Top 5: D23 Expo Events You May Not Know About

The D23 Expo is now going into it’s 4th incarnation and it’s coming up soon (Aug. 14th-16th, 2015) Due to the attendance, the all-Disney convention has grown and gotten so much bigger. There is a ridiculous mixture of booths and panels and the schedule of events from the D23 Expo website definitely showcases that. So how on earth can we know about everything going on at the D23 Expo? Well….you can’t. There are multiple presentations going on at one time, mass crowds moving from one area to another, and booths that will have certain autograph signings for only 1 hour increments. You’ll never see everything but you shouldn’t want to. Pick a few things to see, have some backup plans in place, and just take in what you can. That’s the best approach to all of it! We all know about the big D23 showcases. There is the Legends Awards show, the Upcoming Animation show, the Upcoming Live Action show, the Disney Parks and Resorts show, and the Disney Interactive show. These will all be in the large arena dubbed “Hall D23” but there are plenty of smaller stages and places to be throughout the Expo at certain times. So I’d like to present to you my top 5 D23 Expo events you many not know about!

#5-Learn to Draw (Mutiple Presentations). If you are a fan of the Animation Academy at either Disneyland or Walt Disney World, this is the end all be all of that! Famous Disney animators like Andreas Deja (Jafar, Scar, etc…) will be on hand to teach others how to draw famous characters. This may not be completely worth the price tag of admission, but with a few different times throughout the Expo, I’m sure there will be some down time where you can take this type of thing in! Some of these will be a part of the Walt Disney Studios stage and some will be at the Center Stage so check the schedule. You’ll find me at the presentation where we learn to draw Rainbow Unicorn from Inside Out! Seriously who doesn’t love Rainbow Unicorn!

#4-Sing “A Whole New World” with Aladdin (Aug. 16th: 1pm at Center Stage). On Sunday August 16th, guests can lineup and try out (at least the first 50 in line) to sing with someone special. The 50 will be narrowed down to 5 winners. Those 5 people will take over the Center Stage along with Brad Caleb Kane (the singing voice for “Aladdin”) and do a duet. If you are a singer or fancy yourself an OMG moment, I wouldn’t miss this! What an awesome experience made possible by the D23 Expo!

#3-Debunking Myths, Revealing Secrets (Aug 15th: 5pm at Walt Disney Studios Stage). I may be a bit bias here due to the fact that my longtime friend, former Modern Mouse Radio co-host, and YouTuber Keith Lapinig is so-hosting this one. Beyond that point, I’ve always been a fan of “secrets revealed” type of shows. Being able to talk with some of the guys from the Animation Studios about myths and secrets in the long running animation studios should make for good stories. I’d love to see a Disney Parks version of this too but it won’t be happening this year!

#2-Record Personal Greetings with Bill Rogers (Every Day: 5:30pm at Center Stage). You know the guy that does the announcements for nearly everything at the Disney parks. Something like “The parade will be bein in 15 minutes!” If you’ve been to a Disney park in the past 10 years you know the voice. That voice is Bill Rogers and he will be on scene at Center Stage every day to take your phone and record a new voice mail greeting for you. Disney is literally paying him to be there just to take your phone and record a message. How cool is that? It’s unique, fun, and something you’ll only find at the D23 Expo!

#1-Imagineering 60 Years of Disneyland (Aug. 14th: 5pm at Stage 23). I’m putting this one on the list because people might know about it but people might not know what is happening here. Not only are we getting a one hour look at Disneyland and what has gone into making it more magical every day over it’s 60 years of existence, we are getting an all star panel of Disney Legends including Tony Baxter, Alice Davis, Marty Sklar, and Richard Sherman. I can’t concieve of the feeling that will take over my body with that much talent on hand. That’s not even to mention some of the great folks currently working in Imagineering that will be there and it’s all hosted by Leslie Iwerks, the granddaughter of Ub Iwerks, as she presents the trailer for her new documentary about Disney Imagineering. This is one of those “don’t miss” kind of things for me. I can skip out on getting a sneak peek at upcoming Disney movies and park attractions. This presentation combines all of these amazing people in one room and that will most likely never happen again!

What are you most looking forward to at the D23 Expo this year? Will you be attending? If you are make sure to meet up with myself, Angie, Keith, and Erika as we are giving away buttons and mouse ear headbands! Hit me up on Twitter or Instagram for where we are!

Josh Taylor
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Top 5: Things Every Disney World Fan Should Know About Disneyland

Most of the folks on the East Coast make frequent vacations to Walt Disney World in Florida and insist that it is the only Disney resort worth visiting. That’s a false statement. As a previous East Coaster and having had my only experiences of Disney Parks at Walt Disney World, I have to tell you that Disneyland is a wonderful place. Having gone this past month, it opened my eyes to many of the misconceptions Walt Disney World fans have about Walt’s original theme park in Anaheim. Here are 5 things you should know about Disneyland if you have never been.

Even Belle get cold in California!

5. The temperature is not the same as Florida – California is much dryer than Florida, so when the weather forecast calls for an 85 degree Fahrenheit day in CA, it is not the equivalent feeling to the same temp in FL. It will actually feel cooler in CA at the same temp due to the lower humidity. Make sure to wear your sunscreen though! Another difference is that the nights in CA get much cooler during the non-Summer months than the less-drastic changes in temperature during the day and night in FL. (Definitely bring a sweater or light jacket for Spring and Fall months in CA!)

4. If you are riding attractions in Disneyland that you’ve already ridden in WDW, they are not the same ride experience – For example, Space Mountain is a COMPLETELY different track system with different music, smoother riding, and double seating. Other rides such as The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, Splash Mountain, and Tower of Terror have slight differences in their ride-throughs which actually make experiencing them a whole new ride (or at least a different enough ride to feel like you are having a new experience!) Also, Fantasmic in Disneyland is a MUST, and much different than WDW’s version!

3. Not staying in a Disney Resort Hotel won’t ruin the magic – Ok, this one is a little tough for me, because I really do prefer staying in a Disney owned and operated hotel. BUT, the thing is that in Disneyland, it’s not really cost-effective to stay at a Disney hotel. If you are looking for something with similar pricing to Walt Disney World’s (WDW’s) Value Resorts, try looking at pricing for Disneyland’s Good Neighbor Hotels (right on the Disneyland Parks website!) The quality and service will likely be similar, but of course you will be missing a bit of the “magic” Disney sprinkles in their rooms. The reason this worked out so well for Josh and I, though, is that we didn’t stay in the hotel much, but I WAS originally worried that the immersive feel of my past WDW trips would be lost by staying outside of the company, but it really didn’t ruin anything considering we were still in walking distance of the parks!

2. It’s on a smaller plot of land with less park but there is so much to do – One park at the Disneyland Resort is NOT equivalent to one park at the WDW Resort, especially if you are considering the 3 parks other than the Magic Kingdom. With so many attractions condensed into a smaller space, you may even say it’s a more enjoyable vacation because there is more to do in an easier navigation layout. Both of the parks in Disneyland are 2-day parks if you plan on trying to experience almost everything each park has to offer, and a 3rd day may even be considered in each if you want to get each and every thing done. This says a lot when comparing the parks to WDW because some (most?) consider Animal Kingdom, Hollywood Studios, and sometimes EPCOT to be 1/2 day parks!

1. It’s not just the Magic Kingdom and Hollywood Studios – This kind of goes along with number 4 & 2, but has a little more to be said as well. The thing is that there are so many new experiences, different types of crowds, shows, attractions, themeing, lands, etc. PLUS an overall feeling that you are visiting Walt’s park. If you feel “home” at WDW, you will definitely feel even more-so at Disneyland (and that’s coming from someone who LOVES the Animal Kingdom!) If you visit Disneyland park when you’ve been a “Disney Worlder” in the past, you may feel like you are cheating on your first love, BUT the great thing is, you can have and love both! You don’t have to choose between the two! Disneyland and Walt Disney World should be be loved and explored by all.

Angie Carreiro
Angie.Carreiro@gmail.com
http://www.Twitter.com/ModernMouseAng
Disneyland May 2014 Trip Report
Disney Fairy Tale Weddings Planning Journal

Disneyland Myths and Secrets

Expanding on some of the ideas Angie Carreiro brought to our Top 5 post last week, Keith Lapinig discusses his favorite myths and secrets entirely from Anaheim’s Disneyland! To check out more from Keith, head to the links below.

http://www.YouTube.com/KeithLapinig
http://www.Twitter.com/KeithLapinig
http://www.KeithLapinig.com