Disney Unveils New Projects, Including ‘Inside Out 2’

Cast member Amy Poehler, who voiced 'Joy' in the Disney-Pixar film "Inside Out" arrives for its UK Gala screening at the Leicester Square Odeon in London, Britain, July 19, 2015. REUTERS/Peter Nicholls/File Photo
Cast member Amy Poehler, who voiced 'Joy' in the Disney-Pixar film "Inside Out" arrives for its UK Gala screening at the Leicester Square Odeon in London, Britain, July 19, 2015. REUTERS/Peter Nicholls/File Photo
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Disney Unveils New Projects, Including ‘Inside Out 2’

Cast member Amy Poehler, who voiced 'Joy' in the Disney-Pixar film "Inside Out" arrives for its UK Gala screening at the Leicester Square Odeon in London, Britain, July 19, 2015. REUTERS/Peter Nicholls/File Photo
Cast member Amy Poehler, who voiced 'Joy' in the Disney-Pixar film "Inside Out" arrives for its UK Gala screening at the Leicester Square Odeon in London, Britain, July 19, 2015. REUTERS/Peter Nicholls/File Photo

Disney and Pixar announced on Friday that the movie "Inside Out 2," was currently in development and will be in theaters in the summer of 2024.

"Inside Out" star Amy Poehler announced that she will return for the Pixar sequel, which will focus on teenage Riley's emotions, Reuters reported.

Other announcements on the first day of the 2022 D23 convention for Disney fans included upcoming projects, "Peter and Wendy," "MUFASA," a live action "Snow White," "Win or Lose," "Wish," "Strange World," "Iwaju" and "ELIO."

There were also updates on upcoming movies "Haunted Mansion," "Disenchanted," "Elemental," and "Hocus Pocus 2."

"Peter and Wendy" is a live-action adaption of "Peter Pan" focusing on how Peter Pan and Wendy met that is to be streamed on Disney + in 2023. The Lion King prequel, "MUFASA," was also presented and premieres in 2024.

Viewers also caught a glimpse of Disney’s live action "Snow White" which stars Rachel Zegler and Gal Gadot and releases to theaters in 2024. The brand also gave a first look at Pixar’s new original animated series, "Win or Lose," which will be available on Disney + in 2023 and centers around middle schoolers on a softball team.

Walt Disney Animation Studios also shared a first look at "Wish," its new November 2023 film with West Side Story's Ariana DeBose voicing the main character, Asha.

The panel also teased "Strange World," arriving to theaters on November 23, 2022, which explores a family on a new adventure. Disney Animation and Kugali’s Afrofuturistic series, "Iwaju," was unveiled and will be on Disney Plus in 2023.

The new Pixar and Disney film, "ELIO," about a boy who's transported to another galaxy starring Yonas Kibreab as Elio and America Ferrera as his mother Olga Solis. It will be in theaters in the spring of 2024.

"Haunted Mansion," added Jamie Lee Curtis to its cast along with star cameos, including Winona Ryder, and will be in theaters on March 10, 2023.

The panel also shared trailers for "Disenchanted," which will make its Disney + debut on November 24, 2022 and "Hocus Pocus 2," which premieres on September 30, 2022 on Disney+.”



Ziad Rahbani, Lebanese Composer and Son of Icon Fairouz, Dies at 69

Lebanese artist Ziad Rahbani performs at the Beiteddine Palace in Lebanon's Chouf mountains, south of the capital Beirut, during the Beiteddine International Art Festival on July 12, 2018. (AFP)
Lebanese artist Ziad Rahbani performs at the Beiteddine Palace in Lebanon's Chouf mountains, south of the capital Beirut, during the Beiteddine International Art Festival on July 12, 2018. (AFP)
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Ziad Rahbani, Lebanese Composer and Son of Icon Fairouz, Dies at 69

Lebanese artist Ziad Rahbani performs at the Beiteddine Palace in Lebanon's Chouf mountains, south of the capital Beirut, during the Beiteddine International Art Festival on July 12, 2018. (AFP)
Lebanese artist Ziad Rahbani performs at the Beiteddine Palace in Lebanon's Chouf mountains, south of the capital Beirut, during the Beiteddine International Art Festival on July 12, 2018. (AFP)

Ziad Rahbani, the visionary Lebanese composer, playwright, pianist and political provocateur, died on Saturday, at the age of 69, according to the state-run National News Agency.

The death was confirmed by a person close to Rahbani who spoke on condition of anonymity. The cause of death was not immediately clear.

Born in 1956 in Antelias, near Beirut, Ziad was the eldest son of legendary Lebanese singer Fairouz and composer Assi Rahbani, one half of the famed Rahbani Brothers. From a young age, he showed signs of prodigious talent, composing his first musical work at just 17 years old. Raised among artistic royalty, his world was steeped in music, theater, and political consciousness — a combination that would define his life’s work.

His mother performed some of his compositions at her sellout concerts, blending Lebanese folklore with Western syncopation and phrasing.

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun mourned Rahbani’s passing as a national loss, describing him as “not just an artist, but a complete intellectual and cultural phenomenon.” In a statement, Aoun praised Rahbani as “a living conscience, a rebellious voice against injustice, and an honest mirror reflecting the suffering and marginalized.”

He highlighted how Rahbani’s fusion of classical, jazz and Oriental music “opened new windows for Lebanese cultural expression” and elevated it to global levels. “Ziad was a natural extension of the Rahbani family, which gave Lebanon much beauty and dignity,” the president added.

While his parents helped construct a golden era of Lebanese musical theater steeped in idealism and nostalgia, Rahbani charged onto the scene with irreverent satire, unflinching political critique and jazz-inflected scores that mirrored the chaos and contradictions of a Lebanon at war with itself.

His breakout play, Nazl el-Sourour (Happiness Hotel), premiered in 1974 when he was only 17 and portrayed a society disfigured by class inequality and repression. The tragicomic narrative follows a group of workers who hijack a restaurant to demand their rights, only to be dismissed by the political elite. With this bold debut, Rahbani revealed his enduring theme: that Lebanese society was fractured not only by war but by entrenched power.

Rahbani’s subsequent plays solidified his reputation as the voice of the disenchanted. In Bennesbeh La Bokra Chou? (What About Tomorrow?), he plays a jaded bar pianist in post-civil war Beirut who drifts through a surreal landscape of broken dreams, corruption and absurdity. The work features some of Rahbani’s most poignant music and biting commentary, including the famous line, “They say tomorrow will be better, but what about today?”

More than just a playwright, Rahbani was a composer of staggering range. He infused traditional Arabic melodies with jazz, funk and classical influences, creating a hybrid sound that became instantly recognizable. His live performances were legendary, whether playing piano in smoky clubs in Hamra, one of Beirut's major commercial districts that harbors a multifaceted identity, or orchestrating large-scale productions.

His collaborations with Fairouz, especially during the late 1970s and 1980s, ushered in a darker, more politically charged phase in her career. Songs like Ouverture 83, Bala Wala Chi (Without Anything), and Kifak Inta (How Are You) reflected Ziad’s brooding compositions and lyrical introspection.

Rahbani came under fire from Arab traditionalists for his pioneering efforts to bridge the gap between Arab and Western culture with music.