The 2024 D23 Ultimate Disney Fan Event has wrapped up! The queue to enter the Anaheim Convention Center was not down the street, it was about typical theme park length, and once through security, another line. Then, the doors were open! There were about five-six rows for the Lucasfilm Pavilion so I decided to wait for it. One kind person in line pointed out that they were having attendees hold the Simba figure at Disney on Broadway. This was too cool especially since the queue really didn’t move. Disney on Broadway was one of the best pavilions in terms of helpful attendants, booth displays to photograph, and shows. This includes the D23 Expos in the past which had lines to use the VR helmets.
Three attendees were ahead of me, a very cool experience, the Simba figure was about teddy bear size. I’m certain that it was built for con use and not something too delicate. The attendant showed the tiny switch that activated Simba’s limbs! He was game to take a video of me singing “Circle of Life”, I can repeat the lyrics, but don’t understand the words. Another prop was the Genie Lamp from Aladdin (2011)! I had seen the musical in 2018, loved the live action film from that year, and also the 1992 animated movie. Also, I had worked at the Aladdin’s Oasis restaurant, now Tropical Hideaway, at Disneyland. I had a few pics trying to summon the Genie in a bottle.
Then, it was time to enter the Lucasfilm Pavilion to see ILM Stagecraft which had a big Volume screen. Daiyu City was shown from Obi-Wan Kenobi and then parts were shown of real sets and the background of The Volume. A hyperspace background was shown for photo ops. It was a swirl of blue that made me think of the Time Vortex from Doctor Who. At the end an ILM pin with the cockpit of the Millennium Falcon going through hyperspace. At the Lorcana booth was co-designer, Ryan Miller, and also filming a video was David Errigo Jr., whom I found out is the voice of Oswald the Lucky Rabbit! He voicd Oswald in the vido games, Disney Speedstorm (2023) and Disney Dreamlight Valley (2022). On X-Men `97, he is voice of Leech, Mojo, and Banshee!
He took the time to take pics and talk with fans on the con floor. Give him a follow at @ErrigoVoice. Miller also met wth fans to chat and take pics. All of the Lorcana people were very friendly and they had to deal with some challenges of a very popular and valuable product. The previous night at Honda Center, they advised us to go to the Imagineering Pavilion, there was a line so I went to the Pixar section on the other side. For Dream Productions, there was a photo with a seat next to a unicorn going over a script. One of Riley’s dreams is a poster of “I Can’t Open My Locker!”, I remember that frequent nightmare! Also an Inside Out 2 photo op with Joy meeting Anxiety! I went back to Imagineering and spoke with Imagineer Joseph who took a break from sculpting the bas relief. It was great to chat with him about art, Imagineering, and getting back to artwork.
I went back to Disney+ and saw at the back a photo op of Skeleton Crew. Three figures of pirates; Shistavanen Wolfman, a Gran, and a Nikto. At the Nikto’s boot was a case of gold bars. They must be the Fratellis in The Goonies-like story. I was there for the X-Men `97 photo op, Xavier’s office with Magneto’s helmet on his desk and the framed photo of the original X-Men. Afterwards, I powered my phone to 50% at the AT&T Oasis Lounge. At Kidrobot was a photo op with a life-size(?) Hawaiian Stitch. Check out their site for some fun pop culture stuffies! Then, I went back to Disney Animation for the Moana 2 photo ops. One was a Maui fishhook and Moana’s paddle, I was a bit unbalanced with my ear problem, and the attendants probably thought I would bring down the entire set! So they were careful with the outrigger with Moana and Maui.
Then, I tried for the new section at Imagineering which had a queue. One of security guys, Cook, was very helpful to the fans who wanted to see the new attraction models. There was a large diorama of the new Latin American section of Animal Kingdom. This replaces Dino Land. I couldn’t work out what was supposed to be there except the new Indiana Jones ride. It does look more attraction based and didn’t seem to have any area for animals. Next to it was the model of the Encanto house. Then, there was the models of the Avatar land for Disney California Adventure, curved stone structures and waterfalls. A full wooden bird was down the hall for the Coco carousel. Another diorama showed the Lion King-themed Disney Adventure World. It looks like Splash Mountain with a drop from Pride Rock! For Disney Hollywood Studios, there was the concept model of the Monsters Inc. themed coaster. It is like the buzz wire game running through a building.
The end of UDFE was a gamble for me, I intended to go to the Disney Legends ceremony at Honda Center, but tried for the standby line for the Lorcana artists at Talent Central. This was the usual thing for Disney fans who did not have reservations including panels, but it is a time commitment. I didn’t have time for the TVA Pavilion or FX with the Shogun costumes. Fortunately, the other person in line had a charger so I got power to about 30%. How long would it last for the Legends ceremony? The standby line started to move at 5 p.m. which was the start of Legends.
I felt it was like “I’m out of time and all I’ve got is four minutes!” Tick tock, tick tock. In another part of the queue was my group from the Lorcana night! In the line behind me was the nice lady whom I met at the Ravensburger queue! It’s nice to meet new people in line. Finally, I got the large card print signed by Nicholas Kole, Aubrey Allen, and Alice Pistoni, and had my cards ready to get signed. I told Nicholas Kole that this was my first autograph for a D23 guest in thirteen years! It was all coming to a close, I rushed over to the baggage check, Ubered, and then fast walked to my seat about an hour into Legends! It is currently streaming on Disney+. I hope everyone can attend the next one in 2026! The D23 UDFE was exhausting, but a convention full of displays, shows, great photo ops, and the best fans!
#D23, #UDFE, #DisneyOnBroadway, #Simba, #Aladdin, #LucasfilmPavilion, #ILMStagecraft, #ObiWanKenobi, #DavidErrigoJr, #RyanMiller, #DreamProductions, #InsideOut2, #SkeletonCrew, #XMen97, #OasisLounge, #Kidrobot, #AnimalKingdom, #Encanto, #Avatar, #DisneyCaliforniaAdventure, #Coco, #DisneyAdventureWorld, #DisneyHollywoodStudios, #MonstersInc, #TalentCentral, #NicholasKole, #AubreyAllen, #AlicePistoni
No comments:
Post a Comment