D23 - The Official Disney Fan Club

This url is stewart.sdsu.edu/0mystuff/D23-UltimateDisneyFans/
Upd 30April2025. return to Kris' homepage

D23, "The Official Disney Fan Club, D23 offers fans an insider look at every corner of Disney, from the parks, animation, television, and film to the treasures of the legendary Walt Disney Archives"

I have been fortunate to attend several D23 Events at the Anaheim Convention Center. Wikipedia D23 (Disney) provides a nice overview back to 2009 when Bob Iger introduced D23 to at the company's annual meeting, and had booth at San Diego Comic-Con 2009.
My suggestions for successful D23 Expo event

D23 Expo The Ultimate Disney Fan Event, 09-11Aug2024, Anaheim

Kris' Highlights from 3 glorious days in Anaheim

The Legends ceremony was stunning, but best for me was announcement of Walt Disney - A Magical Life audio-animatronic of Uncle Walt on Main Street, sharing with Lincoln July 17, 2025 opens

My other big find was the panel on making A Goofy Movie

which we saw at its premiere at Walt Disney World 1995. Glen & I were celebrating our 30th anniversary by spending my 1 week Spring Break in Florida. One of my fav songs - Eye to Eye (I2I) by Powerline, Max and Goofy mp4. Also love these YouTubes - Tevin Campbell "does" Powerline, Trevor Campbell background, Stand Out, Max hijacks the end of school show. 20th Anniversary of A Goofy Movie at D23 Expo, nifty writeup from 2015
Not Just a Goof panel, my photo album from 2024.

Bill Farmer & his son sing live to D23 crowd "Nobody Else But You" (I LOVE THIS!)

D23 2022 09-11 Sept My Album Day2

I stayed at the Desert Palms Hotel, 800 W. Katella Ave. It's 90 degrees in Anaheim, too hot for me except at night or in Convention Center

my name is above my hard - kinda;

1st night

* * * COVID shuts down the world! * * *

D23 Expo Aug 23-25 2019 MyAlbum-Day1-Legends

I stayed at the Little Boy Blue Motel, 416 W Katella Ave 22Aug, then 2 nights at the Ramada Anaheim Convention Center, 2141 S. Harbor Blvd
I was able to reserve time with Anthony Gonzales on the showfloor, you may remember him as Disney Character voice in Coco from my album linked above

Marceline Glen & I had traveled thru Marceline MO, 02June2019 on our way to see puffins in Newfoundland, Canada. I spoke with this lady then at museum & knew she'd be at D23 this year.

D23 Expo July14-16 2017 my album

I stayed 3 nights at Abby's Anaheimer Inn, 1201 W Katella Ave.
Giveaways were the Event Schedule along with nearly 100 paged

Souvenir Guide. Amazing picture on the back, we had just returned from surfing adventure to Peru with Pratt family.

Showroom floor had an walkthrough of, promised for 2019, the new Disneyland addition from StarWars.

As always, the 2017 Disney Legends awards show was GREAT mp4 Bob Iger introduces Oprah Winfrey, then Stan Lee, ack to Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill, Whoopi Goldberg and so much more.
On the showroom floor, I met with

Jerrod Maruyama, whose art work of

Hipster Mickey reminds me of SDSU students.

D23 Expo 2015 Aug 14-16 2015

My first D23 Expo, I think I just drove up from Encinitas for the day but loved it so much, I vowed to attend all 3 days in 2019 and stay in Anaheim. Below is description of panel, pointing to new PBS American Experience 4 hr show on Walt Disney. He was always "Uncle Walt" to me, cause the family watched the show every Sunday.
The Man Who Made Believe panel

"Almost everyone above a certain age has heard the name Walt Disney. But who was he really? What drove him to such soaring artistic heights? And what about newer generations of people who don't know much about Walt Disney at all - other than his name?

This fall PBS will air American Experience: Walt Disney, a two-part, four-hour documentary on the life of Walt Disney featuring a new and objective look at one of the world's greatest-ever storytellers - one that will attempt to get to the core of this brilliant and complicated man. At The Making of American Experience: Walt Disney, a Stage 28 presentation held Saturday afternoon hosted by film producer Don Hahn and featuring Walt Disney producer and director, Sarah Colt, Walt Disney Archives Director Becky Cline, and Disney biographer Neal Gabler, audiences discovered the fascinating story of the making of this film about one of the world's most fascinating men.

Hahn, who appears in the documentary, began the discussion by noting its complete objectivity in approach. "It's a journalistic exercise, a third-person look at this man's life." Hahn adds that what makes the film so compelling is its reliance on eyewitnesses - men and women who worked directly with Walt. "We connected with [Disney Legend] Marty Sklar and other names you don't hear from so much, including some of the artists who worked on Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, who remember the long hours and the excitement of the project and the craziness of getting it all done on time,” Colt says about the film, which took two years to complete. "It was a long process and a really fun experience."
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