The group has just filed a lawsuit against Governor Ron DeSantis, whom he accuses of carrying out "political revenge" by removing the special status of Disney World in Florida and appointing a new committee to control the future of the amusement park.

The company also began a new wave of layoffs this week, as part of a plan announced in February that will allow it to cut 7,000 jobs.

But faced with the gratin of theater owners gathered in Las Vegas, the group focused on its catalog of cinema releases. Starring a new episode of "Indiana Jones," of which Disney has revealed a clip of a breathless chase through the alleys of Tangier, Morocco.

Playing the adventurer for more than forty years "meant a lot to me," explained in a video message Harrison Ford, who finds his hat and whip in this fifth part entitled "The Dial of Destiny".

"These films are full of adventures, of heart," continued the actor, who will present the new version of "Indy" at the Cannes Film Festival in May before a summer release on the big screen.

In this new opus, actress Phoebe Waller-Bridge plays Indiana Jones' goddaughter, who does not hesitate to jostle the archaeologist by calling him an "aging tomb thief".

Artificial intelligence

Disney also unveiled new clips from its "The Little Mermaid" remake, for which it chose live-action rather than cartoon.

It shows sea witch Ursula, played by Melissa McCarthy, manipulating heroine Ariel -- African-American actress Halle Bailey -- into agreeing to take human form for three days as part of a diabolical deal.

"She's attractive, she's a dishonest girl. Maybe that's why I identify with her," said McCarthy, the only actress on stage for the entire Disney presentation.

In addition to these two blockbusters, the group discussed a new sci-fi movie in which humans fight against artificial intelligence in a post-apocalyptic future.

Renamed "The Creator", this feature film to be released in September benefits from a "very opportune timing" according to Disney, at a time when the capabilities of software like ChatGPT and Midjourney generate a wide public debate around artificial intelligence.

The group also introduced "Elementary," a new Pixar cartoon, a new adventure by Detective Hercule Poirot called "A Haunting in Venice," and "The Haunted Mansion," a fantasy movie starring Owen Wilson.

On the side of its Marvel superheroes, the group is to release the third installment of "Guardians of the Galaxy" in May and "The Marvels" in November.

Finally, the same month, "Wish" will mark Disney's 100th anniversary with "an original animated musical adventure inspired by the classics."

The film stars Ariana DeBose as a young woman who lives in a magical kingdom "right next to the Iberian Peninsula", where "wishes really come true".

CinemaCon runs through Thursday in Las Vegas.

© 2023 AFP