Disney goes the distance: D23 Conference announces new theatre additions

With The Lion King being one of the West End’s longest running musicals, behind Les Misérables and The Phantom of the Opera, any announcements concerning the theatrical future of Disney’s much beloved classics are sure to spark excitement for Disney and theatre fans alike. With the D23 Ultimate Disney Fan Event taking place earlier this Summer, the Walt Disney Company took the opportunity to announce that some of their favourite films are in development to be adapted for the stage, alongside the recording of an existing one to be available across the world on home screens.

As a result of Frozen’s theatrical success, Disney announced at D23 that a professional recording of the West End production will become available on Disney+ in 2025.

The event, hosted by actress Yvette Nicole Brown (Inside Out 2), featured many creative leaders from Disney, including Alan Bergman (Entertainment Co-Chairman) and Jennifer Lee (Animations Chief Creative Officer). There, we were introduced to some of the actors and storytellers behind upcoming titles. Alongside the theatrical announcements, Disney unveiled teasers for some of their major film projects that are in the works, including Moana 2 (2024), Toy Story 5 (2026), Snow White (2025), and Zootopia 2 (2025), as well as showing concept art for Frozen 3 (2027), and surprising us with a live action remake of Lilo & Stitch to be released in 2025. Pixar also had the opportunity to promote their upcoming film Elio (2025), which was delayed from a 2024 release, allegedly due to the ongoing actors’ strike at the time.

Some of the more unexpected announcements, however, were those concerning the ways in which Disney intends to shake the world of musical theatre. Their adaptions have been very successful in the past: The Lion King has been running in the West End since 1999, and Frozen since 2021, as well as Broadway’s Frozen beginning a tour of North America back in 2019. Presumably, as a result of Frozen’s theatrical success, Disney announced at D23 that a professional recording of the West End production will become available on Disney+ in 2025 (specific dates yet to be announced). Similar to the digital release of Hamilton in 2020, Frozen will undoubtedly make the production all the more popular with its easy access for those at home who were unable to make it in person during the show’s run.

A re-popularisation of the soundtrack may hopefully give Hercules another chance of critic success.

While the news of a Hercules theatre adaption at Theatre Royal Drury Lane was announced back in June, Disney also confirmed last week that the show will open in June 2025. There have been hopes for a bigger production of Hercules after various performances since 2019: the production had first performed in Central Park’s Delacorte Theatre, later moving to New Jersey’s Paper Mill Playhouse in 2023. Most significant is a German-language production , which has featured in Hamburg since earlier this year. Directed by Casey Nicholaw, known for his Tony Award-winning directions of The Book of Mormon and Some Like It Hot, this Hamburg production is said to be similar to the iteration of Hercules which we will see in the West End. Reviewers have referenced some additions to the soundtrack to better fit a musical production, potentially including a villain song for Hades, which are suggested to have been written by the films’ original composer and lyricist, Alan Menken and David Zippel. Being a combination of pop, musical theatre, gospel, and Motown, the story will hopefully make for a highly energetic musical, with songs such as ‘Zero to Hero’ and ‘The Gospel Truth’ offering exciting opportunities for some great ensemble work and choreography. A re-popularisation of the soundtrack may hopefully give Hercules another chance of critic success, after ‘Go the Distance’ was nominated at the 70^th Academy Awards but lost to Titanic. Perhaps, if successful, we will see the soundtrack at the Olivier Awards, receiving the recognition it deserves.

It is exciting to know that coming theatre seasons will feature some new productions from Disney, after they have been so successful in the past.

Finally, Disney announced that a theatrical adaption of The Greatest Showman is in the works, albeit in its early stages of development. The creative team and cast are yet to be announced, but it will feature songs, by composers Benji Pasek and Justin Paul, from the 2017 film starring Hugh Jackman, Zac Efron, Zendaya, and Keala Settle. Like the film, which made $435 million worldwide, the production will explore the life of entertainer PT Barnum and the members of his circus. It has been made clear that it is separate from a similar production opening in West End this autumn titled Come Alive!, which is known to be featuring some songs from the film.

Hopefully we will hear updates concerning these productions in the coming months. In the meantime, it is exciting to know that coming theatre seasons will feature some new productions from Disney, after they have been so successful in the past.