Disneyland is my home. I know, I know. It's a lot of people's home. I know that all of my previous blog posts have been about Food. I like the Food at Disney. In the last couple of years they have really stepped up their game and created some delicious dishes. This blog post has very little to do with that. I purchased my ticket a year ago to this event, as I was sure that it was going to be bigger and better than last time. How could it not be?
Yes, I'm a self proclaimed Disnerd. However the day tickets went on sale I had just paid a small fortune in bills, and was crying because I could only afford ONE day. I knew I'd get more money at some point and be able to afford the other days, but did I really want to? Of Course. Did I forget? Of Course. Only once the price went up did I remember that I had planned to purchase the other 2 days. So I opted to stick with the one day ticket I had committed myself to a year ago. So, I spent ONLY one day at the D23 Expo this year. The last time I went, 2 years ago, it was small, and one day was more than enough to see everything on the expo floor and get into the panels I wanted to see. This year was Different. Disney has once again stepped up their game in a HUGE way. The expo floor was crowded and full of vendors and info and things to see and new things that got us excited to be there. I spent ONE day there. I chose to get there at 4am on Saturday morning to try and get into the "Live Action" panel as it was being called. It was about all the live action movies that Disney was planning to release over the next several years, mainly the next 2 years (because D23 is usually held every other year).
Lets get into that.
First up Alan Horn came on stage and told us about how it was hard to decide who should go first. Of Course it came down to Marvel. Marvel would easily win that decision.
Our First peek into the New Marvel Slate for Phase III of the Marvel Universe is Doctor Strange. They haven't even begun filming this movie yet, so all we get are some incredible rendition drawings provided by the Art Department. It's all gorgeous and exciting. "You're going to get girls, cars, explosions, and a bit of astral projecting into multiple dimensions - the usual fare," says Kevin Feige the reigning President of Marvel. Benedict Cumberbatch is announced as our Doctor Strange and the place erupts in cheers. However he is busy doing Hamlet overseas and so they play a lovely video message from him.
Our Next Movie up on the list is Captain America: Civil War. Anthony Mackie took the stage, the MCU's Falcon. "I flew in from Germany last night, so I'm a little tired. But y'all know I'm not the only person to come introduce Captain America: Civil War, right? I can't introduce it without Captain America!" And with that, Chris Evans took the stage to standing rauceous applause by the crowd. Who doesn't love Captain America? He says some things about how he took flew in from Germany, and is headed back soon after (although he was later seen visiting DCA that day). "When I have a bad day, I go home and watch youtube videos of other people at Disney," Evans said, making the entire crowd laugh. "But if you think we'd come this far without some footage to show you, you're crazy!" "We cut this together with our computers," Anthony joked. "We learned iMovie on the plane," Chris says quite seriously. Then Kevin teased us that there was an Easter Egg in the footage just for us. And there was. An awesome D 23 was seen in trailer they brought with them, just for us. My personal favorite moment of the trailer was After, they showed Ant-Man (Paul Rudd - but not dressed as Ant-Man) being brought in. "Captain America! It's an honor. I'm shaking your hand too long. You're really great. I know you know a lot of super people, so thinks for thanking of me. Thanks for thinking of me." and Cut. The place cheers again. We are now all excite for Captain America. At this point our Marvel Sneak Peeks are over and Alan Horn comes back on the Stage.
He tells us about The upcoming Slate of Disney Films.
We are treated to their first live action film in the series, The Finest Hours. A Film based on True events in 1952. Chris Pine is brought on the Stage and tells us about filming a movie about an era where there is NO technology that can save them. "Almost 8000 people here, this is insane! Shouldn't you be on rides right now," Pine asked the audience. "Coming from the science fiction world that I come from, it was incredible to read a story where the stakes keep getting higher and knowing that this actually happened," he said of the movie. "This is not a world of explosions and fast crazy cars or incredible technology. This is a wooden boat in treacherous seas. Designed to hold only 12 people, it held 32 men to get them back to shore," Pine Says. I personally love Chris Pine just as much as Chris Evans, but the Audience clearly preferred Captain America to Captain Kirk. We are treated to a clip of the Movie, and it doesn't really impress the Audience. However I LOVE period movies, and in particular Renaissance/Medieval and 1930-1950's based movies, so this is something I will probably go see. I also feel like my dad would really love this movie.
Next us is The Jungle Book. Jon Favreau. Love this guy. He has an easiness about being on stage and talking to the crowd, but his introduction skills with his cast, Neel Sethi, Lupita Nyong'o, and Sir Ben Kingsley could of used some work. He seemed awkward with them and trying to get them to talk about the movie.
"We wanted to used 3D, digital recording, and CGI in ways no one has before. The best CGI, I think, is the kind that just disappears," the director tells us. Neel had not even met Lupita, and had only spent time with Sir Ben. "There's a saying among some actors," Kingsley said, "never work with children or animals. I worked with a child and played and animal and I say, any time!" Favreau tells us that it still very early in their work, and it would be unfair to call what he brought us a Trailer. They then cut to the footage which is just for us. Narrated by Scarlett Johansson, "Dark in the jungle, the red flower brings warmth, life, and destruction to all it touches." She is of course referring to Fire. The footage is incredible. It's gorgeous and photorealistic, and it's hard to imagine that most of this is CGI. We get to see Baloo! Who is voiced by Bill Murray. The place erupts in cheers, and at the end Everyone is standing and cheering for the young Neel on the stage. It was one of the truly endearing moments to see 7500 people cheering for a young actor in his first role, a role he clearly was meant to do from the footage we've been shown.
Next up is Alice Through the Looking Glass. We are introduced to the Cast of the Film, and in particular that Mia Wasikowska is here. Mia Wasikowska returns as Alice, and took the stage next. She honestly did not have much to say and seemed to struggle through her short time on Stage. Alice is to go back in time to save the Mad Hatter.
We are treated to a trailer of the Film, which is impressive, but honestly nothing compared to what we had just witnessed with the Jungle Book. Time (played by Sascha Baron Cohen) appears. "You cannot change the past, but we might learn from it," he says. This is my least favorite part of the day, and I absolutely adored the first Alice in Wonderland. It's hard to be impressed by this movie after all we have seen to this point.
Next on the list of Films is Pete's Dragon. They have filmed the movie, but barely begun the CGI work for this film. Bryce Dallas Howard took the stage in a Mickey Mouse shirt with sequins. "Thank you so much, this is incredible! Disney is killing it! The Jungle Book? Wow! I play a pragmatic realist park ranger. For her, it's a quest to answer the mystery of who is this child, and in answering that question, she comes to believe in magic," Howard said. "I was obsessed with Pete's Dragon as a kid. I was excited about the notion to refeel this story again. When I watched it as a child, it made me feel like I wanted a best friend who was a dragon. I was curious about it. When I got to meet with David and read this script, there's a power in the story. I was incredibly moved, It's something I'm so proud to share with my kids." She has a real connection to this film and you feel it in the way she speaks about it. With that we get a 'sizzle' as it's being called of Pete's Dragon. The boy has been out in the forest for six years, as Howard and Redford's characters talk about him. "He says he wasn't alone," she says. Lots of 'fish-out-of-water' scenes shown of Oakes Fegley in civilization. A little bit of dragon fur, and it changes color with a touch of a hand. Impressive and enough of a tease to get the crowd excited. I loved Pete's Dragon as a child, and so this one better be every bit as good as the original, or Disney will have some 'splainin to do.
Disney in all of their Wisdom decides to move on to a movie I don't think many will bother to see, but will be a critical success. Sean Bailey came back on stage to talk about a new movie called The Queen of Katwe, shot on location in Uganda, also starring Lupita Nyong'o and David Oyelowo. Directed by Mira Nair, it's the story of a young girl from Uganda who became a chess champion. Lupita tells us how much this story means to her, and we are treated to some short footage. Honestly this doesn't really belong in this panel, and I felt like Disney was trying to push this as an exciting movie. It too is based on True Events like the The Finest Hours, but unlike that movie there is nothing to excite the crowd.
They quickly move on the one of the Movies we are all waiting for. Beauty and the Beast! "Our goal is that all of you who know and love it will be completely rewarded," Bailey said. "This is a magical musical - yes, it is a musical, and has one of the very best casts we've ever assembled." They are filming in London, so Emma Watson sent a recorded message. Josh Gad and Luke Evans were next in the recorded message. We saw some Gaston fighting, some beautiful interiors of the castle. They sang a bit of Gaston's theme. It was everything you'd hope for and more. Fun, and Awesome. But that's it. We don't have much to go on for Beauty and the Beast yet, understandably.
Pirates of the Carribean: Dead Men Tell No Tales is also 2017, and got a lot of applause and cheers from the crowd. Johnny Depp returns of course, and Javier Bardem will play Captain Salazar, the nemesis in the film. Will Turner, played by Orlando Bloom will also return, as just officially announced, and Geoffrey Rush will again return as Captain Barbossa! And then Johnny Depp comes on stage as Jack Sparrow. "Where are we?" Sparrow said (yes, he's fully in character.) "Anaheim?" "Word is Johnny Depp became a Disney legend yesterday," Bailey said. "A Disney lesion," Depp joked. He's eating a handful of grapes, and throwing them into the crowd just saying, "grape, grape, grape" over and over. Then he throws the bunch of grapes and says he Hates grapes. It's hilarious and funny and exactly something Sparrow would do in that situation. "I came to sing you a song," he said, but Bailey interrupted him. "I don't want to sing. Bye Bye!" He stayed in character the entire time. It didn't matter if we had any footage or "sizzles" because Depp makes you forget.
Alan Horn comes back on the stage to introduce Lucasfilm. "We only have one place left to go from here," Horn said, and the image on screen of the castle panned up into the stars, and an X-Wing flew by. The crowd erupts into screams and cheers of excitement.
"We've just begun production on the first of our stories, Rogue One" he continues.
After a brief hello from director Gareth Edwards in a recorded message, a cast photo was shown on screen, of the rebels looking down and dirty (above). Yes, they've been rebranded to "A Star Wars Story", abandoning the Anthology they had previously teased. Alan Tudyk is teased and my inner nerd cheers for Wash (if you've never seen Firefly, I suggest you do...Love All of the Characters from that series).
The Force Awakens director J.J. Abrams joined Alan Horn on stage after this and talks about how he is thankful for the opportunity. "I can't thank you enough, truly," Abrams said. "It's more exciting than I can put into words. To see it coming together is truly remarkable. To hear the music John Williams is providing, hearing themes. He played some for me on his piano in his home and it was like hearing the music of the gods." This is a man that appreciates good music clearly. "Who wants some epic Star Wars news?" Abrams asked the crowd to crazy screams and I'm pretty sure my friends next to me were about to have a complete meltdown of awesome. "Legally required to be in every Disney movie, Lupita Nyong'o" she came out on stage alongside Oscar Isaac, John Boyega, and Daisy Ridley. Then he shows us the New exclusive Drew Struzan poster - Boyega is wielding Anakin/Luke's lightsaber in it! BOYEGA HAS THE LIGHTSABER, IT IS IGNITED! My friends can't stop screaming. Then the Poster zooms out and Harrison Ford is Shown! Even more screams. And Harrison Ford comes out on stage to the biggest applause of the day, and a standing ovation.
We don't even need to see anything else. My day is complete. Harrison Ford wins all the days. "Thank you so much. You guys... I don't know what to say. I was very happy, yesterday, following in the footsteps of George Lucas, the author of the early chapters of my story. I'm very happy to now be here with J.J. Abrams and Disney who continues this in an extraordinary way," Ford said. "I couldn't be happier. Thank you so much." To more applause and cheers. Chairman and CEO Bob Iger hits the stage for major Star Wars news now. Can this day get any better? Yes, Yes it does!
"Thank you for having me back on the stage," Iger said. "First of all, I speak for Alan as well in thanking J.J. Figuring out who would direct this film was not an easy task. We knew we needed someone great, that we could trust, and had great casting sense. Unfortunately, that guy wasn't available." J.J. starts to walk off the stage, the place laughing, but he quickly comes back. "Yesterday, we had a Disney Legends ceremony and George Lucas was here to be inducted. He was incredibly gracious, and we are so grateful to George for entrusting us with his legacy."
A shot of a Star Wars planet and a couple of TIE fighters flying by was shown on the screen. “We’re bringing Star Wars to life in a big way, and I mean really big. It’s our largest single-themed land expansion ever. We knew it needed to be big, and great, and every bit as thrilling as our films are. So we’re transporting guests to a new planet. This new 14 acre land will be occupied by many inhabitants, aliens, droids. The attractions, entertainment, everything we create will be part of our storytelling, transporting our fans to a world of fun. Every restaurant, building, everything will be inhabited by the aliens and droids you’d expect to find there. You’d expect to find a Cantina - and there will be one. You’ll have the chance to run into all the droids and fantastic beasts that Star Wars is known for. You’ll meet characters from The Force Awakens and more from the Star Wars saga. The land will have two fantastic signature attractions, including the ability to take the controls of the Millennium Falcon on a customized secret mission." The crowd cannot stand itself anymore and is cheering so loud my eardrums nearly burst. My friends next to me are practically shaking with excitement. "We're taking it to a whole new level. And we're not just building one of these, we're building two. One at Disney's Hollywood Studios in Orlando, and the other right here in Anaheim at Disneyland!" Thank Goodness. If this man had said they were only building this in Florida I was absolutely certain my friends would riot. "We're building a 14 acre Star Wars land at Disneyland." Yes!! Micechat had recently teased that there was a space of land available at Disneyland that would fit this statement!
This is more or less approximately what will be the area, however we've been told that ToonTown will not be included, but don't take this picture as gospel - as Disney has only confirmed that Toon Town won't be affected, but that Big Thunder Ranch (Not the Ride... ) will be. The shaded area represents exactly 14 acres.
The teaser video shows once more. This is a huge city on a Star Wars planet, and it's coming to Anaheim and Orlando. "Live your adventure at a Disney park near you. Coming Soon." And with that our Panel is Over.
As we exit we are treated to Posters from The Jungle Book and Star Wars. Both Exclusives.
After the panel is over I venture out onto the Floor of the Convention. This is my first time seeing everything, and it's massive. There are FAR more things to see this year than there were 2 years ago. I underestimated my ability to see everything in one day. So I start wandering around. My friends had a Cosplay meetup planned, so I leave them to explore on my own. I had wanted to hit up the Mickey's of Glendale Store to get some Haunted Mansion merch. After seeing the line for that (about 2 hrs), I decided to spend some time checking things out before I ventured there. There was so much to see. I stopped by the Disney Citizen Booth and helped the Red Cross, I saw Darth Vader and some Storm Troopers on the Stage, I saw the gorgeous costumes from Alice, ventured through the Shanghai Exhibit, and saw some amazing Cosplayers. About 5pm I was thoroughly exhausted from the entire day, and decided to spend the last couple of hours with another friend across the street at DCA. And my D23 Expo Adventure came to a close. Far more exciting, and Far better than the previous one!
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