Kicking off with a marching band featuring Mickey Mouse, the Disney Upfront 2025 presentation showcased its upcoming programming and streaming bundles for the year ahead.
Major film releases were highlighted, including Zootopia 2, Inside Out 2 and, of particular interest to Kiwi audiences, Moana 2, which features a strong lineup of homegrown talent, including Temuera Morrison, David Fane, Awhimai Fraser and Rachel House.
The biggest announcement of the presentation centred around the Marvel Cinematic Universe: Krysten Ritter will return as Jessica Jones in Daredevil: Born Again season 2, following the debut of a new web television series, Wonder Man.
A host of stars
The presentation also featured actors from the platform’s award-winning shows, including Selena Gomez, Steve Martin and Martin Short from Only Murders in the Building and Jeremy Allen-White, Ayo Edebiri and Ebon Moss-Bachrach from The Bear.
CEO Bob Iger made an appearance, mentioning the upcoming opening of a Disney theme park resort in Abu Dhabi and highlighting new shows, films and streaming content across Disney’s platforms – including ABC, ESPN, Hulu, FX, and Disney+.
“I’m happy to be here with you today to open this show, which will once again highlight creativity from an array of our brands and businesses,” says Iger.
A focus on sports
Sports played a key role in the presentation, with Rita Ferro, president of global advertising sales, celebrating Disney’s diverse content portfolio across sports, entertainment and live programming.
Stephen A. Smith, NBA analyst for ESPN, described Disney’s new ESPN streaming service which will launch in early autumn in the US. He adds that it will bring all ESPN content into one direct-to-consumer app, further strengthening ESPN’s leadership in sports distribution, particularly in women’s and college sports.
Football and basketball analysts Elle Duncan, Andraya Carter and Chiney Ogwumike echoed that message: “ESPN is true to women’s sports, not new to women’s sports,” say Duncan. “Our commitment is fuelling the growth of ESPN. Last year, fans spent 54% more time watching and that includes the WNBA, college basketball, gymnastics, volleyball and tennis.”
