Marvel Studios’ 2021 Disney + Day Special is now streaming.
Happy Disney + Day!, the streaming service celebrated its second anniversary by giving fans like myself a look at new upcoming titles and that includes some right out of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Disney are putting a lot of investments into the future of its streaming service and that certainly enables the MCU to expand with a grand total of twelve new titles, some previously announced, ones with new looks and logos and even a few surprises.
Luckily I kept track of all the announcements for Disney + Day, so if you’ve missed anything you’r more than welcome to visit my twitter thread dedicated to this day full of news, images and clips straight from the House of House.
It’s #DisneyPlusDay tomorrow and I’m super excited to see what’s being announced in the morning & afternoon on social Media & on #DisneyPlus itself. With #ShangChi#HomeSweetHomeAlone streaming! What’s everyone hoping for ?
The first Marvel announcement of the day was definitely a nostalgic one as the beloved 1997 animated X-Men series is making a comeback as X-MEN ’97 will arrive on the service in 2023
The animated series from Marvel Studios explores new stories in the iconic 90s timeline of the original series. Written by Executive Producer Beau DeMayo.
Viewers then got a first look at Oscar Issac in Marvel Studios’ Moon Knight where he plays the titular character.
Moon Knight is a new globetrotting action-adventure series featuring a complex vigilante who suffers from dissociative identity disorder. The multiple identities who live inside him find themselves thrust into a deadly war of the gods against the backdrop of modern and ancient Egypt. Moon Knight is directed by Mohamed Diab and is coming to Disney+ in 2022.
She-Hulk also appeared in Marvel’s upcoming sizzle reel. It stars Tatiana Maslany as Jennifer Walters, a lawyer who specialises in superhuman-oriented cases.
She-Hulk will welcome a host of Marvel characters to the series, including the Hulk, played by Mark Ruffalo, and the Abomination, played by Tim Roth. The new comedy series coming to Disney+ in 2022 is written by Executive Producer Jessica Gao and directed by Executive Producer Kat Coiro and Anu Valia.
Finally the last bit of footage came from the first look at Ms.Marvel.
Ms. Marvel introduces viewers to Kamala, a 16-year old Pakistani American from Jersey City. An aspiring artist, an avid gamer, and a voracious fan-fiction scribe, she is a huge fan of the Avengers — and one in particular, Captain Marvel. But Kamala has always struggled to find her place in the world — that is until she gets super powers like the heroes she’s always looked up to. Iman Vellani stars as Kamala Khan aka Ms. Marvel. Episodes are directed by Executive Producers Adil El Arbi & Bilall Fallah, Meera Menon, and Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy.
It was also announced that the animated series Marvel’s What If…? is set to receive a second season. The second season of the fan-favorite animated series. After enlisting the Guardians of the Multiverse to stop Infinity Ultron, The Watcher returns in Season 2 of What If…? to meet new heroes and explore more strange new worlds in the MCU’s ever-expanding Multiverse. Directed by Executive Producer Bryan Andrews and written by Executive Producer AC Bradley.
Another surprise announcement was a series that is a spin-off of Hawkeye, which hasn’t even aired yet. It was revealed that Marvel Studios’ Echo will be coming soon to the platform.
The series stars Alaqua Cox as Maya Lopez, a character who will be introduced in Marvel Studios’ Hawkeye.
It was announced that viewers will also get a new look at Peter Parker in Marvel Studios’ Spider-Man: Freshman Year.
The animated series follows Peter Parker on his way to becoming Spider-Man in the MCU, with a journey unlike we’ve ever seen and a style that celebrates the character’s early comic book roots. Written by Executive Producer Jeff Trammel.
Disney + have released shorts from other franchises that focus on adorable characters aimed at younger viewers, so now the MCU is getting in on the action with our favourite guardian Groot. The series of shorts follows Baby Groot’s glory days growing up, and getting into trouble, among the stars. Directed by Executive Producer Kirsten Lepore.
Now we finally get to my favourite of the Marvel announcements which is that Emmy-nominee Kathryn Hahn will reprise her role as Agatha Harkness for a brand new Disney+ series.
Agatha: House of Harkness will reveal more about the character first introduced in Marvel Studios’ WandaVision. Jac Schaefer, who served as head writer and executive producer on WandaVision, returns for Agatha: House of Harkness. Be sure to hide all dogs named Sparky.
Marvel Zombies come alive after making their debut in the fifth episode of Marvel’s What If…?. The animated series from Marvel Studios reimagines the Marvel Universe as a new generation of heroes battle against an ever-spreading zombie scourge. Directed by Executive Producer Bryan Andrews and written by Executive Producer Zeb Wells
And lastly Secret Invasion which looks to be a cosmic espionage team up. absolutely loving the new logo Skrull design as it shifts between the original and new, teasing that everyone isn’t who you think they are.
The series stars Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury and Ben Mendelsohn as the Skrull Talos—characters who first met in Marvel Studios’ Captain Marvel. The crossover comic event series showcases a faction of shapeshifting Skrulls who have been infiltrating Earth for years. To end the sizzle reel we get a first look at Samuel L. Jackson returning as Nick Fury and with a new look.
Just released at Star Wars Celebration: Watch the new trailer for Star Wars Visions: Volume 2, featuring nine new shorts from nine celebrated animation studios from across the globe. Streaming May 4 on Disney+.
Just released at Star Wars Celebration: Watch the new trailer for Star Wars Visions: Volume 2, featuring nine new shorts from nine celebrated animation studios from across the globe. Streaming May 4 on Disney+.
Disney +
Title: “Sith”
Studio: El Guiri
Writer-director: Rodrigo Blaas
Rodrigo Blaas is an Emmy Award®-winning director who has spent more than 20 years in animation. After co-founding Stromboli Animation in 1997, Blaas joined Blue Sky Studios in 2000, working on the feature film Ice Age, before transitioning to Pixar Animation Studios. There, he worked on such projects as Finding Nemo (2003), The Incredibles (2004), Ratatouille (2007), and Wall-E (2008) and on the Oscar®-nominated short film La Luna (2011). More recently, Blaas partnered with Guillermo del Toro to develop the award-winning series Trollhunters, served as creative director for Mikros Animation Paris and, in 2021, created El Guiri Studios in Madrid with his partner, Cecile Hokes. He also wrote and directed 2009’s award-winning short film Alma.
Title: “Screecher’s Reach”
Studio: Cartoon Saloon
Director: Paul Young
Paul Young is a co-founder of Cartoon Saloon, an IFTA winner and Oscar®, Emmy® and BAFTA nominee. He produced the animated features My Father’s Dragon, WolfWalkers, The Secret of Kells, Song of the Sea, and The Breadwinner as well as award-winning TV series including Puffin Rock, Dorg Van Dango, and Viking Skool.
Title: “In the Stars”
Studio: Punkrobot
Writer-director: Gabriel Osorio
Gabriel Osorio majored in Fine Arts at Universidad de Chile, later specializing in 3D animation. After working in commercials, movies and television series, he founded Punkrobot Studio. Since 2008, he has directed projects for children’s television including Flipos, Muelin y Perlita, Soccer Girls, and television spots. In 2016, his short film Bear Story became the first Latin American project to win an Oscar® in the animated short category.
Title: “I Am Your Mother”
Studio: Aardman
Director: Magdalena Osinska
Magdalena Osinska is an award-winning director who has been with Aardman for eight years. She has directed stop-motion, CGI, 2D and live-action commercials including Wallace & Gromit’s “The Great Sofa Caper” and “Share the Orange.” Osinska directed development of the children’s series Joyets and has also directed films including Spirits of the Piano and Zbigniev’s Cupboard. A graduate of the National Film and Television School in Beaconsfield, UK, as well as the Polish Film School in Lodz and Art College in Warsaw, Osinska is currently developing the feature film Jasia, based on her grandmother’s memories of WWII Poland.
Title: “Journey to the Dark Head”
Studio: Studio Mir
Director: Hyeong Geun Park
Rising star Hyeong Geun Park had already made a name for himself when he entered the Korean animation industry in 2017, thanks to his strong drawing and animation sensibilities. He has directed animation for dozens of cinematic game trailers and has since expanded into animated series, working on projects including Dota: Dragon’s Blood: Book 3 (2022) and Lookism (2022). Journey to the Dark Head is the first title he has executive produced from start to finish.
Title: “The Spy Dancer”
Studio: Studio La Cachette
Writer-director: Julien Chheng
Julien Chheng is CEO of Studio La Cachette, an Emmy Award®-winning French animation studio he co-founded in 2014 with fellow Gobelins school’s alumni Oussama Bouacheria and Ulysse Malassagne. Chheng was trained in visual development at Disney and has worked as a character animator on acclaimed 2D animated features The Rabbi’s Cat, Mune, and the Academy Award®-nominated Ernest and Celestine. In 2021, he won an Emmy Award® as animation executive producer of Genndy Tartakovsky’s Primal, for which he also served as animation supervisor. In 2022, Chheng directed with Jean-Christophe Roger the Cesar-nominated feature Ernest and Celestine: A Trip to Gibberitia.
Title: “The Bandits of Golak”
Studio: 88 Pictures
Director: Ishan Shukla
Ishan Shukla started his career as a CG artist in Singapore. For more than a decade, he spearheaded projects ranging from TV commercials to series and music videos. His 2016 animated short, “Schirkoa,” was long listed for the Academy Awards® after receiving dozens of awards and playing at 120 international festivals, including SIGGRAPH Asia where it was named Best in Show. He then set up his own animation studio to work on adult-oriented animated feature films including a feature-length version of Schirkoa, set to hit festivals in summer 2023.
Title: “The Pit”
Studios: D’art Shtajio and Lucasfilm Ltd.
Writer-director-executive producer: LeAndre Thomas
Co-director: Justin Ridge
LeAndre Thomas is an award-winning writer and director from Oakland, Calif., whose most recent film won Best Director at the Pasadena International Film Festival. In addition to his independent films, Thomas is a part of the franchise studio team at Lucasfilm Ltd. where he has worked for more than 11 years being credited on recent titles such as Light & Magic, The Mandalorian, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi, and many more.
Justin Ridge executive produced the Emmy®-nominated series Star Wars Resistance. His credits also include Star Wars Rebels, Storks, The Cleveland Show, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, and Avatar: The Last Airbender.
Title: “Aau’s Song”
Studio: Triggerfish
Writer-directors: Nadia Darries and Daniel Clarke
Nadia Darries is a director, animator and co-founder of Goon Valley Animation, with an avocation for songwriting. Born in the Cape Flats in South Africa, Darries has worked on high-end animated film and motion design as an animator, project manager, creative director and director since 2015. Her experience includes animating at Triggerfish Animation Studios on the award-winning BBC films Stick Man, Revolting Rhymes, and Highway Rat.
Daniel Clarke is a Cape Town-based director and artist working in animation, film and illustration. He started his career in animation in 2008 at Triggerfish Animation Studios, where he has served as production designer, art director and director on projects such as the feature film Khumba, BBC’s Stick Man, and The Snail and the Whale. In 2018, along with James Clarke and Daniel Snaddon, he completed the graphic novel Kariba.