Disney Upfront, Savannah Bananas, and Billie Jean King go all out

Disney’s annual upfront presentation to advertisers Tuesday in New York began with high-energy antics (and songs) from viral sensation Savannah Bananas.

Shortly thereafter, it was revealed that the team’s Banana Bowl would be livestreamed on Disney+ in October as part of a larger partnership with Disney. That includes standout player Jackson Olson joining “Dancing with the Stars.”

Next, newly appointed CEO Josh D’Amaro took the stage after being introduced by Anne Hathaway from “The Devil Wears Prada 2.”

“The problem is, you can’t have 100 years of trust,” D’Amaro said. “You can’t put generations of belonging on a balance sheet. Disney is a part of people’s lives in a way that few brands have ever been. And in a world of endless choice and constant distraction, that presence is rare and increasingly rare.”

Rita Ferro, Disney’s president of global advertising, then took to the stage to tout the company’s advertising capabilities, including “more intelligent and automated systems.”

Sports were played on the next deck. To celebrate what ESPN is calling the “Year of the Super Bowl,” Jason Kelce and Laura Rutledge unveiled a lineup of former Super Bowl MVPs in honor of the cable network’s 2027 simulcast of the annual NFL Championship on ABC. On stage were Troy Aikman, Peyton Manning, Eli Manning, Emmitt Smith, Jerry Rice, Hines Ward, and more.

Tennis legend Billie Jean King then appeared on stage, receiving thunderous applause from the audience. King’s life and career will be explored in a new installment of ESPN’s “30 for 30” series. She began tossing several signed tennis balls into the crowd.

“Dancing with the Stars” hosts Alfonso Ribeiro and Julianne Hough brought along more than 30 professional dancers, including Mark Ballas, Alan Bersten, Witney Carson, Val Chmerkovskiy, Sasha Farber, Jenna Johnson and more. Series champion Robert Irwin emerged from the crowd to join in the dancing, while also promoting his upcoming series, Dancing with the Stars: The Next Pro.

Ahsoka star Rosario Dawson and her own droid have promised fans an even bigger and better season two of the series, which is set to debut in “early 2027,” according to Dawson. That’s almost a four-year gap between season 2 and the release of season 1 in August 2023.

Marvel stars Robert Downey Jr., Tom Hiddleston, and Paul Bettany followed suit, sharing a first look at the upcoming Disney+ Marvel series Vision Quest and the news that the show will premiere in October 2026.

Then FX took their usual big swing on one of their shows. This year, a spooky performance celebrating the FX series “American Horror Story” featured people in latex suits, scary clowns, and a group of druids.

Cast members Sarah Paulson, Evan Peters, Angela Bassett, Gabourey Sidibe, Billie Lourd and Emma Roberts took to the stage to announce that “Love Story” star Paul Anthony Kelly will be joining the show’s 13th season. Next, Ryan Murphy’s new series “The Shards” was premiered.

Lindsay Lohan, Kit Harington and Shailene Woodley also debuted the Hulu miniseries “Count My Lies,” followed by the limited series “Cry Wolf,” starring Olivia Colman and Brie Larson, and Ewan McGregor and Claire Danes previewed the new series “The Spot.”

To close out the show, Jimmy Kimmel and his 11-year-old daughter Jane had none other than Olivia Rodrigo sing their new song “Drop Dead,” followed by their 2021 hits “Good 4 You” and 2023’s “Get Him Back!” In a particularly heartwarming moment, Jane was able to share the stage with Rodrigo as part of the closing number.

After the show, Disney released behind-the-scenes photos of the senior executives responsible for all the shows and initiatives promoted on stage.