Bandwagon Nerds News Report (8/16/2026): VisionQuest Finds Ultron, Pixar Goes Big and Frozen Gets a New Threat

VisionQuest reveals Ultron’s return, Incredibles 3 and Coco 2 get major updates, Zootopia 3 is official and Frozen 3 introduces a powerful new villain.

D23’s first wave gave us the X-Men, Avengers: Doomsday, Ahsoka and Starfighter, while the second wave filled us in on the rest of Disney’s future.

Marvel finally showed what Vision and Ultron are doing next, Pixar dated Incredibles 3 and brought back a familiar Coco villain, while Disney Animation officially put another Zootopia into development and revealed the threat waiting for Elsa in Frozen 3.

It’s the Bandwagon Nerds News Report for August 16, 2026!

VisionQuest Brings Vision and Ultron Back Together

Marvel Studios debuted the first trailer and poster for VisionQuest at D23. The Disney+ series premieres October 14 and follows the rebuilt Vision after he escapes those who attempted to weaponize him. Paul Bettany returns as Vision, while James Spader reprises Ultron as one of the AI personalities embedded within Vision’s programming. The series also introduces Thomas Shepard, a mysterious boy who may be connected to Vision as a reincarnated son.

Ultron being inside Vision’s head is considerably more interesting than simply rebuilding the robot villain again.

The MCU has spent years dealing with Vision’s body, memories and identity as separate things. Putting Ultron into that internal argument brings the character back to the very question that created him: how much of Vision belongs to the people and machines that built him?

And Thomas Shepard pushes Marvel toward another Young Avenger without needing to stop the story and announce that it is assembling Young Avengers.

After WandaVision and Agatha All Along, VisionQuest finally looks like the piece designed to close this strange little corner of Marvel on purpose.

Incredibles 3 Arrives in 2028

Pixar unveiled the first look at Incredibles 3 and announced a June 16, 2028 theatrical release. Peter Sohn will direct, with Dana Murray and Brad Bird producing, as the Parr family returns for its third feature-length adventure.

Twenty-four years between the first Incredibles and the third is absurd when you write it down.

The benefit is that Pixar has never had to turn this franchise into an annual obligation.

The Parr family can disappear long enough for another story to actually feel like an event.

Peter Sohn taking over from Brad Bird as director is the more interesting creative change. Bird’s voice has defined both movies, so Incredibles 3 now has the challenge of feeling familiar without simply recreating his version of the franchise.

Coco 2 Brings Back Ernesto de la Cruz

Pixar also revealed new Coco 2 concept art showing Miguel as a teenager and confirmed that Benjamin Bratt will return as Ernesto de la Cruz. The sequel sends Miguel back to the Land of the Dead for another life-changing journey and reunites original filmmakers Lee Unkrich and Adrian Molina. Coco 2 arrives in theaters in November 2029.

Ernesto returning immediately raises the obvious question: how? That is also exactly why the reveal works.

Coco gave Ernesto about as definitive an ending as a villain can receive, so bringing him back requires the sequel to have an actual idea rather than simply recycling an antagonist because audiences recognize him.

Making Miguel a teenager is equally important. Pixar is allowing time to pass rather than pretending the characters remained frozen after the original movie.

A sequel set during a different stage of Miguel’s life has a much better reason to exist.

Zootopia 3 Is Officially in Development

Disney Animation confirmed that Zootopia 3 is officially in early development. Ginnifer Goodwin and Ke Huy Quan joined Disney Animation chief Jared Bush for the announcement, and D23 attendees saw an exclusive custom sequence from the project. Disney has not announced a release date.

Disney clearly believes Zootopia has graduated from successful movie to permanent franchise.

The absence of a release date is probably healthy.

Announcing development gives fans the headline without forcing filmmakers to build toward a calendar slot years before the story is ready.

The larger opportunity is the world itself. Zootopia is one of those settings that can support dozens of stories without requiring Judy and Nick to repeatedly solve variations of the same mystery.

Movie three should take advantage of that.

Frozen 3 Introduces a Villain Who Can Rival Elsa

Disney showed new Frozen 3 animation featuring Anna, Elsa, Kristoff, Olaf and Sven while teasing a new female villain whose powers may rival Elsa’s. Kristen Bell and Idina Menzel performed a new version of “Frozen Heart,” while Josh Gad debuted Olaf’s new love song, “Ooooh, Samantha.” Jennifer Lee and Trent Correy direct the film, which arrives November 24, 2027.

A villain who can actually challenge Elsa physically is an obvious direction—and somehow one the movies have largely avoided. Elsa is extraordinarily powerful, which means conventional threats require the story to keep inventing reasons she cannot simply solve the problem herself.

Give somebody comparable abilities and the equation changes. The important part is making the new character more than “evil Elsa.” Frozen has always worked best when the emotional conflict matters more than the magic.

The powers should amplify that conflict rather than replace it.

Percy Jackson Season 3 Sets a November Premiere

Disney debuted the teaser for Percy Jackson and the Olympians Season 3 at D23 and announced a November 20, 2026 premiere on Disney+. The new season adapts The Titan’s Curse, with Ming-Na Wen appearing as Hera and Andra Day as Athena alongside Walker Scobell’s Percy Jackson.

This is where Percy Jackson reaches the section of the book series that begins substantially widening the mythology.

The Titan’s Curse introduces characters and relationships that matter all the way through the original saga, so Season 3 cannot simply function as another self-contained quest.

For fans of the books, that is good news. The television series has now survived long enough to start playing the long game.

Pixar Announces New Original Film Ghost Market

Pixar announced Ghost Market, an original film set around a small plate-lunch shop hidden on Oʻahu’s North Shore that serves spirits trapped between life and death. The story follows Kyle, a living child who accidentally discovers the supernatural marketplace. Trevor Jimenez and Jesse Andrews direct the film, which is scheduled for March 2028.

This may be the D23 announcement with the least built-in brand recognition—and that is exactly why it stands out.

Pixar needs sequels. The box office has made that reality pretty clear.

It also needs movies audiences have never heard of before.

A supernatural Hawaiian marketplace for lost spirits sounds like the kind of strange, culturally specific premise Pixar can turn into something emotionally universal when it is operating at its best.

That makes Ghost Market worth remembering among all the giant franchise logos.

What to Watch

D23 concludes Sunday with additional programming and the Disney Legends ceremony, while the major entertainment showcase announcements are now largely on the board.

The useful part of this year’s event is how much of Disney’s calendar we know.

Marvel has an October date for VisionQuest. Pixar has placed Incredibles 3, Coco 2 and Ghost Market on the theatrical roadmap. Disney Animation officially has another Zootopia moving forward, and Frozen 3 finally has an identifiable new threat.

For fans, that is better than another presentation filled with logos and distant promises.

D23 did not simply tell us what Disney owns.

It gave us a much clearer picture of what we are actually going to be watching over the next three years.