July 30, 2014 - On the Go in MCO

Disney Twenty-Three Celebrates 23 Issues

D23: The Official Disney Fan Club Celebrates 23 Issues of Disney Twenty-Three With An Around-The-World Adventure

Readers will journey to France to experience Ratatouille: The Adventure, Japan for a Special Treasures of The Walt Disney Archives Exhibition, and San Fransokyo to explore the new universe of Big Hero 6

D23.com sits down for exclusive interviews with Marvel icon Stan Lee and the creators ofOnce Upon a Time.

To celebrate 23 issues of its collectible publication, Disney twenty-three, D23: The Official Disney Fan Club circles the planet to experience Disney’s worlds from Europe, South America, and Asia to the fantastical fictional realms of San Fransokyo and Once Upon a Time’s Enchanted Forest. The cover of the issue features a spectacular photo mosaic with a classic image of Walt and Roy O. Disney with Margie Gay of the Alice Comedies shorts series, courtesy of images of D23 Members from around the globe.

Disney twenty-three’s Fall issue, available exclusively to Gold Members of D23, starts the journey with a visit to France for an in-depth look at how the creative team at Walt Disney Imagineering brought the spectacular world of Ratatouille to life at Disneyland Paris for Ratatouille: The Adventure. Then it’s off to Japan where Treasures of the Walt Disney Archives is touring the country with a dazzling exhibit featuring more than 70 props, costumes, images, and artifacts. In “It’s A Disney World After All,” D23 goes on a non-stop tour from Latin America to the Middle East to look at Disney’s indelible mark on the rich cultures of many nations. And, in true Disney fashion, we visit the stunning and sleek fictional city of San Fransokyo for a look at spectacular concept art that inspired the upcoming Walt Disney Feature Animation release Big Hero 6.

httpv://youtu.be/OvgyXKDXdZY

Also included in the Fall issue of Disney twenty-three:

A rich look into Marvel’s remarkable 75-year history, including a season two preview of the ABC hit Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
A chilling glimpse at Once Upon a Time’s upcoming Frozen-themed season with the series’ creators
A dive into the Walt Disney Archives to view rarely seen concept art from 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, which celebrates its 50th anniversary this year
A journey back in time to celebrate 89 amazing Disney milestones from 1989
Regular columns including A Walk with Walt, D Society, Ask Dave, and our final edition of PHOTOfiles

All D23 Members are invited to visit www.D23.com for additional members-only content, including an in-depth video interview with Stan Lee who sits down to talk about Marvel’s 75-year legacy.

Other features coming to D23.com include:

A soaring look at Academy Award®-winning composer Michael Giacchino, who used his initial score as inspiration for the soundtrack to Ratatouille: The Adventure
More scoop on what’s to come this season on Once Upon a Time
An extended gallery of concept art from the development of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea

Disney twenty-three, which is delivered directly to fans’ doorsteps, is offered exclusively to D23 Gold Members as a benefit of their membership. The publication will begin arriving mid-August.

About D23

The name “D23” pays homage to the exciting journey that began in 1923 when Walt Disney opened his fledgling studio in Hollywood. D23 is the first official club for fans in Disney’s 90-plus-year history. D23 gives its members a greater connection to the entire world of Disney by placing them in the middle of the magic through its quarterly publication, Disney twenty-three; a rich website at D23.com with members-only content; member-exclusive discounts and special events for D23 Members throughout the year.

Fans can join D23 at Gold, Silver, and Free Membership levels at D23.com and at DisneyStore.com/D23. To keep up with all the latest D23 news and events, follow DisneyD23 on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, and YouTube.

Guardians of the Galaxy – A Disney Parks Blog Meet-Up

On Sunday, July 27, I was lucky enough to attend a Guardians of the Galaxy movie screening hosted by the Disney Parks Blog.

When this meet-up was first announced I wasn’t completely sold on the movie, but I’ve enjoyed all other Marvel movies a lot so I figured I’d give it a shot. Plus blog meets are always a lot of fun. To begin with, I have to apologize for the lack of photos in this post. Our phones were confiscated (more on that further down) so the only pictures I have are one from before we went in and afterwards.

We were told that check in would begin at 10:00 at the AMC Theatre at Downtown Disney. Knowing how crazy parking is at Downtown Disney these days, we planned to arrive by 9:30. When we arrived, there was already a pretty good sized line forming by Bongos across from the theater. Unfortunately, most of the line was in the blazing sun.

The balloon occasionally did a good job of blocking the sun for us.

Finally, they began leading small groups of people over to the theater to check in. They checked our names off on the list, we got one of four different color wristband (we would later find out what those were for) and vouchers for popcorn and a drink. We were also handed 3D glasses, very very cool 3D glasses which were themed to the main characters.

Then the first surprise of the day – we had to check our phones! We were instructed to turn over all our electronic devices. They put them in a baggie and gave us a raffle ticket to use to pick them back up after the movie. They also had a really strict bag check at the entrance to the theater. Disney definitely did everything they could to prevent piracy for this screening.

Once we got to our seats (which were saved for us by our awesome friends), we passed the time by comparing/trading 3D glasses and lamenting on the fact that we couldn’t take selfies. Soon, people from the Parks Blog came out to speak to us. They started out by introducing some of the attendees that came dressed as their favorite superhero. Of course, the Guardians, Star-Lord in particular, were popular choices. We were then told that the wristbands that we received at the entrance would allow us to pick up a toy from the official Hasbro line once the movie was over! There were four different toys and each wristband corresponded to one of them.

Then the movie started. Watching a movie at one of these meet-ups is always a fun experience. The entire crowd is into it with clapping and laughing, and in the case of this movie a little singing and dancing in our seats. Seriously, this soundtrack is killer. The movie is so fun and I love the characters! I won’t go into a full review because that will be covered in another post. I will say, as someone who knew nothing about the story or characters going into it, if you are on the fence about seeing it – go for it! I don’t think you’ll regret it. I can’t wait to see it again.

Once the movie was over (no bonus scene after the credits for the screenings – boo), we lined up to retrieve our phones and toys. Everyone seemed really excited over the toys – they are pretty awesome! There was some trading going on, but we were happy with the ones we got.

Another fun Disney Parks Blog Meet-up was in the books and I think a good time was had by all. Are you looking forward to seeing Guardians on the Galaxy or have you been lucky enough to see it already? Do you have a favorite Guardian?