret Invasion (teased with an image of eye patch-less Nick Fury), Agatha: House of Harkness, Spider-Man: Freshman Year (RIP Uncle Ben for the thousandth time), Marvel Zombies, I Am Groot, and X-Men ’97. Finally, the second season of What If? was also announced. As someone suffering from a bad case of Marvel fatigue, watching the number of project announcements continue to grow throughout the day certainly didn’t help. I’m hopeful that Disney will have a well-thought-out release schedule that will not overwhelm its audiences with an overabundance of content.
Disenchanted
The sequel to 2007’s romantic comedy Enchanted was finally given a 2022 premiere, as announced by its costars Amy Adams and Patrick Dempsey. The film’s songs, meta commentary, and re-imagining of a classic fairytale have made it incredibly rewatchable to this day, and perhaps one of my favorite Disney projects ever. For those who are unfamiliar with the original plot, Enchanted combines animation and live action to tell the story of an archetypal Disney princess Giselle (Adams) who gets sent by her evil stepmother-to-be to a place where there are “no happily ever afters” – New York City. In her attempt to return to the fairytale land of Andalasia, Giselle meets cynical divorce lawyer Robert (Dempsey), convincing him to believe in love again along the way. Enchanted exposed me to both Amy Adams and Patrick Dempsey (not Grey’s!), even if I didn’t realize it was them until many, many watches (and sing-alongs) later. If this sounds appealing, don’t fear – the original Enchanted was just released on Disney+ alongside the sequel release announcement. And in addition to the main costars, Disenchanted will see the return of James Marsden as Prince Edward and Idina Menzel as Nancy. Now, enjoy one of my favorite songs from Enchanted (or just watch the entire film).
There were so many more announcements on Disney+ Day than the ones I listed above. As expected, many were Disney remakes and adaptations of existing content, such as Cheaper By the Dozen, Ice Age: Adventures of Buck Wild, a Baymax original series, Hocus Pocus 2, an inexplicable Zootopia short-form series, and a long-form musical series about Tiana (from The Princess and the Frog). These will be sure to keep the classic Disney fans sated and bring in a younger generation of viewers as well.