Ok, I'll be honest. I'm a massive comic geek but when it comes down to it, my heart belongs to Disney. Always has, always will. And, if I had to choose, I'd go to D23 over SDCC and I'm already costing up how much it would be to go in 2017 (plus, let's be honest, it's so much easier to get tickets for D23!)
For a Disney guy like me, D23 is like heaven. Plus they have Marvel and Star Wars now! What's not to love?! Whilst there have been some horror stories about the length of the lines it's definitely not put me off! I'm pretty sure all conventions this size have horror stories about the lines and all the incredible news that's come out of D23 is more than enough to outweigh a few hours in a queue!
Whilst the convention is still going on, most of the major panels have been done so here's some of my personal highlights so far!
The Disney Legends! Disney Animator Andreas Deja, Star Wars creator George Lucas, a surprise appearance by Captain Jack Sparrow himself, Johnny Depp, what a why to kick off the convention! And the music! Ashley Brown singing Disneyland's 60th anniversary song "Kiss Goodnight", Josh Stickland paying tribute to Legends who are no longer with us with "You'll Be in My Heart", Tony Award Winner James Monroe Iglehart celebrating new Disney Legend Danny Elfman with the "Oogie Boogie Song" and Ne-Yo paying tribute to Disney Legend Robin Williams with a new rendition of "Friend Like Me";
And yes, now we know that George Lucas based Jar Jar Binks on Disney's lovable Goofy! Makes this figure seem even more appropriate now, doesn't it? :)
Ok, this is a Disney convention so there's only one place to start - ANIMATION! Walt Disney Animation Studios has been on fire since Tangled, with a chain of hits in the form of Wreck-It Ralph, Frozen and Big Hero Six, and that looks set to continue over the next few years with their next set of films.
First up, Zootopia, from Directors Byron Howard (Tangled) and Rich Moore (Wreck-It Ralph), the buddy cop story of bunny cop Judy Hopps (Once Upon a Time's Ginnifer Goodwin) and con fox Nick Wolfe (Jason Bateman) who are thrown together to solve a missing mammals case. I tend to prefer Disney's fairy tale/musical films (I grew up during their 90s renaissance era) but I can't wait for this! I loved the first trailer and everything coming out of D23 just sounds incredible and the amount of research and care being put into this film is simply mind blowing with each animal acting uniquely, their physiology affecting how they interact with the world around them. That, and the clips sound hilarious and bunny burrows just sounds like the cutest place in the world! It doesn't sound like the film is a musical, but it will definitely have music in it as it was announced that Shakira will have a role in the film as Gazelle, who's song, "Try Anything", inspires Judy Hopps to follow her dreams to the big city.
Next up was a new film on the WDAS slate, Gigantic. Directed by Tangled's Nathan Greno, Gigantic will reunited Frozen's Oscar winning song writers Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez for their second Disney fairy tale. Set in Spain during the Age of Discovery, Disney's take on the classic Jack and the Beanstalk tale will see Jack teaming up with the 11 year old (and sixty foot tall) Inma to save the giants land from the Storm Giants. Whilst no release date was announced, guests were treated to an exclusive first look at Jack and Inma's first meeting, accompanied by an early preview of one of the film's sure to be classic songs.
And finally came my favourite - Moana!
THE AUGUST ANNOUNCEMENT.
#D23Expo2015 pic.twitter.com/A9toAtNRbq
— Lin-Manuel Miranda (@Lin_Manuel) August 14, 2015
Anyone who name drops Alan Menken as inspiration is good by me!!
So, yeah, Moana is definitely the one I'm looking forward to the most!
The Pixar slate, by comparison, wasn't as exciting. The new Inside Out short, Riley's First Date, was shown and sounds brilliant (something to look forward to on the Blu-Ray) but the upcoming theatrical line up doesn't inspire me the way Disney's does. I know I'm in the minority but I wasn't that bothered by Finding Nemo so Finding Dory doesn't really excite me. The Good Dinosaur and especially the newly announced Coco sound like they have lots of potential but don't grab me (yet) in the way Disney's films do. The big announcement was undoubtedly Toy Story 4 (along with posters at the expo for Cars 3 and The Incredibles 2 but it sounds like these weren't mentioned in the panel). I love the Toy Story films but I thought 3 gave the trilogy a pretty perfect ending. I'm not convinced (yet) that a fourth film is needed. I know that's totally hypocritical of me because at the same time I'm totally over the moon about Incredibles 2! Seriously, that was the best Pixar reveal for me even though it wasn't mentioned at the panel. Is it needed? No, the first film had a brilliant ending, but I can't wait to go on another adventure with the Parr family!
Honestly, I know I'll go and see them all, and I'll probably love most of them. They just don't grab me right now (with the exception of Incredibles 2, did I mention I'm really hyped about that one?!)
Of course, animation isn't all that Disney do. From all reports the queue for yesterday's Live Action panel was probably the biggest of the weekend (maybe even in D23's history) as fans lined up throughout the night to get a glimpse at the latest offerings from Disney, Marvel and Lucasfilm.
Marvel went first and wasted no time getting down to business with a preview of Doctor Strange including a video message from star Benedict Cumberbatch, who called Strange "an extraordinary character" who "brings in a whole new dimension -- multiple dimensions -- to the Marvel Universe". This was reportedly followed by a reel of concept art narrated by the film's director, Scott Derrickson, explaining the premise of the movie. From all reports Doctor Strange's costume was revealed in the concept art and is very faithful to his comic appearance
I love that Marvel are now at a stage where they feel comfortable giving characters like Strange a chance on the big screen. I remember thinking that Guardians of the Galaxy could be their first flop. After the massive, and deserved, success of that movie a friend asked me what I thought of the then upcoming Ant-Man and I said I had no idea but after Guardians I wouldn't be against it. The same is true here. I have no real knowledge of Doctor Strange and no expectations for the film, I just trust Marvel to deliver a good movie when it hits theatres next year.
Next up came the main event of the Marvel section. Captain America: Civil War.
Captain America himself, Chris Evans took to the stage along with Anthony Mackie (Sam Wilson/Falcon) to share what sounds like an amazing preview for the film as lines are drawn between the heroes. "If we have no limitations, we're no better than the bad guys" says the man who's last attempt to keep the world safe resulted in Ultron and nearly doomed the world in Age of Ultron. Yeah, after the whole Hydra thing and the events of The Winter Soldier I think I'm with Cap on this one. The idea of super hero registration reminds me of Cap's line in that film; "This isn't freedom. This is fear." Whatever side you're on it seems like everything has been building to this and Phase 3 of the MCU is going to kick off with a bang next year!
After all the internet speculation there wasn't a Spider-Man reveal in the D23 footage but Marvel made up for it by giving fans their first look at Chadwick Boseman's Black Panther in action! If Spidey's appearance really is only a cameo I wonder if they'll try and keep it secret until the film hits? Unlikely, but with his own film not due for year after Civil War it's definitely a possibility.
Following Marvel Studios came Disney's own live action offerings. Disney promoted a wide variety of films during their part of the panel but for me these were the highlights;
The Jungle Book - Director Jon Favreau and the cast of Disney's latest live action remake took to the stage and shared some very early footage from the film, including Bill Murray (Baloo) singing of few bars of the classic "Bare Necessities". You know what? I think the queue for the panel would have been worth it to hear just those few bars. Just hearing that Jon Favreau worked with Disney's Alan Horn and Disney Legend Richard Sherman (who, along with his brother, wrote the music for the animated classic) to help find the right balance for the movie between Kipling's book and the iconic original movie, to make sure that they added to the legacy of The Jungle Book, tells you how important it was to them to get this movie right. Disney's live action retellings have been hit or miss but everything said about this movie just feels right. I can't wait to see more! The footage sounds incredible, a living jungle fully created in CGI. As Favreau said "He (Disney) loved technology. We tried to extend that legacy." Jungle Book is going to be one of the most technologically advanced movies ever made, but hopefully you won't notice that because, as Favreau noted, the best CG technology is the kind that you don't notice, that disappears into the film. I think this could be something very special.
Beauty and the Beast - Whilst it sounds like The Jungle Book stole the show at the panel, this is the one I'm most excited about. Like The Jungle Book, everything the cast and creative team are saying feels right. They're expanding and building on the original animated classic rather than completely re-writing it into something it was never meant to be (like Maleficent). They've assembled a fantastic cast (even if some choices will continue to make me a little nervous until I hear them sing) and Alan Menken and Tim Rice are writing new songs for the film. Like I said, the 90s Disney Renaissance is my ear, I grew up with these films and with this music. The first film is still arguably the best animated classic Disney have ever produced and I want nothing more than for this film to be as goods as the animated original. The clip of Luke Evans and Josh Gad singing "Gaston" is the footage I most want to leak from this panel. I know they can both sing and I can't wait to hear them together on this.
Of course it wouldn't be a D23 live action panel if Johnny Depp didn't take to the stage as Captain Jack Sparrow;
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales - The first film remains the best in this franchise but, whilst they've never quite managed to re-capture that lightening in a bottle, it's always fun to go on an adventure with Captain Jack Sparrow. It sounds like plot details were thin on the ground but it was confirmed that Geoffrey Rush would be returning as fan favourite Captain Barbossa and so would Orlando Bloom as Will Turner. So now let the speculation begin - is this set during his 10 years as Captain of the Flying Dutchman (before his reunion with Elizabeth and their son in the post-credits scene of At World's End) or is it set after he's returned to the realm of the living, and, if so, where is the rest of his family?
And finally, we come to the section of the panel dedicated to that galaxy far, far away.
Cards on the table, I was expecting this to be my favourite part of the panel. I knew we weren't getting any new footage but after J.J. Abrams promised something "compelling" before proceeding to debut a dozen new photos and tantalising story/character details with Entertainment Weekly, I had lower expectations but I was still expecting something special. What we got struggled to meet my lowered expectations.
First up came confirmation that Jurassic World's Colin Trevorrow will be directing 2019's Star Wars: Episode IX. I enjoyed Jurassic World so I'm happy with this choice (I'm more curious who will be writing the script. I know it was rumoured that Episode VIII's Rian Johnson would be doing a treatment for it), but I can't get excited for Episode IX when I've not even seen Episode VII yet!
The biggest Star Wars news of the day came from the first spin-off movie, Rogue One. After a brief introduction from director Gareth Edwards, the entire cast was revealed in the first cast photo;
Just from the photo you can tell the film will have a slightly darker tone than the Skywalker Saga movies. Taking place before the events of A New Hope the film will go "into new territory, exploring the galactic struggle from a ground-war perspective while maintain that essential Star Wars feel that fans have come to know."
As much as I love that first table read photo from The Force Awakens, this is a much cooler way to debut the cast! They look great, though I must admit I'm surprised at least one of them isn't an alien character. Overall an excellent way to start the ball rolling on the first non-Saga Star Wars movie!
Also interesting is the branding switch from Star Wars Anthology: Rogue One to Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. Personally I preferred the Anthology branding but as long as the movie is awesome the branding doesn't really matter!
The actual Force Awakens part of the panel was sadly disappointing. J.J. Abrams took to the stage along with cast members Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Lupita Nyong'O and Harrison Ford to reveal the exclusive D23 poster by Star Wars poster legend Drew Struzan;
Now, the poster looks amazing but, that's it? That was the "compelling" reveal? It's already been confirmed that it's not even the theatrical poster, it's a poster that was created to be given away at this panel. Maybe it uses elements from the theatrical poster (since I can't see them bringing Struzan out of retirement just to do a D23 give away) or maybe not. Essentially the reveal boils down to an event poster that shows Finn, at some point, has Luke's old lightsaber. Compared to everything else shown in the presentation it was a let down. The film closest to release showed the least. With Lupita Nyong'O on stage why not reveal Maz Kanata's finished look? With the Luke leak the other day why not get ahead of it and do an official reveal? (I actually felt really bad for Disney on that one and I'm trying my hardest to avoid it). I wasn't there, I can't speak for the atmosphere in the room or the energy levels of those on the panel, but based on the reveals it feels more like they showed up because they had to as part of the Disney family rather than because they wanted to promote the movie.
It's almost as if Disney felt the same because, rather than wait for the theme parks panel later in the day, they ended the live action panel with the incredible news that a Star Wars themed land would be coming to both Disneyland in California and Disney's Hollywood Studios in Florida in the largest themed expansion ever done in any Disney park!
If you've never been before or if you simply want to go back, there's your reason!
And the theme park news didn't end there! In the theme park panel it was revealed that in the new Star Wars land you'll travel to an all new planet where one attraction will thrust you into the middle of an epic battle between the Resistance and the First Order, whilst another will see you take control of Han Solo's iconic Millennium Falcon as you take on your very own, customised, secret mission.
Whilst these new lands are likely a few years away, the interactive Star Wars Launch Bay will be debuting in both parks later this year to take guests into the world of The Force Awakens and next year will see the debut of the new seasonal event, Season on the Force, where Disneyland's Space Mountain will be transformed into an X-Wing battle as Hyperspace Mountain and Hollywood Studios will debut a new weekend fireworks spectacular to the classic Star Wars score. And if that's not enough, Star Tours: The Adventure Continues will be adding new destinations based on the worlds of The Force Awakens!
Star Wars Land isn't the only thing that's coming to Florida's Hollywood Studios either! Not only is Toy Story Midway Mania getting an expansion (which is good, if you don't manage to get a fast pass the queue can be well over an hour even in the "slower" months), Toy Story is getting an entire land where you can enter Andy's back yard and join Woody and the gang with new attractions like a Slinky roller coaster!
Hollywood Studios isn't the only Florida park getting new attractions. Animal Kingdom's popular Kilimanjaro Safaris will be adding a Sunset Safari as the park beings offering new night time adventures next spring! Next spring will also see the opening of Rivers if Light, a new night time spectacular. I saw construction going on for this when I was in the park earlier this year and can't wait to see what the finished performance is like!! Also coming to Animal Kingdom, work is still ongoing on Pandora - The World of Avatar due to open in 2017 (you can see some great photos of the models that were on display all over social media).
But that's still not enough! Both Disneyland and Epcot will also see the popular Soarin' attraction upgraded to the new Soarin' Around the World. Soarin' is probably my favourite attraction at Epcot so I really can't wait to take this new flight!
Ok, I know that's a lot of theme park news but I love Disney and I'm (hopefully!) going again next year so I'm just incredibly excited about all these amazing new attractions! Disney World is getting a whole lot bigger!
Ok, that's the "Big 3" panels done but there were plenty of other highlights!
The Muppets had a panel promoting their new ABC show and it continues to look absolutely brilliant! I think it'll be between this and Supergirl for my favourite new show this Fall. It's the Muppets we all know and love but it feels fresh and contemporary. I'm really looking forward to seeing where they go with it (but I'm totally calling it now - Piggy and Kermit will be back together, maybe not this season but they will definitely get back together in the future).
Once Upon a Time had a panel promoting the upcoming 5th season (I'm so happy UK Netflix has picked this series up, it's easily in my top 5 shows) and a special tease of the opening of next season;
And there were also two panels looking back on childhood favourites (and reminding me how old I am!) as A Goofy Movie celebrated it's 20th Anniversary and, my personal favourite Disney movie, Aladdin had a special panel looking at the making of the animated classic and celebrating it's upcoming Diamond Edition Blu-Ray release.
Finally, what's one of the best things about Disney? The music of course!! And especially for D23 Disney Theatrical put together a special concert event featuring some of their original Broadway stars singing songs from all of their hit Broadway productions from Beauty and the Beast to Aladdin. Here's James Monroe Iglehart, who won a Tony Award for his portrayal of Genie, performing Aladdin's "Friend Like Me";
Ok, I know that's twice I've put a video of "Friend Like Me" in this post but James owns this song! He totally needs to be the Genie in the upcoming live action prequel!
But what would a D23 event be without some teases at the future? At the end of the concert Josh Strickland (Tarzan) and Ashley Brown (Mary Poppins) performed a song from Disney's next Broadway production;
Yes, it was inevitable, Frozen is going to Broadway.
I have to say, out of everything I've seen, Disney on Broadway's The Originals concert is my favourite thing from D23 and I would quite happily have missed the Live Action panel just to see both performances of this! There's several more videos on YouTube but sadly not the full concert (yet!).
Just from those few panels it looks like D23 is an amazing experience for any Disney fan and that's without even considering the show floor (which looks totally amazing!). I definitely have to stat saving up to go in 2017!!
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