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Disney reveals major projects and surprises at the D23 showcase
Mumbai: The world-class storytelling engines of The Walt Disney Company took center stage at the Honda Center during the Disney Entertainment showcase at D23: The Ultimate Disney fan event presented by Visa. Surprise celebrity appearances, new film and series titles, and major musical performances enthralled the audience of Disney fans from around the world, demonstrating the unmatched strength of the company’s creative studios, as well as the unique connection that generations of passionate fans of all ages have forged with its stories and characters over the past century.
Walt Disney Company chief executive officer Bob Iger kicked off the evening to thank fans for their enduring passion, and to highlight what sets Disney apart as a global leader in creative storytelling and innovation. “Our deep bond with fans, forged over a century of storytelling, is stronger today than ever before,” he said, “driven by the unmatched strength of our creative studios, the wide appeal of our brands and franchises, and the innovative ways that we bring our stories to life in our theme parks and experiences.”
Hosted by Yvette Nicole Brown, the event featured several of Disney’s outstanding creative leaders, including Disney Entertainment co-chairman Alan Bergman, Pixar Animation Studios’ chief creative officer Pete Docter, Disney Animation’s chief creative officer Jennifer Lee, and Marvel Studios president and producer Kevin Feige were on stage to introduce the stars and storytellers behind new and beloved titles.
Here are the major highlights from the D23 showcase, where The Walt Disney Studios made several exciting announcements:
Disney Animation: Three new feature films are on the way. Moana 2 kicked off the event with a performance by Auli‘i Cravalho and introduced new songs, with the film set for release on 29 November 2024. Zootopia 2, featuring Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde on a new adventure, is scheduled for 20 November 2025. Additionally, Frozen 3 was teased for a 2027 release.
Avatar: James Cameron revealed the title of the third Avatar film, Avatar: Fire and Ash, set for a 19 December 2025 release, with stars Sam Worthington and Zoe Saldaña returning.
Pixar: Upcoming films include Elio (13 June 2025), Hoppers (2026), Toy Story 5 (19 June 2026), and Incredibles 3, which is currently in development.
Lucasfilm: Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni gave a sneak peek of the new Mandalorian and Grogu film, slated for 22 May 2026.
Marvel Studios: Kevin Feige shared updates on Captain America: Brave New World (14 February 2025) and introduced the cast of The Fantastic Four: First Steps, which premieres on 25 July 2025.
Disney live-action: Announcements included Mufasa: The Lion King (20 December 2024), Disney’s Snow White (21 March 2025), a live-action Lilo & Stitch (Summer 2025), TRON: Ares (10 October 2025), and the sequel Freakier Friday (2025).
New projects: Dwayne Johnson revealed a new movie centered around monster trucks, celebrating the popularity of monster jam truck rallies.
eNews
PNB partners Kiwi to launch credit-enabled UPI for users
Targets 180 million customers; RuPay card offers 0.5 per cent to 1.5 per cent cashback
MUMBAI: Swipe, tap, or scan credit is quietly slipping into the rhythm of everyday payments, and Punjab National Bank wants in on the action. The state-run lender has partnered with Kiwi to roll out credit-enabled UPI payments for its 180 million customers, marking a significant push to blend traditional banking with India’s fast-evolving digital payments ecosystem.
At the centre of the collaboration is the launch of the PNB Kiwi Credit Card on the RuPay network. The card is designed with a digital-first approach, offering fully online onboarding and seamless integration with UPI, allowing users to transact via scan-and-pay while accessing credit.
The offering also brings in a rewards layer, with cashback ranging from 0.5 per cent to 1.5 per cent on online transactions, positioning the product as both a convenience play and a spending incentive.
The move comes as UPI continues to dominate India’s digital payments landscape, increasingly blurring the lines between debit-led transactions and credit access. For PNB, which operates over 10,000 branches around 60 per cent in semi-urban and rural areas, the partnership signals a targeted effort to extend formal credit to segments that have traditionally remained underserved.
The collaboration also reflects a broader industry shift, where banks and fintech platforms are converging to embed credit directly into payment flows, reducing friction while expanding access.
With RuPay credit cards gaining traction and UPI evolving beyond peer-to-peer transfers, the PNB–Kiwi tie-up positions both players at the intersection of scale, accessibility, and the next phase of digital finance in India.
