Day 2 of D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event is rolling in Anaheim. I spent the day working the biggest show floor Disney has ever built. The Walt Disney Archives opened its vault, Walt Disney Imagineering showed off the future, and a snowman worked the crowd. Here’s everything I found, ahead of tonight’s main event.
The Archives Opened the Vault
The Walt Disney Archives: Uncrated exhibit is the sleeper hit of this show floor. The team pulled pieces out of storage that fans haven’t seen in decades.
The Disney Channel corner hits first. There’s the light-up Hannah Montana marquee, High School Musical Wildcats jerseys and props, and Sharpay’s bedazzled phones.
A few steps away, original Captain EO character figures stand on display. Their tags list runs at EPCOT, Disneyland Park, Tokyo Disneyland, and Disneyland Paris.
The deep cuts get better. The Archives uncrated Sonny’s face and hand from I, Robot (2004). Twenty years later, that stare still hits.
My favorite case holds the real Weebo robot and an original Flubber blob from Flubber (1997).
And the Inspector Gadget props from the 1999 Matthew Broderick movie are all here: the gadget hat, the Rollerblade skates, and the gadget-leg boot.
Inside the Imagineering: Horizons Pavilion
The “Imagineering: Horizons” pavilion is built around a hub called the Promenade of Progress. Doors branch off to international and cruise projects. In a clever touch, West Coast projects sit through the left door and East Coast through the right.
The new Space Mountain coming to Tokyo Disneyland has a full display: an exterior design model, a ride vehicle maquette, and concept art of the glowing new queue.
Nearby, I got a first look at a piece of the Coco attraction coming to Disney California Adventure park. Imagineering is displaying a Hector statue sculpt, with concept art showing the statue at the heart of the attraction’s plaza.
Hong Kong Disneyland’s Avengers attraction has a lit model of its show building on display. An Imagineer told me the ride comes from the same team behind Rise of the Resistance. Disney’s upcoming theme park and resort in Abu Dhabi has a display here too, with a video teasing “a whole new world awaits.”
The pavilion exit sends everyone home with a Carousel of Progress quote: “Progress is a commitment to people. A commitment to making today and tomorrow the best time of your life.”
Around the Floor
A fan-built working model of Pirates of the Caribbean is running on the show floor, with moving water and boats. It packs over 100,000 pieces and more than 1,000 LED lights. The audio track recreates the Disneyland ride in its 1967, 1998, and 2006 eras.
Walt Disney Imagineering’s free-roaming Olaf spent the afternoon walking the Imagineering stage and chatting with the crowd. He has jokes, too: “Cool your carrots, everyone. I’m just a walking, talking magical snowman.”
In the D23 Marketplace, signed, limited-edition Tony Baxter artwork is for sale. The run includes a Fantasyland village concept piece and his Steps of St. Paul’s watercolor in several sizes.
One more tease worth watching: Disney Cruise Line has a Disney Believe display that reads “Something new is on the horizon… Docking Sunday.” A reveal is coming Sunday, August 16.
More Coming Tonight
Tonight is the big one. The Horizons: Disney Experiences Showcase starts at 7:00 p.m. PT at Honda Center, streaming live on Disney+. This is the parks show, where the biggest announcements of the weekend land. I’ll be inside covering it live, just like Friday’s Disney Entertainment Showcase. And keep an eye on that S.E.A. mystery artifact while you’re at it. More soon.
Discover more from Theme Park Shark
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
