The day we’ve been waiting for is finally here. Destination D23 is HAPPENING!

Will Disney share any major breaking news? Could we walk away with a tote bag full of new Disney merchandise? Will we have access to some vintage Disney props? Let’s find out!

If you’re unfamiliar, this isn’t just any old Disney event. It’s known as “Disney’s biggest fan event of the year.” Destination D23 is happening NOW in Disney World at Disney’s Contemporary Resort, and we’re exploring everything there is to see and do during the expo.

The event runs from September 8th to September 10th, and we’re hoping for some big news this year. Could we hear about the EPCOT transformation? Maybe a Figment character meet-and-greet update? Everyone, get out your D23 news bingo cards — ours has Josh D’Amaro’s face as the free space in the middle.

Day 3 – September 10th, 2023

Day 3 brings even  more panels — let’s get rolling!

We’re back with more #DestinationD23 coverage today! pic.twitter.com/ugejspdWEj

— Disney Food Blog (@DisneyFoodBlog) September 10, 2023

So the first thing on the schedule is the Walt Disney Studios Showcase panel, which showed us some sneak peeks of upcoming projects, including Loki Season 2!

This season is going to be a lot about time travel, but we also saw a lot of variants for characters.

The second season of Loki picks up right in the middle of the of last season’s finale! Catch it on Disney+ OCT 6!#DestinationD23 pic.twitter.com/1EdLqytI4M

— Disney Food Blog (@DisneyFoodBlog) September 10, 2023

This was a pretty exciting announcement, too:

A #Disney100 set of 100 animated films is coming! It unfolds into your very own storybook!#DestinationD23 pic.twitter.com/29znCNRjFE

— Disney Food Blog (@DisneyFoodBlog) September 10, 2023

However, we can share a LITTLE bit from the 100 Years of Walt Disney Animation Studios panel because we got some brand new details about Disney’s upcoming movie Wish.

Then it was time for the Disney Global Ambassador Showdown, which turned out to be a lot of fun. It was just a friendly competition between Disney Parks ambassadors from around the world.

The Weird Disney: Centennial Edition was led by the Walt Disney Archives to experience 100 years of “weird Disney” moments. This was another SUPER fun panel. We learned about some funny stories of Walt Disney traveling with the grandma animatronic from Carousel of Progress, plus more fun facts! We learned some new weird Disney facts for trivia night, y’all.

We had a few hours to spare between panels, so wandered around and met some pin traders, including @socal.disneypins or @socal.dizgal (on Instagram)!

Then it was time to head back to the panel hall for The Road to 1923: Walt Goes West, which chronicled Walt’s journey to California to join his brother, where they would start the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio 100 years ago(!!!), which is now the Walt Disney Company.

Then it was time to go Down the Rabbit Hole: The Disney You Didn’t Know. During this panel Disney archivists and authors Kevin M. Kern and Steven Vagnini shared some Disney secrets with us! For example, did you know that the FIRST thing built on the EPCOT construction site when it was being developed was a Porta Potty? Well, now you know!

We took a little break and ran into some of the Disney Parks Ambassadors! They were all SO nice!

Before we knew it, the end was near and we got to enjoy the big finale. We were entertained by several Disney artists, including the ALWAYS FABULOUS Jodie Benson from Disney’s animated The Little Mermaid. Thank you, Jodie, for letting us be part of your world!

Well, that’s a wrap!

Day 2 — September 9th, 2023

Good morning!

Good morning from Disney’s BIGGEST fan event of the year, #DestinationD23! Stay tuned for all of the announcements that are coming today! 🤩 pic.twitter.com/YmP6r6yQNN

— Disney Food Blog (@DisneyFoodBlog) September 9, 2023

Our day started with the Muses from Hercules serenading us. That’s the way to start the day!

Y’all! It’s The Muses! ✨ #DestinationD23 pic.twitter.com/O4R4BYvrPt

— Disney Food Blog (@DisneyFoodBlog) September 9, 2023

We started our day at the first Destination D23 panel, A Celebration of Disney Parks, Experiences and Products: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow. The panel began with a video greeting of Disney CEO Bob Iger.

Then Josh D’Amaro, Chairman, Disney Parks, Experiences and Products, took to the stage to share a ton of updates about Disney Parks.

Muppets puppeteer Dave Goelz joined D’Amaro onstage with some familiar Muppet faces. Yes, Miss Piggy, we’re here to see YOU.

We learned about SO much during the panel, including new details about the Avengers Campus expansion coming to Disneyland, details about the Star Tours update, news about another NEW ship coming to Disney Cruise Line, and more.

Even Country Bear Jamboree in Disney World is getting an upgrade! Let’s just say — a LOT happened. You can read more about all the announcements by following our posts over the weekend.

Click here to see ALL the HUGE park announcements.

The Country Bear Jamboree will be getting a new ACT next year – And the Country Bears will be learning new songs! #DestinationD23 pic.twitter.com/LS06RdeSEz

— Disney Food Blog (@DisneyFoodBlog) September 9, 2023

We also got an update from D23 Vice President Michael Vargo, who talked about upcoming D23 events, including the D23 Expo in 2024.

Next up was the The Early ’Ears – Ub, Oswald, and Mickey panel where Walt Disney Archives Director Becky Cline took us on a journey back to the 1920s to learn a little more about Disney’s EARLIEST characters and those who created them, like Disney legend Ub Iwerks and Walt Disney.

Next up? The 100 Years of Classic Characters: Unforgettable Stories panel with Ashley Eckstein (fashion icon AND Disney voice actor) who spent some time catching up with some other famous Disney voices: Bret Iwan (Mickey Mouse), Kaitlyn Robrock (Minnie Mouse), and Disney Legend Bill Farmer.

After a lunch break, it was time to learn more about whales at the National Geographic Live – Secrets of the Whales panel. We learned so much from National Geographic Explorer and photographer Brian Skerry.

We ended the day with EPCOT: Always in a State of Becoming, and looked back at EPCOT over the years and took a good look at the EPCOT transformation, which will be completed soon!

Surprise! We also learned that Soarin’ Over California will return to EPCOT for a limited time!

Just announced at #DestinationD23: Soarin’ Over California will return to EPCOT for a limited time starting THIS MONTH! pic.twitter.com/7HYRQg4yU4

— Disney Food Blog (@DisneyFoodBlog) September 9, 2023

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We can’t wait for Day 3!

Day 1 — September 8th, 2023

OK, let’s kick things off with a look at the merchandise. (Priorities, right?) There is a TON of exclusive merchandise available this year, including an entire line of items from this year’s D23 sponsor, Lug! Sadly, these mega bags were display items only, but there’s a whole lot more where that came from — check out our FULL post here!

There was SO MUCH merchandise available! We saw lots of Walt Disney Company items…

…a Muppets Mayhem collection…

…a classic D23 collection…

..and much more!

One of the COOLEST things we saw was this Disney100 train set from Lionel.

Alright, now that that’s out of our system, let’s move on to some of the special D23 exhibits on display. All you animatronic fanatics are gonna LOVE this one — it’s called “The Plausible Impossible: 60 Years of Disney Audio-Animatronics Technology.”

We got a rare glimpse into the behind-the-scenes technology from some of Disney’s iconic animatronic figures.

There were a LOT of old theme park props and plenty of photos. It was so interesting to see all those familiar items!

This was one of our FAVORITE parts — it’s the famous Hatbox Ghost from the Haunted Mansion!

Disney showed some Hatbox Ghost models, too. Look at that spooky face!

There was a LOT to take in at this exhibit; we could’ve spent all day looking around.

If you’re a Disney fan, odds are you will enjoy this little collection of items. From animatronic clothing to Hatbox Ghost heads, there’s something for everyone.

We’ll be reporting LIVE from the Destination D23 event all weekend long, so look out for all the major news from the event. In the meantime, we’re always on the lookout for the latest Disney news, so stay tuned for more.

3 CLUES That Could Point to a Major Disney World Overhaul

 

What are you hoping Disney will talk about this year? Let us know in the comments!

Disclosure: In nearly all circumstances, Disney Food Blog writers and photographers pay full price for their own travel, hotel, food, beverage, and event tickets. We do this because it’s important to us as journalists to ensure not only that we give you unbiased opinions, but also that you can trust us to do so since we’re paying our own way. On rare occasions, when we are invited by a company to attend a preview as media, and when we choose to accept that invitation, we will always make you, our readers, aware of that situation. Today, we were invited by Disney to attend the Destination D23 event. Note that when we attend events as media we are 1) Not required to review that event/food on any of our channels, and 2) Not required to review that event/food favorably. You can always count on DFB to give you a 100% unbiased and honest review of any event that we attend, food that we eat, or beverage that we drink. You can see more in our Disclosure Policy. Thank you for reading. — AJ