The first two days of D23 Brazil featured presentations by Disney’s various studios, but the third and final day wrapped with a look at the wonderful world of streaming on Disney+. Hosts Caról Moreíra and Mari Palma welcomed a packed crowd of fans who donned Disney+ mouse ear hats, which adorned every seat in Arena D23. While some streaming content was teased across Day 1 (Pixar’s Dream Productions and Win or Lose) and Day 2 (Luasfilm’s Andor Season 2 and The Skeleton Crew; Marvel’s What If…? Season 3, X-Men ‘97 Season 2, Your Friendly Neighborhood Spiderman, Daredevil: Born Again), there wasn’t any overlap in this all-Disney+ presentation.
With many attendees wearing Camp Half-Blood shirts, it seemed only fitting that Percy Jackson and the Olympians be the first show presented. Season 2 is currently in production in Vancouver, so appearing live via satellite, D23 Brazil audiences got to hear from stars Walker Scobel (Percy), Leah Jeffries (Annabeth), and Aryan Simhadri (Grover), plus writer and executive producer Rick Riordan. Live-streaming from the set of the Big House at Camp Half-Blood, Walker started out by showcasing a model behind them for the Chariot Arena, a new location in Season 2.
Fans were clamoring for Season 2 news and were given a few nuggets during the conversation. “Every new cast member fits right in,” Aryan Simhadri shared. “Even our newest additions, like Daniel [Diemer], who plays Tyson, and Dior [Goodjohn], who plays Clarisse, fit right in, and we’re constantly having movie nights and dinners together.” Aryan also showed off Grover’s panpipes, which make their debut in Season 2.
“Daniel, who plays Tyson the Cyclops, is incredible,” Leah Jeffries added. “While he doesn’t have his one eye on set yet, we’re excited for you all to see it.” Speaking of casting, Leah had the honor of introducing a short video introducing the star playing her on-screen mother, Andra Day, who portrays Athena.
“Recently, we filmed one of my favorite scenes from the entire book, the Scylla and Charybdis scene, as we enter the Sea of Monsters,” Walker Scobel revealed. “You guys are in for a treat. It’s huge!” At the end of the Percy Jackson and the Olympians, it was announced that all in attendance would receive a t-shirt on the way out, a Portuguese variant of the Camp Half-Blood shirts from the series.
Next up was Phineas and Ferb, which is being revived in a series set the following summer. Actor Vincent Martella joined series creators Dan Povenmire and Jeff “Swampy” Marsh live on stage. When the series’ theme song queued their entrance, the audience sang along through the entirety of it in Portuguese. “When we first started the show, we could hardly imagine that people all over the world would embrace it,” Dan Povenmire shared. “It’s been amazing to see that wherever we go, fans sing the theme song to us in different languages.”
“Disney called us up and said, ‘Would you guys like to make more of these?’” Jeff “Swampy” Marsh revealed about the revival. “I don’t think they finished the sentence before we said, ‘Yes, absolutely!’ This show was something we always wanted to continue. When we wrapped up, we left it open just in case and fans still wanted more. So, we were thrilled when Disney reached out.”
The creators shared their surprise at learning that jokes and story points embedded in songs were able to be translated around the world, keeping those elements intact while also fitting the beat and still rhyming. “My absolute favorite is singing the songs they write,” Vincent Martella shared about his favorite part of stepping into the recording booth to become the voice of Phineas. “The songs are so fun and catchy. I’m lucky to get to perform them. I even got to record a Christmas album, which was amazing. There’s so much fun music in the upcoming season!” D23 Brazil attendees got to see the opening song from the revival, which had previously been shown at New York Comic-Con.
Disney+ is home to many shows from Korea. The documentary film JungKook: I Am Still has been expanded into a series called JungKook: I Am Still The Original, which starts streaming on December 3rd. The series follows the former BTS member on his solo venture as he tours around the world with his solo album Golden. One of the highlights of the series is a full performance of his solo world tour concert.
A new K-drama called Light Shop will start streaming on December 4th. Stars Park Bo-young and Ju Ji-hoon prepared a video introduction to the trailer for D23 Brazil fans. This fantasy-mystery series follows a group of strangers in the aftermath of a traumatic event, all of whom are mysteriously drawn to a small light shop.
In the U.S., FX’s Emmy-winning series The Bear streams on Hulu, but for the rest of the world, it’s part of Disney+ (under the Star tile). Stars Lionel “L-Boy” Boyce (Marcus) and Liza Colón-Zayas (Tina) received a standing ovation when they took the stage to talk about their experience in the first three seasons. “At first, we don’t understand why Tina is so angry, but we see that she’s willing to be open when she realizes the changes are for everyone’s good, not just hers,” Liza Colón-Zayas shared when asked about the evolution of her character, a role that won her an Emmy for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series. “She begins to trust the people around her, and she starts to believe in herself again. I loved understanding her journey from survival to growth.
“I remember reading the script, flipping through the pages, and thinking, ‘Wow, it’s still Marcus,” L-Boy said about being surprised by a character-centric episode in Season 2. “They didn’t even tell me before sending the script. They just said, ‘Call us after you read episode 4.’ I loved it! Going to Copenhagen for that episode was a dream. I loved the city and all the amazing food.”
ABC may stand for the American Broadcasting Company, but the shows created for the network sometimes become global phenomena. Such was the case with Grey’s Anatomy, which now streams on Disney+ in places like Brazil, where Season 20 will begin streaming in March. “We were just focused on the U.S. audience and didn’t realize how quickly it would reach other countries,” Chandra Wilson (Miranda Bailey) said, who visited Brazil twenty years ago when promoting the show’s first season. “Eventually, we even met the actors who do our voices in different languages, which was really fun. Over the years, as we traveled, we realized just how well-known and loved Grey's is. It’s a huge compliment that people care so much about the characters and stories.”
“I’d just finished another show that lasted 15 episodes when my manager called about a medical drama,” James Pickens Jr. (Dr. Richard Webber) shared when asked about his introduction to the show. “It didn’t have a title yet – it was just called the Untitled Shonda Rhimes Project. I auditioned with the speech introducing the interns, saying, ‘This is your arena,’ and when I left, they called me back in to ask, ‘What are you doing for the next five years? I thought, ‘I guess I’ve got a job!’”
Last but not least, Caról and Mari introduced a very short tease of Alien: Earth, an FX series that continues the Alien franchise from Fargo series creator Noah Hawley, who prepared a short video greeting to D23 Brazil attendees. “I can't tell you how thrilling it's been to get to add another chapter to one of the great horror and action franchises of all time,” Howley said before unveiling a teaser poster and a video version of it, along with some text in Portuguese.
At domestic D23 events, Disney+ panels tend to focus on content made exclusively for that platform. With international versions of Disney+ merging so many brands under one roof (here in Brazil, ESPN has its own tile on the Disney streaming service), it was interesting to see titles like Grey’s Anatomy as part of the panel. But it just goes to show the diversity and breadth of the storytelling capabilities of The Walt Disney Company, and how it all comes together under one roof on Disney+, and at D23 Brazil.