Since its inception in 2009, the D23 Expo has welcomed Disney fans from around the world to enter the House of Mouse biennially (by way of the Anaheim Convention Center) and explore the latest and greatest offerings from the company. And with every passing year, the convention only gets bigger and bigger as the Walt Disney Company enters new media arenas and acquires more assets such as Marvel, Lucasfilm, and Fox. That’s why the 2024 edition was jam-packed with staples from across the pop culture spectrum, including presentations and installations from The Simpsons to The Bear to The Acolyte on top of Mickey and friends.
However, because there was so much to see and do at D23, even if you managed to get a three-day pass, you were bound to miss something. Luckily, we here at That Hashtag Show ventured around just about every corner of the con. And out of the multitude of magic we saw that weekend, here are the top five things we saw at D23 2024.
Imagineering: Behind the Dreams
On Saturday, August 10, Disney Experiences Chairman Josh D’Amaro took the stage at the Honda Center for a special showcase that unveiled several new and highly anticipated projects for the Disney theme parks, cruise lines, video games, and beyond. The following day, these new additions’ concept art and models were proudly displayed at the booth called Imagineering: Behind the Dreams. Naturally, D23 attendees (especially the ones who couldn’t get into the Honda Center) flocked to the Imagineers’ showcase on the final day of the expo.
But even before the sneak peeks at the Monsters Inc. suspended coaster, the Tropical Americas area of Disney’s Animal Kingdom, or Disney California Adventure’s version of Pandora from the Avatar franchise hit the pavilion. The Disney Imagineers brought a ton of amazing things to show their adoring public. A few notable displays included the inspirations behind the new Haunted Mansion Parlor coming to the Disney Treasure cruise ship, the innovative HoloTile floor (presented by acclaimed Imagineer and National Inventors Hall of Fame inductee Lanny Smoot), and the adorable free-roaming BDX droids that have recently landed at Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge.
Although, out of everything unveiled throughout the weekend, my favorite thing was the ride vehicle for the long-awaited third attraction heading to the Disneyland Resort’s Avengers Campus. In the ride revealed at Destination D23 in 2023, guests will team up with Earth’s Mightiest Heroes to battle a mighty variant of the Mad Titan known as King Thanos, who happened to succeed with his nefarious plan. This fight will take the super team and their allies across the multiverse thanks to this vehicle that combines Tony Stark’s time suits with technology from Wakanda and Xandarian jump points. And while there isn’t a timeline for when True Believers can expect to join the action alongside the Avengers, it’s exciting to see how things are developing.
Bob Gurr at A Great Big Beautiful Car Show
Speaking of Imagineers, Bob Gurr is one of the most famous people who have that title. He’s best known for designing most (if not all) of the ride vehicles for the OG Disneyland attractions, such as Utopia, the Haunted Mansion Doom Buggies, and the Monorail. Outside of the Mouse House, Gurr also worked on the King Kong Experience at Universal Studios, the animatronic T-Rex in Jurassic Park, and the trademark pirate ship at Treasure Island in Las Vegas that would sink multiple times a day from 1993 to 2003. The man is a living legend and we’re lucky enough to still have him around. But for a select few Disney fans who happened to be walking by the Great Big Beautiful Car Show on Saturday afternoon, they got to hear the story behind a particular car straight for the horse’s mouth.
Guests checking out the Magic Skyway Ford Mustang from the 1964-1965 New York World’s Fair at that time happened to be in the right place at the right time. That’s because the Disney Legend was shooting a video where he explained the history of the car and its involvement in one of the four attractions that Walt Disney and WED Enterprises brought to the event.
Anyone who has ever met Gurr knows that he has a great passion for his work, and he’ll always take the time to talk about it when given the opportunity. But rather than an official program of the con, according to a nearby cast member, this magic moment just happened to come together because the man loves cars and wanted to admire his handy work, which was on display thanks to the Walt Disney Archives. For those in the vicinity of the exhibit at this time, it was a once-in-a-lifetime chance to get a lesson in Disney history from one of the few remaining individuals who were actually there.
Jolly Holiday: A D23 Musical Celebration of Richard Sherman
On the final day of D23 this year, the Walt Disney Company honored the latest class of Disney Legends during a special presentation at the Honda Center hosted by Ryan Seacrest. While it was time to celebrate this group of esteemed inductees including comic book icon Steve Ditko, musical virtuoso John Williams, former Disney Channel star/pop star Miley Cyrus, and more, another Disney Legend honored as part of the 2024 festivities was the late, great Richard M. Sherman. Along with his brother Robert B. Sherman, the acclaimed songwriter crafted the beloved music of classic films such as Mary Poppins, The Jungle Book, and Chitty Chatty Bang Bang, plus catchy tunes that can be heard at Disney Parks around the world in attractions like the Carousel of Progress, the Enchanted Tiki Room, and It’s A Small World. Unfortunately, the world lost this infectiously optimistic man who filled the world with hope and love earlier this year. But to celebrate his life and legacy, some of those nearest and dearest to him gathered with a packed house of Disney fans for a presentation called Jolly Holiday: A D23 Musical Celebration of Richard Sherman.
Friends, family, collaborators, and admirers of Mr. Sherman took the stage to share cherished memories in between some rousing musical performances from the Sherman Brothers’ songbook. Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige brought footage from the first time he and Jon Favreau heard the song that the maestro created for the Stark Expo in Iron Man 2. Jason Schwartzman appeared in a video to talk about his experience playing Richard in the movie Saving Mr. Banks. The legendary duo of Hayley Mills and Lesley Ann Warren sang “ Let’s Get Together” from The Parent Trap in Sherman’s honor. Jessie and Leonard Maltin recalled how the Shermans were like members of their own family. And to top things off, host John Stamos and members of the Sherman family led the entire room in a sing-along of “Let’s Go Fly A Kite” from Mary Poppins.
The entire presentation was incredibly emotional, but it was a very fitting memorial for Richard Sherman. To paraphrase one of his most memorable songs, this celebration was a world of laughter and a world of tears. While he’ll be greatly missed, his legacy will live on in the wonderful music that he created.
Time Variance Authority
A number of universes converged on the D23 convention floor. In one corner, you could find the streets of Philadelphia thanks to Abbott Elementary’s A.V.A. Fest. Elsewhere, you could walk into the hottest new restaurant in Chicago as seen in The Bear. And if you wanted to visit Australia, you could just pop over to Bluey’s house from the acclaimed preschool series. However, the most immersive experience was probably the Marvel Studios booth.
For their presentation, the House of Ideas invited fans into the Time Variance Authority, the organization seen in Loki and Deadpool and Wolverine that is responsible for protecting the Sacred Timeline. All who entered the agency were new TVA recruits, so they went through the standard orientation process. This included an introductory address from Miss Minutes and a Minutemen-supervised tour past a series of Timedoors that depicted milestone moments in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. In reality, this was just a creative way to display costumes worn by some of the multiverse’s mightiest heroes like Captain America, Thor, Scarlet Witch, and Black Panther. They also had the gear from the Merc With A Mouth’s allies from The Void: Blade, Gambit, X-23, and Elektra. And one display even gave True Believers a peek into the future as the diorama teased Daredevil: Born Again.
However, the main event of the experience was a chance to talk to Rocket of the Guardians of the Galaxy. Utilizing technology similar to Turtle Talk with Crush, guests were able to converse with the beloved genetically altered raccoon through a Timedoor. As he is known to do, he shared some of his trademark sass with the small groups of Terrans walking through the TVA. Whether he was playfully teasing someone or telling us about life with his teammates, it was really cool to be able to interact with the character originally brought to life by Bradley Cooper and Sean Gunn in the fan-favorite movies. If we’re lucky, maybe we can get a similarly magical interaction like this one in the Disney Parks in the near future.
Disney Channel ID
Finally, while the TVA was the coolest booth overall, there was one activation at D23 that fulfilled a childhood dream for many guests of a certain age. From 2003 to 2010, Disney Channel viewers frequently saw station IDs during commercial breaks that featured the network’s stars. They would be holding a wand and tracing the iconic Mickey Mouse ears onto the screen while saying, “Hi! I’m [insert name here] from [insert movie or show here] and you’re watching Disney Channel!”
These wand IDs are nostalgic and iconic, but the honor of starring in one was reserved for the live-action performers (and sometimes their animated counterparts) who appeared on the network. That is, until now. Thanks to the Disney Channel booth, visitors could record their own wand ID. The wait was long and you basically only had one take to get it right, but it was so worth it.
For me, it was just like Shawn Michaels defeating Bret Hart for the WWE Championship in a grueling Iron Man Match: “The boyhood dream has come true!” Considering that it was one of the last things I did on the last day of D23 2024, there couldn’t have been a better way to end my first experience at Disney’s ultimate fan event.
For more coverage of awesome events like D23, stay tuned to That Hashtag Show!
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