San Diego Comic-Con 2024: Disney’s Memorable Moments
San Diego Comic-Con (SDCC) 2024 was a spectacle filled with the usual excitement and surprises, and as expected, Disney played a significant role in the event. From exclusive previews to nostalgic look-backs, Disney’s presence was felt across various franchises, delighting fans of all ages.
Illustrating Disney Magic: Rick Law
SDCC started off its Disney content the first day with a spotlight panel on the career of Disney illustrator Rick Law, who rose from the Disney Home Entertainment shipping department to VHS cover illustrator. He went over some of the process that goes into creating different Disney film covers and the experience of seeing them subsequently distributed internationally and manifested into McDonald’s Happy Meal toys. One of the early sketches he shared was of his original idea for the cover of the animated classic Mulan.
Marketing and Legal mandated, however, that for a “kid’s movie,” the sword needed to be tilted, she needed to be smiling, and there needed to be more secondary characters–so the final product had some changes.
Fast forward to the 2020 live-action Mulan however, and Law was surprised to see it had a look much closer to his original concept.
On the topic of Mickey’s Once Upon A Christmas, Law said “I’m too old now to have favorites, so I just like a lot of stuff…but I have to say, whenever anybody asks about my favorite cover, I lean towards these…because Mickey is Walt and Walt is Mickey and it all started with a mouse and this was the first time officially I was asked to do Mickey and that’s kind of a big honor.”
Star Wars: Stories from a Galaxy Far, Far Away
SDCC brought exciting news for Star Wars fans with the “Stories from a Galaxy Far, Far Away” panel, moderated by comedian Patton Oswalt. The panel provided a deep dive into upcoming Star Wars projects, offering sneak peeks and updates across different media formats.
One of the key highlights was their discussion on Star Wars: Outlaws, an open-world game now available and set between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. The developers shared concept art, teasing the adventures of Kay Vess, a scoundrel navigating the galaxy’s criminal underworld. This game promises a vast array of new and iconic locations, along with thrilling storylines that explore the complex Star Wars universe.
Official Game Overview Trailer | Star Wars Outlaws
On their characters:
- Gonzalez: “Kay Vess grew up in Canto Bight and she could kind of see the shiny lights out in the distance. She doesn’t want to belong to anybody, she doesn’t want to be with the Empire or the rebels, and so she wants to find and carve out her own space in the Galaxy. She is way in over her head. She has no idea what she’s going to do out there. Doesn’t understand the crime syndicate, has never met Jabba the Hut, and I think it’s going to be really exciting for players to perceive this Galaxy that we all know and love with a new, fresh perspective of this young, naive, but very behaving very confident, young girl who just wants to forge her own way.”
- Rincon: “ND-5 carries the the weight of his experiences in the Clone Wars on his shoulders, his emotions on his sleeve, and he reluctantly, you know, takes this task of babysitting Kay Vess and Nix. But he is very well versed in the underworld and he’s obviously very capable, he has the skills to to manage not only himself, but to help the mission…I think he’s also quite intrigued and curious by a person like Kay Vess and her limitless ambition and the vision and the scope that she has, and that helps him to kind of move along and to get on with things.”
- Baker: “Nix is an innocent who has really great instincts and is unperturbed and unclouded by the darkness of the underworld. Jabba is a manipulative mob boss who also has really good instincts, and he sees the underworld as his playpen to gain power. And so both of these creatures, these alien creatures actually do quite well in in this kind of setting.”
The presentation continued on with a new panel of authors Justina Ireland, Tessa Gratton, and Cavan Scott, to unveil news from Star Wars: The High Republic, a multimedia project set during the era approximately 500 to 100 years before the Skywalker Saga. Along with upcoming comic titles like The High Republic: Fear of the Jedi, Scott, a major contributor to this era of Star Wars, discussed the deeper lore and connections these stories will have with future media, including the Disney+ series The Acolyte. Fans can also look forward to related books like The Art of Star Wars: The High Republic and The Art of The Acolyte offering behind-the-scenes looks at the art, characters, and environments shaping these eras of the galaxy.
Animation Superstars
The “Animation Superstars” panel showcased some of the most creative minds behind today’s top animated shows. Moderated by Brooke Keesling of Bento Box, the panel included industry talents like Jorge Gutierrez (Maya and the Three), Fred Tatasciore (ZOMBIES: The Re-Animated Series), and the Parlapanides brothers (Blood of Zeus). They discussed their creative processes, challenges in animation, and how the medium continues to evolve.
Some of the advice and experiences the panelists had to share:
- “Everything is a human story. Animation is the slowest acting you’ll ever do.”
- “No criticism should ever bother you. Either it’s true and you should learn from it, or it’s false and you shouldn’t care.”
- “Put all your emphasis on the process–the result isn’t in your hands. You can’t take the process away from me, because I already danced the dance.”
- “You have to go, ‘I’m going to just keep doing good work. I’m just going to keep doing my best,’ and there’s joy in that, even if you don’t get the paycheck. It’s just it’s a way of life.”
- “I got in a fight when I was a kid, and I got beat up and sent home from school, and he (his dad) asked me ‘did you fight a bigger kid than you?’ And I said, ‘yeah,’ and then he asked me what was the reason. ‘I was defending this girl.’ And he said that’s a good fight.
“And he said ‘Jorge, you were born a puma, right? Every experience you have, every fight you enter, every fight you lose, you get a stripe and you become a tiger. Before you die, I want you to die a panther. Never stop fighting.” - “You need to be able to absorb life and understand human beings and the way they act and the way they hold themselves to be able to then create stories and life yourself.”
- “If there’s anything else you could do, like if you would be happy being a teacher or an accountant or selling insurance…because this business is so precarious, do that instead. But if there is nothing else that you want to do with your life, don’t let anyone ever dissuade you.”
- “My dad asked ‘do the Americans know you would do it for free, you love it so much?’ We have fun and get paid like old white men and get to stay children. That’s what I love the most.”
Spotlight on Tom Sito
Another fascinating look at animation was given at the “Spotlight on Tom Sito” panel, in which Sito delved into his long career working on classics such as Beauty and the Beast, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, and The Little Mermaid for Disney, as well as Shrek and The Prince of Egypt for Dreamworks, and countless other shows at studios such as Hanna-Barbera and Warner Brothers.
“Spotlight on Tom Sito” was a great look at Sito’s amazing and extensive career. “Shrek was originally based on Chris Farley and he was going to do the voice, but he died of a drug overdose after only recording a few minutes of dialogue.” pic.twitter.com/QJQS9HH9dJ
— Jeanine (@JustJeanine) July 28, 2024
The Her Universe Fashion Show
Once again, Her Universe founder Ashley Eckstein (voice of Star Wars’ Ahsoka Tano,) brought the Her Universe Fashion Show back to SDCC, as twenty-five talented designers competed for a cash prize of $10,000 and the opportunity to design a fashion line with Her Universe.
Marvel Studios
Marvel Studios delivered some major star power and announcements during their Hall H panel. Here are the key highlights:
- Thunderbolts: The cast of Thunderbolts made an appearance, with Florence Pugh (Yelena Belova), Sebastian Stan (Bucky Barnes), and David Harbour (Red Guardian) sharing insights about their characters. Fans were treated to a first-look trailer, revealing new plot details and Ghost’s updated costume. The film is set to release on May 5, 2025.
- Fantastic Four: First Steps: The film, just starting production, will introduce the MCU’s “First Family” with a retro aesthetic and a new logo. It’s scheduled for a July 25, 2025 release. Teasers included Pedro Pascal as Reed Richards and a glimpse of the iconic “Fantasticar.”
- Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars: The Russo brothers are returning to direct these highly anticipated films. Avengers: Doomsday is expected in May 2026, with Secret Wars to follow in 2027. In a huge surprise, Robert Downey Jr. will return to the MCU, this time playing Doctor Doom.
- Captain America: Brave New World: Giancarlo Esposito was revealed as the villain, Sidewinder, leader of the Serpent Society. The movie is expected to take a more grounded approach similar to The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. Disney Legend Harrison Ford also took the stage, as he is making his MCU debut as President Thaddeus Ross and Red Hulk.
These announcements set the stage for a massive Phase 6 and beyond for the MCU.
So as is the case most years, Disney’s presence at SDCC 2024 was robust, with panels and previews across its major franchises and new projects. From Marvel’s exciting film updates to the latest in Star Wars and animation, Disney provided fans with a glimpse of what’s to come in the worlds they love.
