LAS VEGAS – In a previous era, new Disney CEO Josh D’Amaro and Chief Creative Officer Dana Walden would have taken the stage at CinemaCon before their day-to-day film executives. Walden was in the theater, but graciously let Disney Entertainment Studios Chairman Alan Bergman and Head of Theatrical Exhibition David Cripps take the spotlight instead. Lucky them. Disney is traditionally the last studio to present at CinemaCon and, boy, did they blow out The Colosseum Theater this year.
The biggest news was Robert Downey, Jr. and Chris Evans joining the Russo Brothers and Kevin Feige on stage to play the first real trailer for “Avengers: Doomsday.” It was so good they played it twice, which is almost unheard of at CinemaCon. You can read more about it and a footage description here.
The other major reveal of the day saw director Jon Favreau not only debuting the impressive new “Mandalorian and Grogu” trailer, but screening the first 15 minutes of the film, opening titles and all, for the CinemaCon faithful.
This latest adventure begins with a warlord using the pretense of being part of the last remnants of the fallen Empire to tax local business owners on a remote planet. When one complains that they are already operating at a loss, the warlord quickly kills them. Before they all know it, The Mandalorian, with Grogu in tow, is making his way through this wintry complex to find and capture him.
Two “Empire” soldiers wait for The Mandalorian on either side of a doorway, but our vigilante hero uses his flamethrower to take them out before they can even consider firing at him. The Warlord has escaped down an elevator, and the chase moves to three Walkers. The Mandalorian takes them out one by one. Eventually, the Warlord is disposed of (not the plan), and the Mandalorian and his partner escape before it’s too late.
When they return to a rebel base, they report to Ward (Sigourney Weaver), who is not thrilled that the target wasn’t taken alive, but it beats the alternative. She has another mission for him, however, and it’s to find a subject whose appearance and location are unknown. As payment for his last mission and to entice him to do another, she gifts him a shiny, refurbished Razor’s Crest. He’s impressed.
Sprinkled throughout all these scenes are great Grogu moments, who is slowly coming into his own with his powers, but is seemingly somehow more rambunctious than during his streaming appearances.
As with the epic scope and new worlds in the latest trailer (which Disney needed at the Super Bowl to generate more hype), the footage looks like a movie and an entertaining one at that.
Here are some reactions to the other films sneaked during Disney’s 2026 presentation.
“The Devil Wears Prada 2”
The highly anticipated sequel is only two weeks away, and the stars are on a global promotional tour. That being said, an extended scene of the 20th Century Studios release saw Miranda (Meryl Streep) scaring her current assistant for saying the wrong thing to her employees in an editorial meeting. As the returning and experienced Andy (Anne Hathaway) sits in, Miranda takes down a terrible fashion shoot and is horrified by one editor’s suggestion of doing something interactive. Exasperated, Miranda proclaims under her breath, “May my suicide be brief and painless.” In another scene, Andy wonders if the home furnishings that her former colleague, Emily (Emily Blunt), has curated are a bit too expensive, to which Emily gasps, “Have you heard of Christmas?” We laughed.
“Moana”
Can you ever get enough “Moana”? Or can your kids ever get enough? Dwayne Johnson was on hand to introduce his live-action co-star, Catherine Laga’aia, and show some extended footage. There have been criticisms that it looks like human actors in animated movie scenes, but these new previews felt like a jump. It certainly looks as though it’s a better movie than last year’s live-action “Lilo & Stitch,” though. Maybe.
“Wild Horse Nine”
Two extended clips of Martin McDonagh’s latest comedy thriller showcase the unique chemistry between Chris (John Malkovich), an older CIA agent, and Lee (Sam Rockwell), his protégé. It’s right before the 1973 Chilean coup, and Chris and Lee are waiting in an airport in Santiago for a flight to Easter Island. When Chris finds out that the two lovely ladies sitting across from him are excited about the new liberal government that has been put in place, he can’t control himself. To Lee’s dismay, he starts to tease that he’s a CIA agent there to destabilize their democratic country (which is exactly why they are there). On the plane, he tells his underling he’s killed more people in more countries than Lee can spell and since before he was born. It’s very funny, and you can tell Malkovich and Rockwell are having an utter blast.
“Whalefall”
Based on Daniel Kraus‘ novel, the Brian Duffield-directed thriller could be one of the big breakouts of the year. Jay (Austin Abrams) is scuba diving in a trench. He first sees a giant squid come up from the depths and lies against the rock wall to avoid it. What the squid is racing from is a giant Sperm whale. As Jay tries to get away from the whale’s pursuit of the squid, he eventually gets caught by and dragged by one of the squid’s tentacles while it’s in the jaws of the whale. Incredibly and stunningly executed, Jay gets pulled into the whale’s mouth, and like a car crash you can’t turn away from, he slowly gets swallowed by the whale. It feels hauntingly realistic, and we can’t remember. seeing anything like it on screen before. Absolutely a movie to watch out for.
“Toy Story 5”
Tim Allen and Tom Hanks have appeared together many times over the years to promote “Toy Story” movies, but they have never appeared at CinemaCon at the same time. That changed with the voices of Woody and Buzz Lightyear taking the Colosseum stage. As hinted at in the first teaser, Bonnie has become obsessed with her new digital toy, Lilypad (voiced by Greta Lee). When Jessie (Joan Cusak) confronts Lillypad on behalf of the other toys, it doesn’t go well. Soon, a call goes out for Woody to return to assist. While these toys have been around for decades, it appears they are finally and really starting to get old. Light is shining off the back of Woody’s head (“he could use a marker”), and the cowboy’s gut is starting to expand. A montage hints that Bonnie misses her old toys, and Lillypad will try to take up more of her time. We’re not sure where the emotional hook is in this chapter yet, but Pixar hasn’t messed up one of these “Toy Story” movies yet.
“The Dog Stars”
The trailer is out. Yep, that’s a misfire that’s getting dumped at the end of August, whether Ridley Scott directed it or not.
“Ice Age: Boiling Point”
Queen Latifah, Ray Romano, and Denis Leary stopped by to introduce the first footage for the first “Ice Age” movie being released by Disney since the 20th Century Fox acquisition way back in 2019. This time around, Scratch has a sidekick, baby Scratch, and a volcano is beginning to speed up the end of the ice age in question. At first glance, the fooage seemed “off.” But nostalgia is tricky. Revisiting footage from the previous films afterward, this updated animation aesthetic may be slightly different, but it’s definitely an improvement.
“Hexed”
A rebellious teen, Billie Doe (Hailee Steinfeld), finds herself at a magical crossroads. A talking book, a sentient pen, and an ink cup give her a chance to take a quiz that will allow her to enter a world of “magic and wonder.” When she passes it, she has to sign her name, and we see that Ursula (perhaps the Disney one that first comes to mind) has one of the last to sign it. Then again, the pen says it’s been 100 years since they have spoken to anyone. The footage ends when she enters the “magical world,” but it looked impressive and, well, fresh. It was also revealed during the presentation that Rashida Jones has been cast as Billie Doe’s mother.
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