Official D23 Thread

TP2000

Well-Known Member
I'm just back from an entire afternoon at the D23 Expo, where I spent over an hour just inside the massive Parks & Resorts pavilion. Let me be clear here, before I offer up my thoughts on this amazing exhibit, just so no one feels the need to read any further if they don't want; there is not a single mention of any Walt Disney World property, park or attraction whatsoever inside the Parks & Resorts pavilion at D23 Expo.

If you can stomach that thought, read on, as the Parks & Resorts pavilion offers up some amazing models, exhibits and info. It was worth the price of admission alone! It's really operated like an attraction, or a World's Fair type pavilion. You are queued up outside along a giant wall of Attractions Posters from Disney parks all around the world from all decades. This is the one location where WDW is mentioned in the pavilion, as there are a couple WDW Attractions Posters I saw, one for the old Wedway PeopleMover, and one for the original WDW monorail system.

The doors of the queue open and you are then led into a theater in groups of about 50. There is a giant 20 foot tall 1950's TV in front of you, and a hostess gives an introductory spiel welcoming you to the show, and the TV screen comes to life and plays a 1950's style introduction to a show called "Walt Disney's Parks & Resorts". The show is all about four subjects; "Tomorrow", "Fantasy", "Adventure" and "New Frontiers", and it's done in the style of the old Disneyland TV show. About 90 seconds into the TV show the giant screen silently splits apart and the whole theater turns into a starfield effect, and the hostess then invites you to step through the parting walls as before you is spread the land of "Fantasy" and the sprawlingly huge Cars Land model that is very dramatically lit. Ooohs and aahs come from the audience as we all surge through the parting walls and peppy music and into the Fantasy realm of Cars Land.

Cars Land has two main models, one of which is just for Radiator Springs Racers and is about 30 feet long and 15 feet deep and 10 feet high, with the other one the overall Cars Land area about 15 feet square. The models all have Imagineers in uniforms roaming about them chatting and answering any questions. I met a very nice lady Imagineer at the biggest model who really knew her stuff about Cars Land, and happily told me all sorts of nifty things about the countless show scenes inside the huge show building. She was most proud of the size of the Radiator Springs Racers rockwork, and she made me crouch down to notice that you won't be able to see outside of DCA anymore once Cars Land is built up at a height of 180 feet! Towards the end of the conversation with this very cheerful and knowledgeable woman, I asked what her role was, and it turns out I had been talking with Kathy Magnum, Senior Vice President of Imagineering and one of the lead creative executives on Cars Land! And she's just there hanging out at her models chatting up the crowds and answering whatever question was thrown her way! WOW! :eek:

The Fantasy realm of Cars Land also had a full size mockup of the very impressive new auto-animatronic Lightnight McQueen figure demonstrating his mouth and eye movements. Other Cars Land and Radiator Springs Racers sketches, artwork and figures filled up that Fantasy area.

You then moved on to the realm of Tomorrow, and it was all about Imagineering technology of the past and the future. They had the original Abe Lincoln animatronic from the World's Fair there, and the Imagineer at that exhibit told us they found him in a warehouse crate in North Hollywood by accident a few years ago, and he was once thought to have been scrapped decades ago. They had a show on one stage where a Wall-E animatronic came out and interacted with the crowd a la' Lucky (they probably split the shows between Wall-E and Lucky), as well as another show where a Tiki Room toucan plays around with a human animatronic who demonstrates the latest robotic skills of being able to identify who is smiling in the audience and who is not, being able to control separate machines like cameras (the animatronic took your picture with a common digitial camera) and being able to change colored sections of the animatronic at the request of audience members without human control. Other exhibits had Imagineers showing you how they make the skin for animatronics, how they program them, and how the new Abe Lincoln figure coming to Disneyland in a couple months will be the most advance figure WDI has ever designed for any park or attraction ever. There were assorted other exhibits here that dealt with new technology and experimental ideas for theme park attractions.

The next area was the Adventure area, and this was where DVC, Adventures by Disney, and Disney Cruise Line all had displays. DVC had a full scale model of their new Hawaii property, and it looks amazing. They also had a mockup of the new DVC units opening in a few weeks at the Grand Californian Hotel. Disney Cruise Line had models of their new fleet circa 2012 and their West Coast itineraries, and Adventures by Disney had a basic exhibit of their destinations and employees on hand answering questions.

Finally was New Frontiers where they had the very comprehensive Hong Kong Disneyland models and exhibits, with examples of the bear animatronics and layout of the new mine train ride, and the amazing trackless ride system to be used for Hong Kong's Mystic Point haunted house. They had a scale model of the entire Mystic Point attraction with all the rooms and corridors the vehicles pass through, with Imagineers there explaining how they wanted to make a haunted house that was unlike any Haunted Mansion they'd done before. Lots more smiles and Imagineers happy to answer any question you had there as well! :sohappy:

And with that you were thanked for visiting Parks & Resorts and out the exit and back onto the exhibit hall floor. The thing I was struck with the most was not the jaw-droppingly huge models, or the artwork or exhibits, although those were all far beyond my expections. And it was also not the surprising showmanship and obvious money that went into the pavilion itself, with the pre-show and theatrical special effects and such.

Rather, what impressed me the most about the Parks & Resorts pavilion at D23 was that the entire thing was populated by dozens of uniformed Imagineers, from technical geeks to sculptors to Senior Vice Presidents, all beaming with pride and standing right next to their favorite projects and areas of expertise. They were so friendly and so accesible and so happy to answer any question or tell you all sorts of amazing things you didn't know about Cars Land or any other project! It was really Disney hospitality at its finest, and it was like stepping into one of those 1960's World of Color TV shows where Walt takes you to the Imagineering labs and talks to his teams working on the next thing for Disneyland or the World's Fair. Which, now that I think about it, is the exact reason for stepping into the TV set at the start of the show!

Run, don't walk, to the Anaheim Convention Center and check out the sprawling Parks & Resorts pavilion at the D23 Expo! You won't be disapointed!
 

EPCOT Explorer

New Member
I'm just back from an entire afternoon at the D23 Expo, where I spent over an hour just inside the massive Parks & Resorts pavilion. Let me be clear here, before I offer up my thoughts on this amazing exhibit, just so no one feels the need to read any further if they don't want; there is not a single mention of any Walt Disney World property, park or attraction whatsoever inside the Parks & Resorts pavilion at D23 Expo.

If you can stomach that thought, read on, as the Parks & Resorts pavilion offers up some amazing models, exhibits and info. It was worth the price of admission alone! It's really operated like an attraction, or a World's Fair type pavilion. You are queued up outside along a giant wall of Attractions Posters from Disney parks all around the world from all decades. This is the one location where WDW is mentioned in the pavilion, as there are a couple WDW Attractions Posters I saw, one for the old Wedway PeopleMover, and one for the original WDW monorail system.

The doors of the queue open and you are then led into a theater in groups of about 50. There is a giant 20 foot tall 1950's TV in front of you, and a hostess gives an introductory spiel welcoming you to the show, and the TV screen comes to life and plays a 1950's style introduction to a show called "Walt Disney's Parks & Resorts". The show is all about four subjects; "Tomorrow", "Fantasy", "Adventure" and "New Frontiers", and it's done in the style of the old Disneyland TV show. About 90 seconds into the TV show the giant screen silently splits apart and the whole theater turns into a starfield effect, and the hostess then invites you to step through the parting walls as before you is spread the land of "Fantasy" and the sprawlingly huge Cars Land model that is very dramatically lit. Ooohs and aahs come from the audience as we all surge through the parting walls and peppy music and into the Fantasy realm of Cars Land.

Cars Land has two main models, one of which is just for Radiator Springs Racers and is about 30 feet long and 15 feet deep and 10 feet high, with the other one the overall Cars Land area about 15 feet square. The models all have Imagineers in uniforms roaming about them chatting and answering any questions. I met a very nice lady Imagineer at the biggest model who really knew her stuff about Cars Land, and happily told me all sorts of nifty things about the countless show scenes inside the huge show building. She was most proud of the size of the Radiator Springs Racers rockwork, and she made me crouch down to notice that you won't be able to see outside of DCA anymore once Cars Land is built up at a height of 180 feet! Towards the end of the conversation with this very cheerful and knowledgeable woman, I asked what her role was, and it turns out I had been talking with Kathy Magnum, Senior Vice President of Imagineering and one of the lead creative executives on Cars Land! And she's just there hanging out at her models chatting up the crowds and answering whatever question was thrown her way! WOW! :eek:

The Fantasy realm of Cars Land also had a full size mockup of the very impressive new auto-animatronic Lightnight McQueen figure demonstrating his mouth and eye movements. Other Cars Land and Radiator Springs Racers sketches, artwork and figures filled up that Fantasy area.

You then moved on to the realm of Tomorrow, and it was all about Imagineering technology of the past and the future. They had the original Abe Lincoln animatronic from the World's Fair there, and the Imagineer at that exhibit told us they found him in a warehouse crate in North Hollywood by accident a few years ago, and he was once thought to have been scrapped decades ago. They had a show on one stage where a Wall-E animatronic came out and interacted with the crowd a la' Lucky (they probably split the shows between Wall-E and Lucky), as well as another show where a Tiki Room toucan plays around with a human animatronic who demonstrates the latest robotic skills of being able to identify who is smiling in the audience and who is not, being able to control separate machines like cameras (the animatronic took your picture with a common digitial camera) and being able to change colored sections of the animatronic at the request of audience members without human control. Other exhibits had Imagineers showing you how they make the skin for animatronics, how they program them, and how the new Abe Lincoln figure coming to Disneyland in a couple months will be the most advance figure WDI has ever designed for any park or attraction ever. There were assorted other exhibits here that dealt with new technology and experimental ideas for theme park attractions.

The next area was the Adventure area, and this was where DVC, Adventures by Disney, and Disney Cruise Line all had displays. DVC had a full scale model of their new Hawaii property, and it looks amazing. They also had a mockup of the new DVC units opening in a few weeks at the Grand Californian Hotel. Disney Cruise Line had models of their new fleet circa 2012 and their West Coast itineraries, and Adventures by Disney had a basic exhibit of their destinations and employees on hand answering questions.

Finally was New Frontiers where they had the very comprehensive Hong Kong Disneyland models and exhibits, with examples of the bear animatronics and layout of the new mine train ride, and the amazing trackless ride system to be used for Hong Kong's Mystic Point haunted house. They had a scale model of the entire Mystic Point attraction with all the rooms and corridors the vehicles pass through, with Imagineers there explaining how they wanted to make a haunted house that was unlike any Haunted Mansion they'd done before. Lots more smiles and Imagineers happy to answer any question you had there as well! :sohappy:

And with that you were thanked for visiting Parks & Resorts and out the exit and back onto the exhibit hall floor. The thing I was struck with the most was not the jaw-droppingly huge models, or the artwork or exhibits, although those were all far beyond my expections. And it was also not the surprising showmanship and obvious money that went into the pavilion itself, with the pre-show and theatrical special effects and such.

Rather, what impressed me the most about the Parks & Resorts pavilion at D23 was that the entire thing was populated by dozens of uniformed Imagineers, from technical geeks to sculptors to Senior Vice Presidents, all beaming with pride and standing right next to their favorite projects and areas of expertise. They were so friendly and so accesible and so happy to answer any question or tell you all sorts of amazing things you didn't know about Cars Land or any other project! It was really Disney hospitality at its finest, and it was like stepping into one of those 1960's World of Color TV shows where Walt takes you to the Imagineering labs and talks to his teams working on the next thing for Disneyland or the World's Fair. Which, now that I think about it, is the exact reason for stepping into the TV set at the start of the show!

Run, don't walk, to the Anaheim Convention Center and check out the sprawling Parks & Resorts pavilion at the D23 Expo! You won't be disapointed!

It sounds like a Disney Heaven on Earth.:eek: Really wish I could see it, and truly grateful that some CAN see it!:sohappy: Nothing like Disney showmanship.



...But no WDW...?:(


That hurts.
 

EpcotServo

Well-Known Member
It sounds like a Disney Heaven on Earth.:eek: Really wish I could see it, and truly grateful that some CAN see it!:sohappy: Nothing like Disney showmanship.



...But no WDW...?:(


That hurts.

Ennnnhhhhh...Personally I think this is more WDI showmanship.
:lookaroun :lol:

I loved the part about talking to Kathy Magnum, that's awesome! I treasure every time I've met with any Imagineers. They're the best.
:cool:

Like I said, stuck with the bill. To borrow a phrase from my best friend, We're the Gondor of the Disney Corporation. A: It's by our hand that the entire company runs well funded, B: Architecturally amazing, but fallen under Bad Management and stewardship awaiting the Return of the King.
 

TP2000

Well-Known Member
It sounds like a Disney Heaven on Earth.:eek: Really wish I could see it, and truly grateful that some CAN see it!:sohappy: Nothing like Disney showmanship.



...But no WDW...?:(


That hurts.

It was really odd how there was nothing about WDW in the entire facility. Just nothing about WDW, and very odd. If it weren't for a few WDW Attractions Posters in the queue to get in, you wouldn't know from visiting the Parks & Resorts pavilion at D23 Expo that Disney even owns property in Florida. :confused:

I've said it before here, and I'll say it again, I'm sure we are going to see concept art and announcements for WDW stuff at Jay Rasulo's speech on Saturday morning.
 

Studios Fan

Active Member
It was really odd how there was nothing about WDW in the entire facility. Just nothing about WDW, and very odd. If it weren't for a few WDW Attractions Posters in the queue to get in, you wouldn't know from visiting the Parks & Resorts pavilion at D23 Expo that Disney even owns property in Florida. :confused:

I've said it before here, and I'll say it again, I'm sure we are going to see concept art and announcements for WDW stuff at Jay Rasulo's speech on Saturday morning.

Hopefully the announcements are good. I have a feeling that they are going to announce Fantasyland and / or Shanghai tomorrow.
 

TP2000

Well-Known Member
I loved the part about talking to Kathy Magnum, that's awesome! I treasure every time I've met with any Imagineers. They're the best.
:cool:

She was just so gracious and fun, like hanging out with a favorite aunt or something. She was showing me this model linked here http://darkbeer.smugmug.com/Theme-Parks/D23DLR-91009/9591060_65i6c#645809399_Vdd2U-A-LB, and she makes me crouch down and look at it from ground level. Behind the model are exact scale replicas of the high-tension power lines running behind DCA that Eisner didn't want to pay to bury 10 years ago. They are infamously ugly and visible in several current spots from inside DCA.

But the mountains and rocky tailfins of Radiator Springs Racers are so tall, 180 feet above ground level, that the power lines disappear from view inside the park! And Kathy was making me crouch down with her to get the right vantage point and she was telling me how amazing the rock work will look and how John Lasseter is fussing over every shade of rock in the whole project and she's just giggling at how great it's all going to be! And a few minutes later when I ran into her at the big model on the other side of the Fantasy room I learn that she's the SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT and chief creative exec on the Cars Land project! :eek: :lol:
 

TP2000

Well-Known Member
Great write up TP2000. Thanks a million for sharing the experience with us.

You're welcome.

I just realized there was a WDW mention in the Parks & Resorts pavilion. At the Abe Lincoln exhibit they had a suit and tie hanging that was one of the ones they used to test the new Obama figure for Hall of Presidents. And the Imagineer who was telling us about Abe Lincoln animatronics past and future did mention they redid the HoP recently in WDW. But it was just sort of this suit hanging on a hangar, and it was overshadowed the by the original 1964 Abe Lincoln animatronic not wearing any clothes standing next to it.

So there was a WDW mention after all. But I think you get my point. :animwink:
 

EPCOT Explorer

New Member
Ennnnhhhhh...Personally I think this is more WDI showmanship.
:lookaroun :lol:

I loved the part about talking to Kathy Magnum, that's awesome! I treasure every time I've met with any Imagineers. They're the best.
:cool:

Like I said, stuck with the bill. To borrow a phrase from my best friend, We're the Gondor of the Disney Corporation. A: It's by our hand that the entire company runs well funded, B: Architecturally amazing, but fallen under Bad Management and stewardship awaiting the Return of the King.
Saaaaame thing, Servo.:lol:

Anyway, I'm getting tired of it. Tomorrow better bring something good...And not just ST.:eek:

It was really odd how there was nothing about WDW in the entire facility. Just nothing about WDW, and very odd. If it weren't for a few WDW Attractions Posters in the queue to get in, you wouldn't know from visiting the Parks & Resorts pavilion at D23 Expo that Disney even owns property in Florida. :confused:

I've said it before here, and I'll say it again, I'm sure we are going to see concept art and announcements for WDW stuff at Jay Rasulo's speech on Saturday morning.

Shameful, honestly. The biggest Resort, one with all the firsts, and nothing? Nothing on one of the biggest parts of Disney History? Like I said...That hurts.

I'm sure we will see stuff too. I just hope it's more than what we KNOW it's going to be.:lol:


(insane thought: they are hiding all the fantastic WDW stuff until it's announced tomorrow morning to throw off any suspicions!?:lookaroun:lol:)
 

TP2000

Well-Known Member
(insane thought: they are hiding all the fantastic WDW stuff until it's announced tomorrow morning to throw off any suspicions!?:lookaroun:lol:)

I thought of that too, but all the exhibit halls in the Parks & Resorts pavilion are chock full of displays and huge models and lighting and such. They would have to move out stuff to get anything else in, and it would be a major production.

Jay Rasulo's speech in the Anaheim Arena is at 11:00AM. They would either have to close the insanely popular Parks & Resorts pavilion right in the middle of the day for the swap, or do it overnight and only have the new WDW stuff on display for the final day of the Expo on Sunday.

I really think the big news about WDW will be verbally communicated by Jay on Saturday, and hopefully seen in some artwork flashed on the big video screens inside the Arena.
 

TP2000

Well-Known Member
Tomorrow better bring something good...And not just ST.:eek:

The Chairman of the Disney Studios had an amazing keynote address today in the D23 Arena. It included a long list of A List stars, Miley Cyrus coming out to sing a song, the Muppets arriving en masse on stage to sing Rainbow Connection, and then Johnny Depp himself dressed as Captain Jack sailing out on the stage in a boat to say hello. Right before your eyes!

After that amazing presentation today, I'm sure Jay Rasulo is going to be able to pull a few rabbits out of his hat as well, and several of them will be about WDW, and not just Star Tours. Jay just has to.
 

SirGoofy

Member
After that amazing presentation today, I'm sure Jay Rasulo is going to be able to pull a few rabbits out of his hat as well, and several of them will be about WDW, and not just Star Tours. Jay just has to.

I hope it's WDW, though. I have a sinking feeling it'll be Shanghai.
 

EPCOT Explorer

New Member
I thought of that too, but all the exhibit halls in the Parks & Resorts pavilion are chock full of displays and huge models and lighting and such. They would have to move out stuff to get anything else in, and it would be a major production.

Jay Rasulo's speech in the Anaheim Arena is at 11:00AM. They would either have to close the insanely popular Parks & Resorts pavilion right in the middle of the day for the swap, or do it overnight and only have the new WDW stuff on display for the final day of the Expo on Sunday.

I really think the big news about WDW will be verbally communicated by Jay on Saturday, and hopefully seen in some artwork flashed on the big video screens inside the Arena.
True Disney Magic?:lookaroun:lol:

The Chairman of the Disney Studios had an amazing keynote address today in the D23 Arena. It included a long list of A List stars, Miley Cyrus coming out to sing a song, the Muppets arriving en masse on stage to sing Rainbow Connection, and then Johnny Depp himself dressed as Captain Jack sailing out on the stage in a boat to say hello. Right before your eyes!

After that amazing presentation today, I'm sure Jay Rasulo is going to be able to pull a few rabbits out of his hat as well, and several of them will be about WDW, and not just Star Tours. Jay just has to.
This is the pure cynisism of me, but honestly, I could see it.:rolleyes::( Stranger things have happened.:(


Then again, optimistically, I would hope that they would try to top that.:lol:


This will be one interesting day, tomorrow.

"The suspense is killing me...I hope it will last"-Willy Wonka; Charlie and the Chocolate Factory-1971

:lol:
 

RSoxNo1

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
I'm not really surprised that there is nothing about WDW in the Parks and Resorts exhibit. Officially, nothing has been announced for WDW. When the Hong Kong additions and DCA additions were announced we didn't see sprawling models exhibiting what we should be expecting.

I expect next year's convention would have a model of the Fantasyland makeover, with it being announced either tomorrow or sometime in the next year.
 

Register on WDWMAGIC. This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.

Back
Top Bottom