Disney is hoping for a box office rebound built on sequels, prequels and pixie dust

When Disney CEO Bob Iger took the stage at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California, on Friday night, and the crowd erupted. Some 12,000 Disney fans stood and cheered, prompting the 73-year-old executive to grin widely as he tried to calm them down.

“I actually wanted to say good evening and thank you for the warm welcome, but this was more than a warm welcome,” Iger told attendees at Disney's first showcase at the biennial D23 Expo.

It's the first time in five years that Iger has attended the expo for Disney's biggest fans. He stepped down as CEO for nearly two years, but will return to the helm in November 2022.

His absence coincided with a downturn in Disney’s theater business, which like other studios has been disrupted by pandemic closures and twin strikes in Hollywood. Yet the company’s post-pandemic box office has also been plagued by management’s decisions to ramp up content production to support its fledgling streaming service, Disney+. Iger himself has admitted on numerous occasions that Disney was sacrificing quality for quantity and that his goal was to right the ship upon his return.

On Friday, he opened an explosive — sometimes literally, because Disney likes to use pyrotechnics — three-hour presentation describing a large number of feature films, television series and stage productions for the coming years.

As the company tries to rebuild its reputation and recapture box office magic, it’s leaning heavily on existing and beloved franchises. And when it does venture into new territory, it’s tapping proven talent in front of and behind the camera.

Prior to D23, Disney had achieved two major box office successes with two major franchises.

Pixar’s latest film, “Inside Out 2,” is now the highest-grossing animated film of all time, having grossed more than $1.5 billion worldwide. The first R-rated Marvel Cinematic Universe film — “Deadpool & Wolverine” — broke records for an R-rated film in its opening weekend and is expected to surpass $1 billion this weekend.

To open Friday’s entertainment program, Auli’i Cravalho and Dwayne Johnson joined a group of Polynesian dancers and drummers to perform a song from the upcoming film “Moana 2.” The highly anticipated sequel to 2016’s “Moana” hits theaters on Thanksgiving and is expected to become Disney’s third billion-dollar film to be released in 2024, according to box office analysts.

While the first film grossed just under $700 million at the global box office, public appetite for more “Moana” content is expected to drive strong ticket sales in November. After all, it was the most-streamed film of 2023.

Sequels and prequels are a theme for Disney, and across the board in Hollywood. While Iger has warned investors in the past that the company will be more selective about which past stories it continues to explore, his entertainment showcase has included numerous additions to popular franchises.

This was especially evident at both animation studios. Of the seven theatrical titles Disney touted during Friday's presentation, five were from existing franchises — “Moana 2,” “Toy Story 5,” “Zootopia 2,” “Frozen III” and “Incredibles 3.”

It's no surprise that Disney is going back to the source with these films. The Toy Story franchise has grossed $3.2 billion worldwide at the box office, the two Frozen films surpassed $2.7 billion worldwide, the two Incredibles films grossed $1.8 billion worldwide, and “Zootopia” reached $1 billion worldwide during its 2016 run.

Fans got a glimpse of Disney’s two original titles — “Elio” and “Hoppers” — which had two very different tones. One follows a young boy into space when he’s mistaken for Earth’s leader, while the other revolves around a young girl who “hops” into the body of a robotic beaver to go undercover in the animal kingdom.

Of course, there's some star power behind these titles. “Elio” is directed by Adrian Molina, who also wrote 2017's “Coco,” and Zoe Saldana (“Avatar,” “Guardians of the Galaxy”) will voice “Hoppers,” with Jon Hamm (“Mad Men”) and Bobby Moynihan (“Saturday Night Live”) providing the voices of the characters.

It is clear that Disney's strategy across all its studios is to offer audiences a selection of familiar favorites, alongside a handful of newcomers.

Lucasfilm is set to release its first Star Wars feature film since 2019's “The Rise of Skywalker” in 2026. The film is called “The Mandalorian and Grogu.” The film follows the beloved duo from “The Mandalorian.” Footage from Friday's panel showed Mando and Grogu on an icy planet, battling stormtroopers and AT-ATs.

Lucasfilm will also release the second season of “Andor,” a series set before “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story” that follows reluctant hero Cassian Andor as he navigates a world suffocated by the Galactic Empire.

Among these popular stories is “Skeleton Crew,” which was billed as a “Goonies”-style adventure series starring Jude Law and a cast of four kids who accidentally launch themselves into space and get lost in the stars.

There are two more Star Wars feature films on the calendar — set for December 2026 and December 2027 — but it's unclear who will direct them or what storyline Disney will use. Star Wars remains one of the top franchises at the global box office, having generated more than $10 billion in ticket sales since 1977's “A New Hope” hit theaters.

Other sequels Disney is bringing to the big screen in the coming years include the third Avatar film titled “Avatar: Fire and Ash,” a “Freaky Friday” sequel called “Freakier Friday” and a third “Tron” film called “Tron: Ares.” There is also a live-action remake of “Snow White” hitting theaters in March and a live-action “Lilo and Stitch” film coming out later in 2025.

Marvel Studios is in the midst of a reshaping. The studio is working to balance stories that focus on existing characters while trying to bring new heroes — and villains — into the fold.

It was always going to be tough for Marvel to follow up “Avengers: Endgame,” but few foresaw the precipitous fall of the beloved studio. Following Thanos’ defeat, Disney released 10 television series (some with multi-season runs) and a dozen theatrical films. The glut of content felt like homework for an audience that once embraced everything Marvel had to offer, and worse, much of what was released was unpopular.

The low point of the Marvel Cinematic Universe was 2023's “The Marvels,” which generated the lowest domestic opening gross ($46.1 million) and the lowest worldwide box office gross (under $200 million) for the franchise ever.

Looking ahead, the studio appears to be limiting the number of series it produces for Disney+ and continuing to focus on the big screen. Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige surprised San Diego Comic Con audiences just a few weeks ago with the reveal of new film titles, and the stunning announcement that Iron Man himself Robert Downey Jr. would be returning to play Doctor Doom still had something to share with the D23 crowd.

In addition to “Captain America: Brave New World,” “Thunderbolts*,” “The Fantastic 4: First Steps,” “Blade,” “Avengers: Doomsday” (formerly known as “Avengers: Kang Dynasty”) and “Avengers: Secret Wars,” Marvel will release three more television series on Disney+ in the coming years.

Debuting in September, “Agatha All Along” centers on the villainous Agatha Harkness from 2021’s “Wandavision” as she teams up with a coven of other witches to regain her powers. Kathryn Hahn reprises her role as the titular Agatha, joining a cast including Aubrey Plaza and Patti LuPone.

“Ironheart,” starring Riri Williams, who appeared in 2022’s “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” is scheduled for release in 2025, alongside a reboot of “Daredevil: Born Again.” Notably, the Daredevil series will feature the full cast of the Netflix series “Daredevil.”

The D23 crowd cheered Marvel’s slate announcements, a sign that interest in the superhero genre has not waned. That passion, combined with the studio’s new strategy, could put the MCU back on track.

Of course, Ryan Reynolds might want some of the credit as well, given the recent performance of “Deadpool & Wolverine.” In a pre-recorded video for the showcase on Friday, Reynolds thanked Disney and Marvel for letting the film poke fun at the studio.

“It’s my way of showing love,” he said. “And of course, saving the studio.”

Since the first MCU film was released in 2008, the franchise has generated over $30 billion at the box office. The MCU is the highest-grossing film franchise of all time and one of the most consistent box office engines in cinematic history.

“There's nothing we love more than to entertain you, to thrill you, to surprise you and to fill your hearts with joy and wonder,” Iger said Friday. “And we know we're doing our jobs right when we do all that.”