What you need to know about D23Expo—the ultimate Disney fan convention
For the next three days, Disney fans from all over the world will descend upon Anaheim, California. They’re not only there to make a stop at the Happiest Place On Earth (Disneyland) but also to attend the bi-annual giant, epic, amazing and magical Disney convention: D23. The D stands for Disney, and the 23 stands for the year Walt Disney opened up his first animation studio, 1923. The more you know!
Think of D23 as Comic-Con, but a strictly Disney Comic-Con. All the panels and booths at the Anaheim Convention center are themed around Disney, Disney things, and the Disney legacy. If you’re a Disney fan, prepare to feel some ultimate FOMO this weekend because here are just a few of the amazing things that are going to happen.
A Goofy Movie 20th Anniversary Reunion
I can’t be the only one who loves A Goofy Movie more than I really should. The film is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, so D23 has gathered up all the voice actors from the movie (including Bill Farmer, who has been the voice of Goofy for almost 30 years) and they’re going to share behind the scenes stories from the film. And in a perfect world, they’ll announce that Disney is making a live-action Goofy Movie (probably not, but a dream is a wish your heart makes).
A Toy Story 20th Anniversary Reunion
Another movie celebrating 20 years? Toy Story. While it doesn’t sound like the panel will include Tom Hanks or Tim Allen (but there could be surprises), it will include all the original filmmakers from Pixar’s first movie: John Lasseter, Pete Docter, Andrew Stanton, and Lee Unkrich. They’ve since gone on to make all our favorite Pixar movies — like Monsters Inc, Finding Nemo, and Up.
Not celebrating 20 years, but still very important: Aladdin
The big thing to take away from this panel is that Scott Weinger, the voice of Aladdin, is going to be there. AKA, STEVE FROM FULL HOUSE.
A Panel just about Pixar secrets
Oh, and if you still haven’t gotten your fill Pixar fix, there’s going to be a panel just for Pixar secrets, full of behind-the-scenes facts that you’re not going to find in any DVD extra.
Don’t forget the Frozen sing-a-long
Because, of course there’s a Frozen sing-a-long.
Everything about every Disney live-action movie
What are the Disney live-action movies? Oh, just little things like Star Wars: The Force Awakens and Captain America: Civil War. Yup, now that Disney owns both the Star Wars and Marvel universes, they’ve included presentations on both of these upcoming movies in their panels. A live-action Marvel panel was completely absent from Comic-Con this past year, because they were saving up all the GOOD STUFF for D23.
There won’t be a new Star Wars trailer, so you can go ahead and stop freaking out about that.
The magic behind the Muppets
You might have heard that there’s this new show coming to ABC this fall, and it’s all about the Muppets. Not only will the new show be discussed, but they’ll also be a Muppet demonstration that’ll show you how the Muppets come to life. Kermit and Piggy are on the list to attend, but they’ll probably sit at opposite ends of the panel (because, they just broke up).
John Lasseter
Lasseter could probably single-handedly run D23 all by himself, because he’s got a hand in just about everything. He is the chief creative officer for Pixar and Walt Disney Animation Studios, along with being the Principal Creative Adviser for Walt Disney Imagineering. Basically, this guy knows his Disney stuff, and he’s going to share it all with us over the next three days. He’s hosting the panel about upcoming animated releases, but there’s no doubt he’ll pop up elsewhere, too.
So. Much. Merchandise.
Just like how Comic-Con is set up, with space for panels and then a floor for booths, D23 is the same way. But the D23 floor is filled with all the Disney toys you could ever want, and THEN some.
And we’ll probably get some major intel about the theme parks
There’s going to be a panel dedicated to the Walt Disney Parks and Resorts. Will we finally learn if/when a Star Wars Land is happening? What about some Marvel love? An expansion to Disneyland? Shanghai Disneyland info? Avatar Land? Hopefully one, if not all of these things, is discussed.
(Image via Disney)
