In a splashy 20-minute introductory segment at Disney’s annual shareholder meeting, CEO Bob Iger touted a handful of film and TV projects as the company looks to maintain recent studio momentum. Avatar: Fire and Ash, Lilo & Stitch and Alien: Earth were three titles given a high profile, including some new footage of the latter […]In a splashy 20-minute introductory segment at Disney’s annual shareholder meeting, CEO Bob Iger touted a handful of film and TV projects as the company looks to maintain recent studio momentum. Avatar: Fire and Ash, Lilo & Stitch and Alien: Earth were three titles given a high profile, including some new footage of the latter
In a splashy 20-minute introductory segment at Disney‘s , CEO Bob Iger touted a handful of film and TV projects as the company looks to maintain recent studio momentum.
Avatar: Fire and Ash, Lilo & Stitch and Alien: Earth were three titles given a high profile, including some new footage of the latter two. (A replay of the meeting will be posted Thursday afternoon on Disney’s investor relations website, with film and TV projects detailed between the 8-minute and 12-minute marks.)
Iger said he has seen “an early cut” of the upcoming third installment of director James Cameron’s billion-dollar Avatar franchise. “I can tell you that it is absolutely breathtaking,” he said.
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While no new images or footage was revealed from the three-hour-plus Cameron epic, which will bow December 19, a “special extended look” at Lilo & Stitch was shown during the livestreamed meeting. It was a roughly 90-second sequence including scenes not featured in the film’s recently released trailer.
Similarly, while FX’s Alien: Earth (derived from the long-running sci-fi thriller franchise) has recently been showcased in a teaser, Iger introduced a “special sneak peek” of it. The creepy clip shows a member of the space station’s crew typing on a computer. “Let me in!” his colleague cries to him from the other side of a sealed door. As he keeps his back turned toward, an alien attacks her, with thrashing noises and screaming audible even through the thick glass. “Crew status?” the computer screen asks. “Crew dead” comes the chilling reply.
After the ominous clip, Iger consoled three small BDX droids (designed by the company and due to be seen in the 2026 film The Mandalorian and Grogu), who were shuddering and beeping agitatedly. “Sorry, guys – scares me too,” Iger quipped.
The top exec also noted during the tour of new projects that a sequel to Pixar’s Coco is in the works, slated for release in 2029. Like Inside Out and Moana, two animated titles from the 2010s that became big draws on Disney+, 2017’s Coco has been a steady performer in streaming.
The film and TV operations at Disney, after a bumpy stretch, rebounded strongly in 2024 and Iger said these titles are “foundational to all we do” across other parts of the media giant.
The film studio, Iger noted, underwent a reorganization last year, which he said “put creativity at the center of our studios.” The performance of mega-grossing animated titles Inside Out 2 and Moana 2, shored up a key part of Disney’s lucrative theatrical business, while Deadpool and Wolverine got Marvel back on the good foot. The three were the top three attractions at the U.S. box office in 2024.
While Iger listed other releases due out this year, he lingered on Avatar. The franchise, whose first two installments have combined to gross more than $5.2 billion worldwide, has helped allay at least some criticism of Disney’s $71.3 billion acquisition of most of 21st Century Fox. The deal brought properties like The Simpsons, X-Men and Avatar into the Disney fold.
“Our renewed focus on quality over quantity has also resulted in outstanding critical success,” Iger said. As evidence of that, he pointed to Disney’s TV operation, which captured a record-breaking 60 Emmy Awards for shows including Shōgun and The Bear.