D23 is the official Disney fan club. Every other year D23 hosts a huge Disney Expo. Plus D23 is continuously holding smaller events around the United States such as, Destination D, Tours of the Walt Disney Studios & Archives, D23 Sip & Scream and exclusive Mickey’s of Glendale Shopping events.
Tom has been regularly visiting the Walt Disney World® Resort from the time he was 4 months old. While he has made countless visits in the last 28 years, he did not become a truly active member in the Disney fan community until the summer of 2007, when he decided to launch the WDW News Today website and podcast. Tom has since become an Orlando-local and is a published author on Walt Disney World.
Contact Tom at tom@wdwnt.com.
Well, the first day of the D23 Expo is finally upon us. Not too much ground-breaking news has come out yet, but we do have some stuff for you. First up, the OC Register’s Around Disney blog reports from Bob Iger’s opening speech at the D23 Expo this morning:
Audience members squealed as soon as Zac Efron’s face popped on the screen. They clapped when “Princess and the Frog” movie footage started. And a few random enthusiasts screamed when “Radio Disney” was mentioned during a speech.
The fans were the reason for this convention: the D23 Expo, the first-time, four-day event put on by the Walt Disney Co. that began today.
“The excitement that keeps us going year after year comes from you — the fans,” said Bob Iger, the company’s president.
Iger gave the opening address today on the first day of the four-day expo in front of thousands of audience members at the Anaheim Convention Center. The opening presentation included a video showing the diversity of the company — from theme-park footage to scenes of “High School Musical,” starring Efron.
The opening 30 minutes of the upcoming movie, “Princess and the Frog,” –one third of the film — was shown for the first time to the public three months before it goes to the theaters.
After the preview, actress Anika Noni Rose, the voice of main character Princess Tiana, came out in a sparkly, off-white dress to perform a song from the movie. Iger said Rose had been suffering from bronchitis.
Anaheim Mayor Curt Pringle followed on stage, joking that he was the frog after the princess.
The presentation concluded when an audience member — Dan Learn of Murrieta — was awarded a night’s stay in the Dream Suite at Disneyland. During a followup press conference, Iger said: “I haven’t stayed there.”
Here are some photos and videos Disney released from inside the Expo today:
People were lining up as early as 4am to get into the Expo!
Tom has been regularly visiting the Walt Disney World® Resort from the time he was 4 months old. While he has made countless visits in the last 28 years, he did not become a truly active member in the Disney fan community until the summer of 2007, when he decided to launch the WDW News Today website and podcast. Tom has since become an Orlando-local and is a published author on Walt Disney World.
Contact Tom at tom@wdwnt.com.
UPDATED 9/10/09 – 11:07PM WITH NEW PICTURES AND VIDEOS FROM DAY 1 OF THE D23 EXPO
Well, the first day of the D23 Expo is finally upon us. Not too much ground-breaking news has come out yet, but we do have some stuff for you. First up, the OC Register’s Around Disney blog reports from Bob Iger’s opening speech at the D23 Expo this morning:
Audience members squealed as soon as Zac Efron’s face popped on the screen. They clapped when “Princess and the Frog” movie footage started. And a few random enthusiasts screamed when “Radio Disney” was mentioned during a speech.
The fans were the reason for this convention: the D23 Expo, the first-time, four-day event put on by the Walt Disney Co. that began today.
“The excitement that keeps us going year after year comes from you — the fans,” said Bob Iger, the company’s president.
Iger gave the opening address today on the first day of the four-day expo in front of thousands of audience members at the Anaheim Convention Center. The opening presentation included a video showing the diversity of the company — from theme-park footage to scenes of “High School Musical,” starring Efron.
The opening 30 minutes of the upcoming movie, “Princess and the Frog,” –one third of the film — was shown for the first time to the public three months before it goes to the theaters.
After the preview, actress Anika Noni Rose, the voice of main character Princess Tiana, came out in a sparkly, off-white dress to perform a song from the movie. Iger said Rose had been suffering from bronchitis.
Anaheim Mayor Curt Pringle followed on stage, joking that he was the frog after the princess.
The presentation concluded when an audience member — Dan Learn of Murrieta — was awarded a night’s stay in the Dream Suite at Disneyland. During a followup press conference, Iger said: “I haven’t stayed there.”
Other news coming in from the Expo also reveals that Captain EO will not be coming back to Disneyland, at least not at the moment. According to LA Times Travel Blog:
Disneyland has “no definite plans to bring back” the Michael Jackson 3-D movie “Captain EO,” Disney Chief Executive Bob Iger said today during an impromptu news conference at D23 Expo in Anaheim.
Iger and other Disney brass watched a screening of the 1980s-era sci-fi fantasy film this week and determined that the old music video needed to be further evaluated before it could be brought back into the Anaheim theme park.
Back in 1986, everybody wanted a piece of the hottest pop star in the world. So it was with much fanfare that Disneyland introduced “Captain EO,” starring Jackson.
It was an association the family-friendly amusement park would eventually come to regret as the bizarre pop star became increasingly embroiled in controversy.
The 17-minute “Captain EO” cost an estimated $30 million and featured a star-studded list of credits, including executive producer George Lucas, director Francis Ford Coppola and Anjelica Huston as the evil Supreme Leader.
The 3-D movie — featuring lasers, smoke and stars that extended into the audience — told the story of Captain EO’s mission to deliver a musical gift to a wicked alien queen on a dystopian planet. EO’s rag-tag crew included his sidekick Fuzzbucket, security officer Major Domo and blundering shipmate Hooter.
“EO” used music — specifically the original song “We Are Here to Change the World” — to defeat the queen and her whip-wielding henchmen.
“Captain EO” opened in Disneyland’s Magic Eye Theater in 1986 and ran for more than a decade, quietly closing in 1997.
Identical versions of the film eventually opened at Epcot in Florida, Tokyo Disneyland and Disneyland Paris. All closed by 1998.
Michael Jackson died in June.
@DisneylandNews on Twitter reports that Bob Iger stated “execs are ‘looking at’ bringing back Captain EO to Disneyland” and “We want to make sure we do it right if we do bring it back.”
Here are some photos and videos Disney released from inside the Expo today:
People were lining up as early as 4am to get into the Expo!
Tom has been regularly visiting the Walt Disney World® Resort from the time he was 4 months old. While he has made countless visits in the last 28 years, he did not become a truly active member in the Disney fan community until the summer of 2007, when he decided to launch the WDW News Today website and podcast. Tom has since become an Orlando-local and is a published author on Walt Disney World.
Contact Tom at tom@wdwnt.com.
With the D23 Expo just one day away, plenty of photos and announcements are starting to come out, so I thought I’d group together some stuff released/announced today. First up, D23 has announced their fall member events: D23: The Official Community for Disney Fans today announced its lineup of fall 2009 special events. In November, … Read more
It has been announced when tickets will go on sale for the two D23 member events being held in California this summer. The first event, A Day at the Walt Disney Studios and Archives, which will be held on Saturday, June 27th and Saturday, August 15th at the Walt Disney Studios in Burbank, California, with … Read more
Tom has been regularly visiting the Walt Disney World® Resort from the time he was 4 months old. While he has made countless visits in the last 28 years, he did not become a truly active member in the Disney fan community until the summer of 2007, when he decided to launch the WDW News Today website and podcast. Tom has since become an Orlando-local and is a published author on Walt Disney World.
Contact Tom at tom@wdwnt.com.
D23 EXPO, THE ULTIMATE DISNEY FAN EXPERIENCE, COMES TO THE ANAHEIM CONVENTION CENTER SEPT. 10-13 Four Extraordinary Days of Live Events, Interactive Pavilions and One-of-a-Kind Entertainment Celebrate the Past, Present and Future of Disney ANAHEIM and BURBANK, Calif. – June 3, 2009 – Disney fans will be given unprecedented access to never-before-seen movies, TV shows, … Read more
Tom has been regularly visiting the Walt Disney World® Resort from the time he was 4 months old. While he has made countless visits in the last 28 years, he did not become a truly active member in the Disney fan community until the summer of 2007, when he decided to launch the WDW News Today website and podcast. Tom has since become an Orlando-local and is a published author on Walt Disney World.
Contact Tom at tom@wdwnt.com.
D23 EXPO, THE ULTIMATE DISNEY FAN EXPERIENCE, COMES TO THE ANAHEIM CONVENTION CENTER SEPT. 10-13 Four Extraordinary Days of Live Events, Interactive Pavilions and One-of-a-Kind Entertainment Celebrate the Past, Present and Future of Disney ANAHEIM and BURBANK, Calif. – June 3, 2009 – Disney fans will be given unprecedented access to never-before-seen movies, TV shows, … Read more
Tom has been regularly visiting the Walt Disney World® Resort from the time he was 4 months old. While he has made countless visits in the last 28 years, he did not become a truly active member in the Disney fan community until the summer of 2007, when he decided to launch the WDW News Today website and podcast. Tom has since become an Orlando-local and is a published author on Walt Disney World.
Contact Tom at tom@wdwnt.com.
From the D23 Twilight Bark: Luxo Jr., Pixar Animation Studios’ hopping desk lamp mascot, will soon take up residence in the Pixar Place section of Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Check back for more details about our latest Audio-Animatronics® figure! Hard to believe we reported this in the fall of 2008 and it’s just getting ready to … Read more
Tom has been regularly visiting the Walt Disney World® Resort from the time he was 4 months old. While he has made countless visits in the last 28 years, he did not become a truly active member in the Disney fan community until the summer of 2007, when he decided to launch the WDW News Today website and podcast. Tom has since become an Orlando-local and is a published author on Walt Disney World.
Contact Tom at tom@wdwnt.com.
Whether you’re in Orlando, Anaheim, Burbank, Las Vegas, New York, or Chicago, D23 members have some very special events coming their way this summer. Here is a press release about the events, as well as an upcoming D23 contest: DISNEY’S D23 FAN COMMUNITY ANNOUNCES SUMMER 2009 SPECIAL EVENTS CALENDAR Unique Experiences Created Exclusively for Charter … Read more
Tom has been regularly visiting the Walt Disney World® Resort from the time he was 4 months old. While he has made countless visits in the last 28 years, he did not become a truly active member in the Disney fan community until the summer of 2007, when he decided to launch the WDW News Today website and podcast. Tom has since become an Orlando-local and is a published author on Walt Disney World.
Contact Tom at tom@wdwnt.com.
D23 members visiting Walt Disney World at the end of the month will be happy to hear about a FREE special event at Epcot that’s just for them: 05.14.09 – Join D23 at Epcot at the Walt Disney World Resort to celebrate its Members in all 50 states and more than 25 countries worldwide! Start … Read more
Whether you’re in Orlando, Anaheim, Burbank, Las Vegas, New York, or Chicago, D23 members have some very special events coming their way this summer. Here is a press release about the events, as well as an upcoming D23 contest: DISNEY’S D23 FAN COMMUNITY ANNOUNCES SUMMER 2009 SPECIAL EVENTS CALENDAR Unique Experiences Created Exclusively for Charter … Read more
Tom has been regularly visiting the Walt Disney World® Resort from the time he was 4 months old. While he has made countless visits in the last 28 years, he did not become a truly active member in the Disney fan community until the summer of 2007, when he decided to launch the WDW News Today website and podcast. Tom has since become an Orlando-local and is a published author on Walt Disney World.
Contact Tom at tom@wdwnt.com.
Tom has been regularly visiting the Walt Disney World® Resort from the time he was 4 months old. While he has made countless visits in the last 28 years, he did not become a truly active member in the Disney fan community until the summer of 2007, when he decided to launch the WDW News Today website and podcast. Tom has since become an Orlando-local and is a published author on Walt Disney World.
Contact Tom at tom@wdwnt.com.
D23 has a great article looking at back at the first 20 year’s of Disney’s Hollywood Studios in honor of the park’s anniversary tomorrow: Just hours before Michael D. Eisner, then chairman and chief executive officer of The Walt Disney Company, officially dedicated the Walt Disney World Resort’s third gated attraction, some 40 “A-List” celebrities … Read more
Tom has been regularly visiting the Walt Disney World® Resort from the time he was 4 months old. While he has made countless visits in the last 28 years, he did not become a truly active member in the Disney fan community until the summer of 2007, when he decided to launch the WDW News Today website and podcast. Tom has since become an Orlando-local and is a published author on Walt Disney World.
Contact Tom at tom@wdwnt.com.
Today, a lot of D23 members received their Summer 2009 edition of the Disney Twenty-Three magazine. The magazine, just like the first one, looks simply amazing this time featuring Donald Duck as he celebrates his 75th anniversary of Mischief, Mayhem, & Mirth! This edition of the D23 magazine includes a tour of the new Tokyo Disneyland attraction, Monster’s Inc Ride & Go Seek!, beautiful art from Disneyland’s Disney Gallery, a Q&A with the director for the all new movie Rapunzel, a documentary with the famous Sherman Brothers, an in-depth look at the future of Disney’s California Adventure Park, 75 of Donald Duck, and lots more!
According to D23: We are thrilled to announce that D23 members can receive a discount on three very special nights at the 2009 Newport Beach Film Festival, including a screening of the boys: the sherman brothers’ story, a night of Disney animation rarities and an evening of music with Oscar®-nominated composer Marc Shaiman. Even better, … Read more
D23 members can be the first to see the new Disney·Pixar movie “Up” at a special screening at the El Capitan Theatre on Thursday May 28th, 2009 at 12:01am, a day before the domestic release of the movie. I’m sure our very own Myrna Litt will be attending this showing, so stay tuned for coverage.
Tom has been regularly visiting the Walt Disney World® Resort from the time he was 4 months old. While he has made countless visits in the last 28 years, he did not become a truly active member in the Disney fan community until the summer of 2007, when he decided to launch the WDW News Today website and podcast. Tom has since become an Orlando-local and is a published author on Walt Disney World.
Contact Tom at tom@wdwnt.com.
Disney has made all available details public (including photos and a video) concerning D23: the Official Disney Fan Community: Oakland and Burbank, CALIF. – March 10, 2009 – Disney today announced the launch of D23 (www.Disney.com/D23), the first official community for Disney fans in the Company’s 85-year history. Through D23, fans will go backstage and … Read more
