Disney Reveals Full 2023 Destination D23 Schedule and How to Livestream

Disney has released the full schedule for its Destination D23 event taking place at Disney’s Contemporary Resort at Walt Disney World September 8-10, 2023, and how to livestream some of its programming.

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The Schedule

Disney has revealed the full schedule for Destination D23, the “Biggest Disney Fan Event of the year,” which will also be celebrating The Walt Disney Company’s 100th anniversary.

Here are the panels and programming scheduled for the weekend (all times are Eastern):

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Friday, September 8, 2023

• 7am – 8am: Guest Services / International Credential Pick-Up Open
• East Registration + Shopping Check-In Open
• 8am – 8pm: Gift Pick-Up Open at Sorcerer’s Apprentice 2 + Mickey’s of Glendale Shopping Open at Ballroom of the Americas, 2nd Floor + The Walt Disney Company Store at Grand Republic Ballroom D, 2nd Floor + Ink & Paint Marketplace at Grand Republic Ballroom B, 2nd Floor + Mickey’s of Glendale RSP Pick-Up at West Registration
• 9:30am – 8pm: The Plausible Impossible 60 Years of Disney Audio-Animatronics Technology at Sorcerer’s Apprentice 3

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Saturday, September 9, 2023

• 9am – 9:15am: Destination D23 Welcome
• 9:15am – 10:30am: A Celebration of Disney Parks, Experiences and Products: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow — Join Disney Parks, Experiences and Products Chairman Josh D’Amaro and special guests for an entertaining presentation looking to the future of Disney parks, featuring updates from around the world and some fun surprises along the way.
• 10:45am – 10:55am: D23 Updates with Michael Vargo
• 10:55am – 11:15am: The Early ’Ears – Ub, Oswald, and Mickey — Join Walt Disney Archives Director Becky Cline on a journey back to the roaring ’20s and the “Early ’Ears of Disney” during this retrospective conversation, featuring iconic characters like Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, Mickey Mouse, and the Legends behind them, like Ub Iwerks and Walt Disney.
• 11:15am – 12pm: 100 Years of Classic Characters: Unforgettable Stories — Actress and designer Ashley Eckstein catches up with fellow voice actors behind fan-favorite Disney characters, including Bret Iwan (Mickey Mouse), Kaitlyn Robrock (Minnie Mouse), and Disney Legend Bill Farmer (Pluto, Goofy), for a “table read” of iconic scenes spanning 100 years of Disney history.
• 2pm – 2:35pm: National Geographic Live: Secrets of the Whales — Dive deep into the groundbreaking science of whale families—and their startlingly human parallels—through the awe-inspiring work of celebrated National Geographic Explorer and photographer Brian Skerry.
• 2:35pm – 3:15pm: Disney Cruise Line: 25 Years of Innovative Design at Sea — Get an inside look into designing and building Disney Cruise Ships from the Disney Imagineers currently working on its newest fleet. Learn of the intricacies that go into designing unique spaces and the complexities of ship design.
• 3:30pm – 3:55pm: Marvel’s Avengers: Beyond Earth’s Mightiest – Celebrating 60 Years — Celebrate 60 years of Earth’s Mightiest Super Hero team, the Avengers! Since their debut in 1963’s The Avengers #1, this all-star roster of beloved characters has been uniting to fight the foes that no single hero could withstand. Now, join Marvel Comics Editor-in-Chief C.B. Cebulski to trace the comics history of the Avengers across six decades—and BEYOND! Surprising stories and tantalizing teases await in this can’t-miss panel about how the Avengers rose to become a pop culture phenomenon! Avengers, assemble!
• 3:55pm – 4:20pm: 100 Years of Innovation: Magic in Every Medium — At its core, The Walt Disney Company lives by its ability to “keep moving forward”, as curiosity leads us down new paths. Imagineers Daniel Joseph and Karin Hanson reconcile a century of innovations in which Disney stories have been brought to life through magic, connecting how they have been inspired by the innovations of yesterday, to the exciting ways they innovate through storytelling today.
• 4:20pm – 5pm: EPCOT: Always in a State of Becoming — A look into the design and ideas behind the transformation of EPCOT and its new neighborhoods, attractions, and experiences. Explore the legacy of the park and discover more about the collaboration between Walt Disney Imagineering and Walt Disney World Resort throughout this ambitious process. Highlights include details uncovered by the Marty Sklar Archives and the inspirations that have guided the evolution of Disney’s first park without a castle.

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Sunday, September 10, 2023

• 9am – 10:30am: Walt Disney Studios Showcase — A sneak peek at exciting upcoming projects from The Walt Disney Studios!
• 10:45am – 11:15am: 100 Years of Walt Disney Animation Studios — Becky Bresee and Wayne Unten, heads of animation on Walt Disney Animation Studios’ upcoming feature Wish, sit down with legendary animator Mark Hennto revisit some of their favorite filmmaking memories.
• 11:15am – 11:25am: Disney Global Ambassador Showdown — Join Disney Parks Ambassadors from every Disney destination around the world, as we learn more about each of their home resorts and engage them in a friendly competition to see whose resort is the “best of the best!”
• 11:25am – 12pm: Weird Disney: Centennial Edition — Get weird with Becky Cline, Director of the Walt Disney Archives, and experience 100 years of “Weird Disney” moments in the centennial edition of a Destination D23 fan favorite!
• 2pm – 2:45pm: The Road to 1923: Walt Goes West — Dial the clock back to the 1920s as Disney Legend Don Hahn and Walt Disney Archives Director Becky Cline provide new and fascinating insights into Walt Disney’s fabled journey that would lead him to join his brother Roy in California, where the two would establish the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio—the beginning of what is now The Walt Disney Company.
• 2:45pm – 3:15pm: Down the Rabbit Hole: The Disney You Didn’t Know — Join Disney archivists and authors Kevin M. Kern and Steven Vagnini for a journey down the rabbit hole as they uncover astonishing Disney discoveries, connections, and little-known facts that will change everything—well, at least some things—you thought you knew about the Disney universe!
• 3:15pm – 3:45pm: 100 Years of Creativity: A Playful Look at Disney Imagination — Join Imagineers Diego Parras and Jason Grandt for a decade-by-decade look at some of the more interesting and lighthearted moments of Disney creativity from the last 100 years.
• 3:45pm – 4pm: See Ya Real Soon: A FAN-Tastic Finale
• 7pm – 9pm: DISNEY+ HALLOWSTREAM COSTUME BASH — Enter the world of Hallowstream with Disney+, the streaming home of your favorite Halloween stories. With phantomized photo-ops, chilling treats, and spellbinding surprises, guests will find all their hearts’ desires in this lavish lair of scares.

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Attendees will also be able to visit the 60 Years of Disney’s Audio-Animatronics® Technology Exhibit during the weekend. The Walt Disney Archives and Walt Disney Imagineering are joining creative forces for a special exhibition at Destination D23 to celebrate the history of Audio-Animatronics technology. This exclusive exhibit will showcase the evolution of the art and its related technology through a diverse showcase of rare figural assets, photography, and vintage ephemera and documentation all in the name of celebrating key moments from Walt’s earliest inspirations and development to modern-day marvels.

Plus, attendees will be able to explore a completely transformed shopping experience, including Mickey’s of Glendale, fan-favorite brands at the Ink & Paint Marketplace, and—for the first time at Destination D23—The Walt Disney Company Store.

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Special Offers

Enjoy exclusive prix fixe menus at select Disney Springs restaurants only available to Destination D23 attendees between September 8-10, 2023. Reservations and walk-ins are welcome.

To receive access to these prix fixe menus, show your Destination D23 attendee event badge upon check-in at the restaurant. Click here for more details.

Badgeholders can also enjoy exclusive discounts at select Disney Springs restaurants and stores with your Destination D23 badge from September 8 through 10, 2023.

Also keep in mind several restaurant on property are also participating in Visit Orlando’s Magical Dining promotion through October 1, with special prix fixe menus to enjoy.

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How to Livestream

Destination D23 is currently sold out, but Disney is making all the magical announcements shared on Saturday, September 9, 2023, available to watch via livestream online.

To watch the livestream, go to D23’s YouTube or Facebook pages, or visit D23.com/DestinationD23.

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About Destination D23

Destination D23 is a special event for D23 Gold Members that includes exhibits, shopping, and panels that cover everything from the history of Disney to what’s to come in the near future.