Disney’s D23 Expo dazzles fans with pirate sword reveal and X-Men cast announcement

Disney’s biennial D23 convention in Anaheim featured a live unboxing of Johnny Depp’s pirate sword and announced the new X-Men movie cast.

Hundreds of Disney enthusiasts gathered at the Anaheim Convention Center for the latest D23 expo, where two Disney cast members lifted a box containing the actual sword wielded by Johnny Depp’s Captain Jack Sparrow, prompting audible “oohs” and “aahs.” The event also unveiled the lineup for a forthcoming X-Men movie—Inde Navarrette, Adam Driver, Christopher Abbott and Maya Boyd—plus a sneak peek at Pixar’s “Ghost Market” and performances of new tracks from Frozen 3 by Kristen Bell, Idina Menzel and Josh Gad.

Merchandise stalls required virtual queues starting at 6 a.m., and by mid-morning all slots across ten shops were filled. Additional attractions included a “Coco”-themed park experience, a scale model of Walt Disney’s miniature railroad, and a metal-rock Disney mashup by Mëtal Möuse. A Disney Entertainment Showcase at the nearby Honda Center featured further reveals, while the Disney Legends ceremony honored industry icons including Jerry Bruckheimer, Anne Hathaway, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Dwayne Johnson, the Jonas Brothers and former CEO Bob Iger. Among the announcements, the Carousel of Progress is set to reopen at Magic Kingdom in 2027 with new narration by Bryan Cranston and Jamie Lee Curtis.