D23 Expo 2011

Oh, the D23 Expo. I’m surprised it hasn’t been reviewed yet. For those of you who are looking to sign up for 2013, I’m putting this out there. In full disclosure, I went Friday-​Sunday in 2011 but did not go to the 2009 event. Also, I went to the event with a Cast Member/​Professional Intern friend, and so he said that Disney lost a lot of money on this event, loved it for the promotional and marketing exposure, and is VERY aware of the queue management issues that upset so many people.
Overall: It was a very fun but expensive event. It is a good event for moderate to hardcore Disney fans, and the target is more about their media (live and animated movies, RadioDisney, Disney Channel, video games, etc.) and not so much for the Parks fan. So, this reaches the broadest Disney base but might not tickle the fancy of those who ought to go to Destination D events.
[ FRIDAY ]
: Queue Management :
OK, especially if you are a D23 member.
: Legends Ceremony: *favorite*
Completely made the experience for me. Lea Salonga, Jim Henson, Regis montage video, and Jodi Benson… Wow. Speechless. That is where I paid my three days of admission — right there.
: Voices of the Parks: *favorite*
One for the Parks & Resorts nerds, like me. Panel of 9 very talented people including the voices for Parks Announcements, it’s a small world, Autopia, Tower of Terror, Mark Twain Riverboat, Indiana Jones Adventure, Star Tours, and Fantasmic!
[ SATURDAY ]
: Queue Management :
A hot mess… I think Disney must have picked up that this was an issue, because they have StagePass (like a FastPass) for 2013.
: Inside the Walt Disney Studios :
And so I missed this. Whomp whomp. I missed out on Robert Downey, Jr., apparently acting very cavalier and look at me. I guess he’s not acting when he plays Iron Man. Oh well, he does a good job.
: 25 Years of Creativity at Pixar: *favorite*
SOOOOOOOO awesome. Lasseter and his top 9 creative talents came with him. One guy commented like the new version of Disney and his nine old men. So true! Lots of laughter, lots of tears. You can tell these guys love each other. Pete Sohn said it best, «I found my people!»
: Monsters University :
Cute sneak peak at how we went from grown up Mike and Sully to trying to preserve young Mike and Sully (as voices) but change up how they look when as teenagers.
[ SUNDAY ]
: Queue Management :
A hot mess, once again.
: Marvel :
Definitely was not for the Marvel fans because not a lot could be revealed here. This was more of a presentation of how Marvel could fit in the Disney universe and culture. Interesting for me because I enjoy the movies but never read the comic books.
: Making of Star Tours — The Adventure Continues :
I didn’t see this here but suspect it might have been the same thing presented at D55 with Tony Baxter, et al. At D55, this was a very fun thing to watch but because Star Tours (the original) is my favorite attraction. Conceptual art of characters. Not too, too much about the attraction video storyline itself.
[ ANY DAY ]
: Archives Exhibit :
Uh, some great stuff and some «really?» stuff. The original, physical Sleeping Beauty Storybook used in the movie. Memorabilia from Hocus Pocus, Lost (ABC TV), Zorro, Mickey Mouse Club (the original), and TRON Legacy. The lighting for photography was horrible, so I recommend bringing something better than a point-​and-​shoot for this. Also, the line was at least an hour long most of the times I stopped by.
: Sephora :
Was displaying some Disney Villains makeup. Never got my nails painted because of the line.
: ?Ken Paves? Hair Salon :
Those ladies happily curled your hair and put Tinkerbell clips in them, but they did not look happy to be there.
: Food :
Meh. Carnival food. Like Disneyland three years ago — unhealthy and not tasty.
: Disney Parks and Resorts Exhibit :
Displays of Shanghai Disney and the Fantasyland Expansion for WDW Magic Kingdom. The expansion looked cool — they had physical models of what it could look like. Shanghai Disney — not a lot could be said as they were in very early stages of planning it out. «We’ll have a lot of green space since Shanghai is so busy.» Lots of Imagineering interns were working this event. The swag in the store was only ok, but I was happy to get an Imagineering mug that I use to this day.
: Disney Store :
The unveiling of new product lines for Disney Home (candles, lotion, etc.), Mary Blair it’s a small world items (cool), and Disney Designer Princess (super cool). I found the couture approach to the princesses cool; normally I’m too cool for princesses, but this was thoughtful. I picked up some tea mugs…
: Fan Cosplay :
There were definitely some adults who appreciated being allowed to dress up like Disney characters for once. They did a huge photo (Saturday evening) of those dressed up. I can’t wait to see the Edna Mode contest in 2013.
And that’s the memorable.