Disney made a lot of revelations at its latest D23 fan event – and no, not every movie presented was a sequel. There was a teaser for Pixar's first ghost story, Ghost Market, as well as the unveiling of Disney's Oswald, a new series combining 2D animation with live action, plus new details on Hexed character designs.
But perhaps the most interesting and original-looking new Disney movie in the works is Clay. Disney's 67th animated feature film looks and sounds very different from anything it's done before. But can it live up to that promise?
What is Disney's Clay?
Disney's Clay is an upcoming original animated movie slated for a 2028 release. It's being directed by Fawn Veerasunthorn, who was a storyboard artist on Frozen (2013), Moana (2016) and Zootopia and directed Wish with Chris Buck.
We're told the movie will follow a character called Flip. Played with Kieran Culkin, he gets chosen to be the mentor of a ball of clay called Mushy in an enchanted forest. But the reluctant Flip is a terrible mentor, leading to a chaotic and life-changing adventure.
Disney Animation Studios' chief creative officer Jared Bush said the idea was to reverse the long tradition of infallibly strong and wise mentor characters.
The early concept art showing the characters Flip and Clay have been well received, with some people seeing a resemblance to the Rayman video game franchise. But some are skeptical about how much of the vibe from the 2D concept art will make it into the final 3D animation.
I just saw this pic and holy moly you're right! pic.twitter.com/XNffnLDdSjAugust 15, 2026
can't wait for it to just be this again pic.twitter.com/AM9vllJZZYAugust 15, 2026
Jared has told The Wrap (below) that Clay will use CG animation but will be designed to look as close to real claymation as possible. He thinks it "will look very different than anything we’ve ever done.”
That should sound encouraging for all those people who are getting tired of Disney's 3D CG art style, but crucially, it's still going to be CG. Some suggest that's a missed opportunity to try something completely different – a collaboration with Aardman, anyone?
On the face of it, a baby ball of clay should be one character design that can't possibly lead to the usual accusations of Disney same-face syndrome. That said, some readers may remember Clay the yellow stop-motion mascot for the Playhouse Disney television block back in the early 2000s. I don't think it's supposed to be the same character, but here's is what that Clay looked like.
Disney's Clay is slated for release in November 2028. In the meantime, check out our guide to the Disney principles of animation.
