Disney used its D23 2026 Entertainment Showcase to look well beyond its next animated release, revealing new voice casting, an original feature and the early development of another Zootopia sequel.
The animation portion of the showcase was led by Walt Disney Animation Studios Chief Creative Officer Jared Bush alongside Ginnifer Goodwin and Ke Huy Quan, the voices of Judy Hopps and Gary De’Snake. While the confirmation of Zootopia 3 generated one of the biggest reactions, some of the most substantial voiceover news came from Disney’s newer animated worlds.
Kieran Culkin has been announced as the lead of the newly revealed Clay, while Walton Goggins and Jodie Foster have joined the cast of Hexed. Together, the announcements offered a look at both sides of Disney Animation’s upcoming slate: continuing a familiar franchise while assembling entirely new vocal ensembles.
Zootopia 3 Officially Enters Development
The world of Zootopia will continue again, with Disney confirming during D23 that Zootopia 3 is officially in early development.
Goodwin and Quan joined Bush for the announcement, and attendees were shown a custom animated sequence created for the event. Disney has not announced a release date or revealed a complete voice cast for the third movie, leaving many details about the project under wraps.
The announcement nevertheless confirms that Disney intends to continue developing the animated world beyond Zootopia 2. The second film considerably expanded the franchise’s collection of characters and voices, with Quan joining as Gary De’Snake alongside returning performers from the original movie.
The sequel’s larger ensemble also brought in performers including Andy Samberg, Macaulay Culkin, Brenda Song, David Strathairn, Fortune Feimster and Quinta Brunson. That expansion gives a potential third film a much larger collection of established characters to draw from, although Disney has not confirmed which of them will return.
For now, Goodwin’s Judy Hopps remains the most recognizable vocal anchor for the franchise, but the addition of Gary and other characters has steadily broadened the sound of the Zootopia universe. Which voices will carry forward into the third movie will likely become a major part of the casting story as development progresses.
Kieran Culkin Will Lead Disney’s New Animated Film Clay
While Zootopia 3 extends an established property, Disney also used D23 to introduce an entirely new animated world.
The studio revealed Clay, a working title for an original Walt Disney Animation Studios feature scheduled to arrive in theaters in 2028. Kieran Culkin will voice the film’s lead character, Flip.
Disney describes Flip as a rebellious misfit living in a magical forest filled with fantastical creatures. His life changes during an annual ritual when he is unexpectedly selected to mentor Mushy, a young ball of clay. The unlikely pairing sends them on what the studio describes as a chaotic and life-changing adventure.
The film is being directed by Fawn Veerasunthorn and produced by Peter Del Vecho, with Disney presenting concept art from the project during the D23 showcase.
Culkin’s casting gives Clay its first major vocal identity well ahead of release. The actor has increasingly moved between live-action and animation, but leading a new Walt Disney Animation Studios feature puts him at the center of a property being built without the familiarity of an existing franchise.
That makes the eventual casting around him particularly interesting. Disney has not yet announced who will voice Mushy or revealed the rest of the ensemble, so Culkin currently stands as the first performer audiences can associate with the new world.
With a 2028 release planned, there is considerable time for that cast to expand. For now, the D23 announcement establishes Flip as the character through whom audiences will first enter the film’s magical setting.
Walton Goggins and Jodie Foster Join Hexed
Disney also delivered more immediate casting news for Hexed, which is much closer to reaching theaters.
Hailee Steinfeld and Rashida Jones were already attached to the film as Billie Doe and her mother Alice. At D23, Disney expanded that central voice cast with Walton Goggins and Jodie Foster.
Goggins will voice Beef Roger Crummchuk, a reclusive three-eyed magical cat who develops an uneasy alliance with Billie and Alice. D23 attendees were given an early look at the character through footage shown during the presentation.
Foster joins the film as Queen Celeste, a villainous ruler determined to preserve her control over the magical realm of Hexe. The role adds another major performer to a cast that now brings together four very different vocal personalities.
The confirmed principal cast currently includes:
- Hailee Steinfeld as Billie Doe
- Rashida Jones as Alice
- Walton Goggins as Beef Roger Crummchuk
- Jodie Foster as Queen Celeste
The film follows Billie, a teenage girl whose strange abilities lead her and her mother into a hidden magical world. With the November 25, 2026 release approaching, the Goggins and Foster announcements provide a clearer picture of the characters who will surround Steinfeld’s lead performance.
Goggins is an especially interesting addition from a voice-performance perspective because Beef appears designed as a highly character-driven role rather than simply an animated extension of the actor’s screen persona. Foster, meanwhile, brings a distinctive vocal presence to the film’s primary antagonist.
Their additions mean Hexed now has a substantial ensemble in place just months before audiences hear the completed performances.
Disney Builds New Voice Ensembles Alongside Familiar Franchises
Taken together, the three D23 announcements reveal different stages in the life of an animated voice cast.
Zootopia 3 begins with an established world and years of recognizable performances behind it. Disney can potentially draw from characters introduced across two previous films while continuing relationships between voices audiences already associate with the franchise.
Clay begins at almost the opposite end of the process. Culkin’s Flip is currently the first major voice attached to a new animated world, with much of its cast and vocal identity still waiting to be revealed.
Hexed occupies the space between them. Its world is new, but with release only months away, Steinfeld, Jones, Goggins and Foster are already establishing the ensemble audiences will soon associate with its characters.
That balance made the animation portion of D23 particularly relevant for voiceover. The biggest headline may have been the confirmation of another Zootopia, but Disney was simultaneously introducing performers who could become associated with completely new animated characters.
Audiences will hear the first of those new ensembles soon when Hexed arrives on November 25. Clay is scheduled to follow in 2028, while Zootopia 3 remains in early development without an announced release date.
For Disney Animation, D23 2026 was therefore as much about establishing new voices as returning to familiar worlds.