D23 Expo sounds like fun

To be honest, I’m not a big fan of D23. I think a fan club is the sort of stuff Disney should be doing for free. To tie some sort of merchandising to a Disney club cheapens the experience. That said everyone I spoke with who attended last year’s D23, reported what a great event it was an this year’s is shaping up similarly. If you want to attend you’ll likely get to see all sorts of fun stuff like newly released concept art, theme park models, TV pilots, and more all before anyone else does.

One of the interesting aspects of the D23 Expo is how it’s almost a mini Comic-Con. In fact, it replaces much of Disney’s outreach at the Comic-Con (except for the obvious Marvel and some ABC tie-ins this year). Plus a lot of the Disney online fan community will be there either hosting Podcasts or selling books they’ve written. So it’s a good chance to meet and greet the people you’ve only known online.

Tickets to the August 19-21st D23 Expo in Anaheim, CA are available at http://www.D23Expo.com. Admission includes access to all experiences and entertainment at the D23 Expo, including the Disney Legends Ceremony, and can be purchased for single days or for the full three days of festivities. Admission is $47 for a one-day adult ticket and $37 for children 3-12. Three-day passes are $136 for adults and $106 for children.

If you are going, what are you looking forward to seeing the most? What rumor do you hope is confirmed?

The full press release is below the jump:

Fans attending Disney’s D23 Expo August 19-21 at the Anaheim Convention Center will have the chance to experience “a great big beautiful tomorrow” as they immerse themselves in the future of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, which is currently in the biggest period of global expansion in its history.

Drawing inspiration from a classic attraction that debuted at the 1964 New York World’s Fair and has made stops at Disneyland in California and Magic Kingdom in Florida, Walt Disney Parks and Resorts invites attendees to hop aboard the “Carousel of Projects” for a sneak peek at concepts, designs, models, storytelling tools, and technologies currently being developed at Walt Disney Imagineering for Disney parks around the world.

Throughout the weekend, exclusively at the D23 Expo, fans will get a look at the latest details for Walt Disney Parks and Resorts’ 11 parks and five resorts around the world, as well as Aulani, a Disney Resort and Spa in Hawaii, Disney Cruise Line, Adventures by Disney and Disney Vacation Club, including:

• Actual figures, props and ride vehicles for Radiators Springs Racers, as well as a behind-the-scenes look at the building of Cars Land, the newest land at Disney California Adventure which opens next year.
• The opportunity to meet a classic Disney icon in an entirely new way.
• Concepts, models and plans for Fantasyland, one of the most ambitious expansions in the 40-year history of Magic Kingdom at the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida.
• What’s new at Disney Cruise Line, Adventures by Disney and Disney Vacation Club.

In addition to the pavilion, D23 Expo attendees will also have the chance to attend numerous presentations and panel discussions. On Friday, August 19, Walt Disney Parks and Resorts Chairman Tom Staggs will give guests in the 4,000-seat main arena an in-depth, behind-the-scenes look at some of the biggest projects currently underway at Disney parks, featuring a few surprises along the way.

Imagineers and cast members who create and operate Disney’s parks, resorts, cruise ships, and other vacation experiences will take fans behind-the-magic with nine exciting presentations including:

• Radiator Springs Reality: Imagineering Cars Land for Disney California Adventure – Join Disney-Pixar’s John Lasseter and a panel of Imagineers and Pixar creative talent as they share the twists and turns through the real-life development of Radiator Springs.
• The Making of Star Tours – The Adventures Continue – Imagineer Tom Fitzgerald will share the inside scoop on how Walt Disney Imagineering and George Lucas’ Industrial Light &Magic began laying the groundwork for a new version of Star Tours.
• A Good Look at Buena Vista Street –Imagineers Lisa Girolami, Ray Spencer, and Coulter Winn provide a preview of the new entrance to Disney California Adventure, an idealized depiction of the Los Angeles Walt Disney lived and worked in throughout the 1920s and 1930s.
• Imagineering the Dream and the Fantasy – Imagineers Joe Lanzisero and Bob Zalk talk about charting the design course of the two newest Disney cruise ships.
• Legends of Walt Disney Imagineering – Disney Legend Marty Sklar will lead a celebration of the careers and accomplishments of Walt Disney Imagineering, including Alice Davis, Orlando Ferrante, Bob Gurr, and Don Iwerks. With special guest and current Imagineer Kim Irvine, daughter of Disney Legend Leota Toombs.

In addition, and for the first time, the Parks and Resorts pavilion will also feature Mickey’s of Glendale, an outlet of Walt Disney Imagineering’s employee-only store, where—for just three days– guests can shop for “Carousel of Projects” souvenirs and collectibles and Walt Disney Imagineering merchandise not available anywhere else.

Tickets to the D23 Expo are available at http://www.D23Expo.com. Admission includes access to all experiences and entertainment at the D23 Expo, including the Disney Legends Ceremony, and can be purchased for single days or for the full three days of festivities. Admission is $47 for a one-day adult ticket and $37 for children 3-12. Three-day passes are $136 for adults and $106 for children. Members of D23: The Official Disney Fan Club will receive a discount for up to four admissions, as well as early entry to each day of the D23 Expo for themselves and their guests.