D23 (Disney)

• 1. Introduction

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  In 2022, The New York Times passed judgment on D23, the official fan club of the Walt Disney Company. It called the club's flagship event "both awe-inspiring and terrifying to witness." The event, it wrote, "showcases how deeply the company's products, mythmaking and characters" are "woven into the cultural fabric."

  The name D23 hides a date. The D stands for Disney, and the 23 stands for 1923, the year Walt Disney founded the company.

  A fan costume contest called the Mousequerade belongs to the same event that drew that weighty verdict. So what does belonging to this club actually involve? How did its big gathering swell into a crowd that newspapers felt obliged to count? And what happens when a fan event outgrows the California city where it began?

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• 2. Free and Gold

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  On the 10th of March 2009, Bob Iger introduced D23 during the company's annual meeting. The club arrived with two levels of membership, free and gold.

  Membership brings yearly gifts, events and exclusive merchandise offers. It also brings a discount and early access for the biennial fan event. Gold members had one more perk. From the club's start until winter 2025, they received a quarterly magazine titled Disney twenty-three.

  A third level, silver, once existed as well. Adam Sanderson indicated at a Destination D weekend in November 2014 that silver was being discontinued. Sanderson had taken over as Senior Vice President, Corporate Communications in January 2014, with oversight of the Disney Archives. His predecessor in the club's leadership, Steven Clark, had stepped down as head of D23 in late September 2013.

  The club also reached audiences far from any convention hall. In October 2018, Disney Cruise Line began showing Disney at Sea with D23, starting aboard the ship Disney Wonder. The show runs 30 minutes. It reports on the many Disney subsidiaries, with input from D23.

  The club had already taken a first public step months after its launch, with a booth at San Diego Comic-Con in 2009. Its own convention was only a few months away.

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• 3. The First Expo

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  The first D23 Expo ran at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, California, from the 10th to the 13th of September 2009. Visitors walked through themed pavilions. Walt Disney Imagineering showed models and tests for future attractions. Disney Consumer Products displayed the many products the company planned to sell in the coming years.

  A Corporate Responsibility pavilion offered a photo opportunity, along with projects for overseas troops and homeless shelters. Costumes and props from the Walt Disney Archives filled another space. A Disney Dream Store sold merchandise. At the Collectors Forum, people from around the country showed and sold memorabilia.

  Presentations took place in the D23 Arena, Stage 23, Storytellers Theatre and Walt Disney Studios Theatre. The announcements came quickly. Fans heard about an expansion of Fantasyland at the Magic Kingdom, and a major overhaul of Star Tours for Disneyland and Disney's Hollywood Studios. They learned of a film based on the Beatles' Yellow Submarine, and a new Muppet film.

  One reveal belonged to Pirates of the Caribbean. The fourth film in the series was named On Stranger Tides, with a release date of Summer 2011. Clips and previews covered Prep & Landing, Tangled and Beauty and the Beast in 3-D. A set of viral Muppet videos was shown, and so was a film series with Guillermo del Toro.

  The guest list ran long. Johnny Depp appeared in costume as Captain Jack Sparrow. Tim Burton, Betty White and Robin Williams came as well. Miley Cyrus and The Muppets gave live performances.

  The organizers had a second expo to plan for 2011, and they would add a contest that sent thousands of fans through trivia questions.

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• 4. Trivia and Legends

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  The first round of the Ultimate Disney Fan Trivia Tournament was held on the 18th of August 2011, one day before the second D23 Expo opened. The expo itself ran from the 19th to the 21st of August at the Anaheim Convention Center.

  Thousands of contestants were cut down to one hundred, and then to 20. Dan Roebuck, who had guest starred in Lost and Wizards of Waverly Place, hosted the final round. He trimmed the field from 20 people to 3. After two full days of questions, John Kurowski was named the winner.

  His prize was a place in Disney history. His name was engraved on a Ludwig Von Drake trophy, which was preserved in the Walt Disney Archives. He also won a preview cruise on the Disney Fantasy, a ship that sailed for the public in 2012.

  The show floor had grown since 2009. The Treasures of the Walt Disney Archives exhibit had expanded by 12,000 square feet. A new pavilion called the Carousel of Projects highlighted developing projects coming soon to Disney parks around the world. Shoppers could visit Mickey's of Glendale, the Walt Disney Archives Treasure Trove, A Small World Village and a Disney Store.

  In the Collectors Forum, guests met the Disneyana Fan Club, Mouse Planet and Mice Chat. They also met the Hidden Mickey author Nancy Temple Rodrigue, and the artist Brian Rood with his one-of-a-kind The Rocketeer.

  On Stage 23, studios offered sneak peeks of The Avengers, The Muppets, Brave, Monsters University and Once Upon a Time. The same stage hosted a celebration of the 25th anniversary of Pixar. Stage 28 held Imagineering panels on Cars Land, Buena Vista Street and The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Undersea Adventure. Meanwhile the Disney Channel stage featured Coco Jones, China Anne McClain and a karate exhibition from Leo Howard.

  The D23 Arena hosted the Disney Legends ceremony, honoring 12 people. They included Jodi Benson, Jim Henson, Linda Larkin, Paige O'Hara, Regis Philbin, Anika Noni Rose and Lea Salonga. Ray Watson, Guy Williams, and Jack and Bonita Wrather were honored too.

  That ceremony had originally been held at the Walt Disney Studios in Burbank. The 2011 expo was only the second time it took place in front of fans.

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• 5. Crowds and Reveals

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  By the 9th of August 2013, when the third expo opened at the Anaheim Convention Center, the event had become a place where whole franchises were unveiled. Disney officials later estimated attendance at around 65,000. Walt Disney Studios presented looks at Saving Mr. Banks, Maleficent, Muppets Most Wanted, Tomorrowland and Thor: The Dark World. The animated slate included Frozen, Inside Out, Finding Dory and The Good Dinosaur.

  That year Lucasfilm made its first appearance, with a panel titled "Crash Course in the Force: Star Wars Saga 101." Pablo Hidalgo hosted it. Parks pavilions pointed to Avatar Land, future Star Wars attractions, Disney Springs and Shanghai Disneyland.

  At the end of the Walt Disney Studios presentation in August 2015, Bob Iger made a surprise announcement. Disney was developing a new Star Wars themed land for both Disneyland and Disney's Hollywood Studios. The fourth expo that year also showed first looks at Zootopia, Moana, Toy Story 4 and Coco. Marvel Studios offered footage from Captain America: Civil War, and Lucasfilm previewed Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Logos for Incredibles 2 and Cars 3 were revealed. Disney Interactive presented Star Wars: Battlefront, Disney Infinity 3.0 and Kingdom Hearts III.

  When the fifth expo arrived in July 2017, the two Star Wars lands had a name. Both would be called Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge, and a scale model stood in the parks pavilion. Studios offered first looks at Avengers: Infinity War, A Wrinkle in Time, Mary Poppins Returns and the live-action remake of The Lion King. The cast of the live-action Aladdin was announced. The New York Times estimated attendance at around 100,000.

  The sixth expo, from the 23rd to the 25th of August 2019, added new voices to the lineup. Pixar and Walt Disney Animation Studios announced Raya and the Last Dragon. Marvel Studios announced Moon Knight, Ms. Marvel, She-Hulk and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. For the first time, Disney also showed projects from 20th Century Fox, including clips from Ford v Ferrari, Spies in Disguise and The King's Man.

  Alan Horn told the audience that nothing about Fox would be announced at the expo. He added that more news about Fox would come in the future.

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• 6. A Renamed Event

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  The seventh D23 Expo was supposed to happen in 2021. It was pushed back a year because of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States. It finally ran from the 9th to the 11th of September 2022 at the Anaheim Convention Center.

  The event gave the Walt Disney Pictures production logo a debut. It was created by the Disney Studios Content team and Industrial Light & Magic. It came with a new arrangement of "When You Wish Upon a Star," composed by Christophe Beck and conducted by Tim Davies.

  The announcements covered the company's whole range. Pixar and Walt Disney Animation Studios announced Inside Out 2, Elio and Wish. Walt Disney Pictures announced Mufasa: The Lion King. Marvel Studios announced Werewolf by Night, and Lucasfilm showed Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. 20th Century Studios announced an Assassin's Creed TV series for Netflix and gave a first look at new scenes from Avatar: The Way of Water.

  Panels also looked ahead to Disney100, a yearlong celebration of the company's 100th anniversary, and back at Encanto. The New York Times estimated attendance at around 140,000.

  The eighth gathering, from the 9th to the 11th of August 2024, dropped the word "Expo." It became D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event. A kickoff celebration took place at Disneyland Resort on the 8th of August. Daytime shopping pop-ups, exhibits and panels stayed at the convention center. The largest evening shows moved to Honda Center. These were the Disney Entertainment Showcase on the 9th, the Disney Experiences Showcase on the 10th and the Disney Legends Ceremony on the 11th.

  The Guardian noted the cost of attending. Three-day tickets started at just under $300 and rose to $2,599 for the best seats at Honda Center. Part of the Disney Experiences showcase could also be watched inside Fortnite, where a trailer for the next Battle Royale season featured Doctor Doom.

  The ninth event is planned for the 14th to the 16th of August 2026, at the Anaheim Convention Center and Honda Center. D23 Day will return at Angel Stadium on the 12th of August and at Disneyland on the 13th.

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• 7. Smaller Gatherings

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  In April 2013, D23 teamed up with the Turner Classic Movies Festival for the 75th anniversary showing of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Disney Animation's first feature film. Kirk Douglas hosted a showing of the 1954 film 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, newly restored from the original camera negatives.

  The club has filled its calendar with smaller events for members. Lunch with a Legend began in 2014. D23 Day offers tours of the Walt Disney Studios and Archives three times a year. In 2015, Gold members could take a VIP studio tour during the work week, with a Disney Legend lunch and a unique gift.

  That same year, Light Up the Season gave members their own version of a holiday event that employees already held on the studio lot. It featured carols, cocoa and a tree lighting. Member Night at Newsies-On Tour and Behind-The-Scenes Experiences also began in 2015. Member mixers at Disney stores offered member-only shopping mornings with discounts, games and goodies.

  The off years between the big expos belong to Destination D. In March 2010, D23 announced that the expo would be biennial instead of annual. Its first Destination D was held on the 24th and the 25th of September 2010 in the Disneyland Hotel ballroom, with the theme "Disneyland '55."

  Each edition has carried a theme. In May 2011, it honored Walt Disney World's 40th anniversary at Disney's Contemporary Resort. In August 2012, it celebrated 75 Years of Disney Animated Features. Later themes were "Attraction Rewind" in 2014, "Amazing Adventures" in 2016 and "Celebrating Mickey Mouse" in 2018.

  In November 2020, the pandemic pushed the event online as the D23 Fantastic Worlds Celebration, held from the 16th to the 20th. A Fan-Tastic Disney Celebration followed in November 2021, at the Contemporary Resort and online. The 2023 edition, from the 8th to the 10th of September, was titled Celebrating 100 Years of Disney.

  Destination D23 2025 moved to Disney's Coronado Springs Resort, from the 29th to the 31st of August, and doubled in size. Kuzcotopia Night at Disney's Typhoon Lagoon marked the 25th anniversary of The Emperor's New Groove on the 30th. A Disney '80s-'90s Celebration in Concert followed on the 31st.

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• 8. Beyond Anaheim

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  In February 2013, the Walt Disney Company Japan announced the first D23 Expo Japan. It ran from the 12th to the 14th of October 2013 in the Maihama area at the Tokyo Disney Resort. The expo marked several anniversaries at once. These were the company's 90th, Tokyo Disney Resort's 30th and Disney Channel's 10th. The Disney Mobile and Disney-JCB Card anniversaries were their fifth, and Dlife's was its first.

  The second D23 Expo Japan took place from the 6th to the 8th of November 2015 at the Tokyo Disney Resort. The third followed from the 10th to the 12th of February 2018. The event is now called D23 Japan.

  On the 11th of January 2024, Disney used the Consumer Electronics Show to announce that D23 was going global, with a stop in Sao Paulo, Brazil. D23 Brazil: A Disney Experience ran from the 8th to the 10th of November 2024 at the Transamerica Expo Center. It was the first time a Disney convention had been held in Brazil.

  Singapore is next. D23 has announced that it will hold The Ultimate Disney Fan Event there in 2027.

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