In a much anticipated move, D23, the Official Disney Fan Club has relaunched their website. It now includes more member-exclusive content, but the cost to become a member has been reduced to zero. Paid membership levels with additional benefits will remain. D23: The Official Disney… Read More »Official Disney Fan Club Opens Free Membership Level, Finally
I’ve stated before that I was unhappy with Disney for making their official fan club pay membership only. If you’re a fan, you’re a fan. You shouldn’t have to pay to get access to the information, events, and discounts that the company should want its… Read More »Official Disney Fan Club D23 to Offer New Free Membership, Finally
On June 23rd, the D23 Fanniversary Celebration finally made it to Orlando. After starting on April 27th and making its way across the country, its second to last stop was Disney’s Hollywood Studios. The event was a showcase of the various Disney anniversaries happening this… Read More »D23 Fanniversary Orlando Review
I don’t know about you, but if I lived in California, I would be jumping for those D23 tickets to go do a Carsland and Buena Vista Street walk-through before the official opening on, everyone together now, JUNE 15th! But, alas, I am in Florida, recapping the past ten years of DCA for you to enjoy before that lovely June day. Today, we will talk about the 2 now deceased (maybe not the best word choice…) parades that ran up and down the Performance Corridor for years. No, I’m not kidding, it was called the Performance Corridor instead of a Parade Route…oh DCA.
First up, we have the infamous “Eureka”. Named after the state motto, it was also the name of the deity that was represented on each of the floats, dressed as to reflect certain regions of California. She was in the sun logo, Hispanic California, an angel from “The City of Angels,” Beach-Loving Beauty, Chinese woman of Chinatown, and the Golden Goddess representing the Golden State. With each float came its respectable share of interesting costumes (A man dressed as the Hollywood Bowl, two men on stilts as the Golden Gate Bridge, etc.). In addition to the odd costume choices, the float performers were really cool, with the beach/surfing float containing a skateboarding half-pipe being used and the City of Angels section having drummers hanging off the side of float.
Though it did gain a small cult following among some Disney fans, it ultimately was not successful (Shocking!) at DCA. The problem? It had no Disney Characters. Not even Mickey. Though “Tapestry of Nations” at Epcot had no characters and was very popular, this parade had a very hectic and discombobulated feel to it that off put some, unlike “Tapestry”. It opened with the park in Feb. 2001, closed for the off-season, returned for the Summer of 2002, and never ran again.
After the park became such a folly for Disney and the crowd numbers weren’t what they were expecting, they needed something to pull the people in and fast. The solution? “Disney’s Electrical Parade”.
For anyone unfamiliar, Disney Geek is a weekly video series from D23. The YouTube program covers “this week in Disney news” and serves as a great recap for anyone who wasn’t glued to WDWMagic or Twitter all week. The host, Jeffrey Epstein, was energized, informative,… Read More »Fans React Poorly to New D23 “Disney Geek” Host
The 2013 D23 Expo dates have been set (August 9th through the 11th) and that means a new crop of Disney Legends. If you don’t know, the Disney Legend award is one of the highest honors you can receive from the Disney Company for your… Read More »Wishcasting the 2013 Disney Legends
Hello, and welcome to the D23 Expo, Day 2 (for more expo coverage read my D23 Expo Day 1 and Alison’s D23 Expo Day 3 recaps!) where things were taken up a big ol’ notch. I know, I couldn’t believe it either.
This is where you say, “How in the world did they top the first day? Nothing could be sweeter than Kermit the Frog and Rowlf the Dog singing a tribute to the late, great Jim Henson! Nothing could be better than Dick Van Dyke in concert!
Fair enough. However, where Day 1 was a tip of the hat to Disney legends, Day 2 was about the now and the immediate future. Hence John Lasseter introducing Billy Crystal to a standing ovation (Lasseter also received a standing ovation) while discussing the upcoming Pixar film Monsters University. Also, Jason Segel coming out with Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy to discuss the new Muppet Movie. And of course, the Avengers assembling. On stage. That’s right, with the exception of the Hulk and Captain America, the entire team came out to watch a trailer that they had never seen. Robert Downey, Jr. made us watch it twice. Basically, it was a parade of celebrities (including Jennifer Garner, Sarah Silverman, and Jon Cryer, to name but a few) and Disney awesomeness (including Rich Ross, Andrew Stanton, and Marvel’s Kevin Feige, to again name but a few). My inner geek setting was at 11.
Ed – Please welcome back Alison with her own report from D23 Expo.
I was fortunate enough to be able to attend the D23 event on Sunday with my family. There were some big highlights but also a huge disappointment.
The Carousel of Projects was a highlight for my family. It had a great model which showed the Disney World Fantasyland expansion project. I had been having difficulty visualizing the whole thing but the model really brought it to life.
Video of the model and much more from D23 Expo below the jump: