D23 recap: From movies to theme park rides, here's everything announced at Disney fan event

ByKimberlee Sakamoto, Amy Becker, Crystal Benitez and Ryder Maldonado OTRC logo
Last updated: Monday, August 17, 2026 1:46AM GMT
D23 reveals future plans for the Disney parks and experiences
ABC News' Ginger Zee is at Anaheim, California, sharing​ all of the exciting Disney experiences to come around the world.
Disney

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- From newly announced movies to rides and lands under construction at Disney parks around the world, we brought you all the live updates from D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event.

This gathering of official Disney fan club members took place at the Anaheim Convention Center and Honda Center in Anaheim, California from Aug. 14 through Aug. 16.

The Honda Center was home to the Disney Entertainment Showcase Friday night, the Disney Experiences Showcase Saturday night and the Disney Legends Award Ceremony Sunday afternoon.

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Aug 15, 2026, 2:17 AM

These are some of the best costumes from D23 2026

Take a look at our photo gallery of some of the best costumes seen at Disney's ultimate fan event in Anaheim.

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D23 attendees dressed as Maui and Hei Hei from "Moana" are seen in Anaheim, Calif. on Sunday, Aug. 16, 2026.
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Aug 16, 2026, 9:42 PM GMT

Susan Egan honored by Katseye, Broadway stars

Susan Egan is being honored as a 2026 Disney Legend at D23 with a special performance by the Belles of "Beauty and the Beast" and Katseye.

The K-Pop group sang the hit song, "I Won't Say (I'm In Love)," from Hercules.

Susan Egan (C) with (L-R) Daniela, Lara Raj, Megan and Yoonchae of KATSEYE at the Disney Legends Award Ceremony on August 16, 2026 in Anaheim, California.
Susan Egan (C) with (L-R) Daniela, Lara Raj, Megan and Yoonchae of KATSEYE at the Disney Legends Award Ceremony on August 16, 2026 in Anaheim, California.

Egan shared that she spent 25 years working for nearly every division of The Walt Disney Company as an actress and performer, and the last seven years as an executive producer in partnership with Disney Concerts, Disney Cruise Line and more.

To her husband and daughters, Egan said, "You are the legends in my life."

Susan Egan gets her handprints done at D23 on August 16, 2026 in Anaheim, California.
Susan Egan gets her handprints done at D23 on August 16, 2026 in Anaheim, California.

Tony-nominated performer Susan Egan made Disney history as the original Belle in Broadway's "Beauty and the Beast" and the voice of Megara in the animated feature "Hercules." Her broad stage and screen career includes Broadway roles in "Cabaret" and "Thoroughly Modern Millie," voice work in "Steven Universe" and "Spirited Away," and headlining concerts with more than 70 symphony orchestras globally.

Today, Egan produces live international concert events through 10th & Main Productions, including "Disney Princess - The Concert." In November 2025, she was named the official godmother of the Disney Cruise Line ship the Disney Destiny.

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Jonas Brothers honored as Disney Legends by Vanessa Hudgens

The Jonas Brothers are being honored as 2026 Disney Legends at D23 by fellow Disney Channel icon Vanessa Hudgens.

"Seems like just yesterday we were just kids running around the Disney lot," she said. "And now look as us - we have kids!"

The trio shared their connection with Disney started early.

Joe said he watched "Beauty and the Beast" so many times, his first word was "Gaston." And Nick noted that his first job was playing Chip the teacup in "Beauty and the Beast" on Broadway.

Nick went on to say, "To our incredible fans, thank you for letting us be a part of your childhood and growing up alongside you all these years. You gave three brothers from New Jersey, a life beyond anything we could have imagined. We're so grateful."

Kevin Jonas, Nick Jonas and Joe Jonas get their handprints at D23 on August 16, 2026 in Anaheim, California.
Kevin Jonas, Nick Jonas and Joe Jonas get their handprints at D23 on August 16, 2026 in Anaheim, California.

Composed of brothers Nick, Joe and Kevin Jonas, the Jonas Brothers are a Grammy-nominated pop group that rose to fame as Disney Channel stars in the late 2000s, starring in "Camp Rock" (2008), "Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam" (2010) and their series "Jonas" (2009-2010). The New Jersey natives have sold more than 20 million albums, logged three consecutive No. 1 debuts on the Billboard 200 chart and earned 26 Billboard Hot 100 hits.

After pursuing individual efforts, the group reunited in 2019 with their platinum-certified album "Happiness Begins," led by the 5x-platinum single "Sucker," which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and earned a Grammy nomination for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance.

The trio received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2023, followed by a Hand and Footprint ceremony in 2025. To mark their 20th anniversary in 2025, the band hosted the JONASCON fan event, starred in "A Very Jonas Christmas Movie" on Disney+, released the album "Greetings from Your Hometown," and launched the "JONAS20: Greetings From Your Hometown" tour. Their most recent Disney project includes returning to Disney Channel for "Camp Rock 3."

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Aug 16, 2026, 10:06 PM GMT

Iconic animator Eric Goldberg honored as Disney Legend

Iconic animator Eric Goldberg is being honored as a 2026 Disney Legend at D23.

Disney Legends award recipient Eric Goldberg speaks onstage at D23 on August 16, 2026 in Anaheim, California.
Disney Legends award recipient Eric Goldberg speaks onstage at D23 on August 16, 2026 in Anaheim, California.

Eric Goldberg is an animator, designer and director at Walt Disney Animation Studios. After beginning his career in the mid-1970s and running his own London-based studio, he joined Disney as the supervising animator for the Genie in "Aladdin" (1992), bringing the character to life with inspiration from caricaturist Al Hirschfeld.

Goldberg went on to co-direct "Pocahontas" (1995) and directed two segments for "Fantasia/2000," including the Hirschfeld-inspired "Rhapsody in Blue." As a supervising animator, his iconic characters include Phil in "Hercules," Louis in "The Princess and the Frog" and the hand-drawn Mini Maui in the CG-animated "Moana" franchise.

Eric Goldberg gets his handprints done at D23 on August 16, 2026 in Anaheim, California.
Eric Goldberg gets his handprints done at D23 on August 16, 2026 in Anaheim, California.

Most recently, Goldberg served as head of hand-drawn animation for the Emmy-winning 2023 short film "Once Upon a Studio" and wrote, directed and led the animation for a 2025 "Hot Ones" episode featuring Donald Duck. He also helps supervise the extensive film restorations of Disney classics like "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" and "Cinderella."

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Aug 16, 2026, 9:15 PM GMT

Kim Irvine honored by Ming Na Wen at Legends ceremony

Kim Irvine is being honored as a 2026 Disney Legend at D23 by fellow Disney Legend Ming Na Wen.

"Thanks to your vision, your leadership and most of all your love of Disney, you have given park lovers new attractions to look forward with each visit," she said to Irvine. "We are eternally grateful for pouring so much passion into the Happiest Place on Earth, where we all get to play."

Irvine later shared that in 1970, when she started her career, she was only going to work for the summer.

Kim Irvine gets her handprints done at D23 on August 16, 2026 in Anaheim, California.
Kim Irvine gets her handprints done at D23 on August 16, 2026 in Anaheim, California.

She noted that all the original Imagineers were still working there and would come down to the model shop where their drawings and dreams came to life.

When she was asked in 1990 to lead a team of Imagineers to take care of Disneyland, she said, "I was so honored by that and so happy to have done that for all of those years."

Kim Irvine is a self-described "second-generation Imagineer" and Southern California native who spent 55 years preserving and enhancing Disneyland. The daughter of Disney animator Harvey Toombs and Disney Legend Leota Toombs (the face of the Haunted Mansion's Madame Leota), Irvine began her career at WED Enterprises in 1970 as a model builder and painter.

Under the guidance of Disney Legends John Hench and Marty Sklar, Irvine helped establish the first on-site Imagineering office in Anaheim in 1979 to ensure Disneyland received dedicated creative focus. As Executive Creative Director of the Walt Disney Imagineering Anaheim office, she oversaw concept design, color styling, and architectural aesthetics for major Disneyland projects, including the Disneyland Dream Suite, Rancho Del Zocalo, the Club 33 expansion, and multiple Sleeping Beauty Castle refurbishments. Notably, in 2001, she stepped into her mother's iconic role to project Madame Leota's face for the Haunted Mansion Holiday overlay.

Before her retirement in 2025 during Disneyland's 70th anniversary, Irvine became the first female recipient of the prestigious Buzz Price Thea Award for Lifetime Achievement (2011). Her legacy continues through her mentorship of global Imagineers and her daughter, Ali Irvine-Wheeler, a third-generation Imagineer.