The Ultimate Disney Fan Event is biennial • Walt Disney Archives curated exhibit • Fan art contest (2013–present)
2009 D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Experience The first D23 Expo was held at the
Anaheim Convention Center in
Anaheim, California from September 10 to 13, 2009. It featured pavilions from
Walt Disney Imagineering, showcasing models and tests for future attractions,
Corporate Responsibility, which feature a
photo op, as well as projects for overseas troops and homeless shelters,
Disney Consumer Products, showing the many products being sold by Disney within the next few years, a Disney Dream Store, costumes and props from the Walt Disney Archives, a Collectors Forum, where people from all over the country showcased and sold memorabilia. Events were held in the D23 Arena, Stage 23, Storytellers Theatre, and Walt Disney Studios Theatre. Many future projects were announced, including an expansion of
Fantasyland at the
Magic Kingdom, an
extensive re-hauling of
Star Tours for
Disneyland and
Disney's Hollywood Studios, a film based on the Beatles'
Yellow Submarine,
Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides being revealed as the title for the fourth film in the
Pirates of the Caribbean franchise with a "Summer 2011" release, a new
Muppet film, as well as clips and sneak previews promoting projects such as
Prep & Landing,
Tangled,
Beauty and the Beast in
3-D, a set of viral Muppet videos, and a film series with
Guillermo del Toro. Celebrity appearances included
John Travolta,
Nicolas Cage,
Patricia Heaton,
Kelsey Grammer,
Tim Burton,
Selena Gomez,
Donny Osmond,
Tom Bergeron,
Kym Johnson,
Betty White,
Robin Williams,
Joseph Fiennes,
Johnny Depp (as
Captain Jack Sparrow), as well as live performances by
Miley Cyrus,
Honor Society, and
The Muppets.
2011 D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event booth in the Collectors Forum of D23 Expo 2011 The D23 Expo returned for a second time at the
Anaheim Convention Center in
Anaheim, California from August 19 to 21, 2011. The Treasures of the Walt Disney Archives has expanded by since the Inaugural D23 Expo. The show floor also featured a new pavilion, similar to the
Walt Disney Imagineering pavilion from D23 Expo 2009,
Walt Disney Parks and Resorts's Carousel of Projects which shows the highlights of the developing projects coming soon in
Disney Parks around the world. Shopping opportunities included the D23 Expo Dream Store returning from the inaugural Expo. Other D23 Expo-exclusive stores included Mickey's of Glendale from
Walt Disney Imagineering headquarters in
Glendale, California and the Walt Disney Archives Treasure Trove from the Walt Disney Archives in
Burbank, California. Other stores include A Small World Village and a
Disney Store in the Disney Living Pavilion. Another popular area was the Collectors Forum, where guests could buy Disney Collectibles and connect with the
Disneyana Fan Club, Mouse Planet, Mice Chat,
Hidden Mickey author Nancy Temple Rodrigue, and artist Brian Rood with his one-of-a-kind
The Rocketeer. Events took place at the D23 Arena, Stage 23, Stage 28, the "red carpet" at the Talent Round-Up area, Storytellers Stage at the Disney Living pavilion, and at the
Disney Channel/
Radio Disney stage. The Disney Channel stage held performances from
Coco Jones,
China Anne McClain, a first look for Radio Disney's
N.B.T. (Next Big Thing), and a karate exhibition from
Leo Howard. Guests also had the chance to meet and greet the cast of
Good Luck Charlie,
Jake and the Never Land Pirates and The Never Land Band,
Lemonade Mouth,
So Random!,
Phineas and Ferb, ''
Kickin' It, Fish Hooks, A.N.T. Farm, Handy Manny, Special Agent Oso, Pair of Kings, and Shake it Up''. Stage 23 hosted many events involving sneak peeks to projects from
Walt Disney Studios and
ABC Studios including
The Avengers,
The Muppets,
Brave,
Monsters University,
Once Upon a Time, and
Prep & Landing: Naughty vs. Nice, and the celebration for the 25th Anniversary of
Pixar. Stage 28 hosted
Walt Disney Imagineering panels for the
Disney Cruise Line,
Cars Land,
Buena Vista Street,
Star Tours: The Adventures Continue,
The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Undersea Adventure, "The Voices of the Parks", and vintage photos and videos of
Disneyland and
Walt Disney World. The first rounds of the UDTT were held on August 18, 2011 (one day before the D23 Expo), which narrowed from thousands to one hundred and from one hundred to 20. It was hosted by
Dan Roebuck (guest starred in
Lost and
Wizards of Waverly Place) who narrowed down the final round from 20 people to 3. After two full days of trivia questions, John Kurowski was declared the winner of the inaugural Ultimate Disney Fan Trivia Tournament. His name was engraved on a
Ludwig Von Drake trophy which was preserved in the Walt Disney Archives. Kurowski also won a preview cruise on the
Disney Cruise Line's
Disney Fantasy ship which set sail to the public in 2012. The D23 Arena hosted many milestone events only at the D23 Expo. This was the second time that the
Disney Legends ceremony had taken place in front of guests at the D23 Expo; it had originally been held at the
Walt Disney Studios in Burbank. At the expo, the company honored 12 people who contributed to
The Walt Disney Company. This included
Jodi Benson, Barton Boyd,
Jim Henson,
Linda Larkin,
Paige O'Hara,
Regis Philbin,
Anika Noni Rose,
Lea Salonga,
Ray Watson,
Guy Williams, and Jack and Bonita Wrather.
2013 The D23 Expo returned for a third time from August 9 to 11, 2013, at the
Anaheim Convention Center. Disney officials later estimated attendance to be around 65,000.
Walt Disney Studios presented exclusive looks at live-action films including
Saving Mr. Banks,
Maleficent,
Muppets Most Wanted,
Tomorrowland, and
Thor: The Dark World, as well as animated productions such as
The Good Dinosaur,
Frozen,
Party Central,
Get A Horse!,
Finding Dory, and
Inside Out.
Lucasfilm had its first appearance at the expo with the panel "Crash Course in the Force:
Star Wars Saga 101" hosted by
Pablo Hidalgo.
Walt Disney Parks and Resorts showcased pavilions relating to
Avatar Land, future
Star Wars attractions, Marvel's Avengers Academy on the
Disney Magic,
Disney Springs, and
Shanghai Disneyland.
2015 The fourth D23 Expo was held from August 14 to 16, 2015, at the
Anaheim Convention Center in
Anaheim, California.
Pixar and
Walt Disney Animation Studios presented first looks of
The Good Dinosaur,
Finding Dory,
Zootopia,
Moana,
Toy Story 4, and
Coco.
Marvel Studios presented footage from
Captain America: Civil War and concept art from
Doctor Strange, while
Lucasfilm presented a look at
Star Wars: The Force Awakens.
Walt Disney Pictures showcased
Alice Through the Looking Glass,
The Jungle Book,
Beauty and the Beast,
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, ''
Pete's Dragon, The Finest Hours, and Queen of Katwe. In addition, the logos for Incredibles 2 and Cars 3 were revealed. Disney Interactive held presentations on several video games, namely Star Wars: Battlefront, Disney Infinity 3.0, and Kingdom Hearts III. The presentations featured new in-game footage, trailers, and reveals. The presentations also included surprise announcements and special guests. At the conclusion of the Walt Disney Studios presentation, Bob Iger made a surprise announcement that Disney was developing a new Star Wars'' themed land for both
Disneyland and
Disney's Hollywood Studios. Additional presentations included "Disney on Broadway: The Originals" celebrating the stage adaptations of Disney films by
Disney Theatrical Productions, "
FROZEN FANdemonium – A Musical Celebration!" which celebrated the music of
Frozen, and a celebration of the 20th anniversary of the release of
Toy Story.
2017 The fifth D23 Expo was held from July 14 to 16, 2017, at the
Anaheim Convention Center in
Anaheim, California.
2019 The sixth D23 Expo was held from August 23 to 25, 2019, at the
Anaheim Convention Center in
Anaheim, California.
Pixar and
Walt Disney Animation Studios presented extended looks at
Frozen 2,
Onward,
Soul, and announced
Raya and the Last Dragon.
Marvel Studios presented first looks at
Black Widow,
Eternals, and announced
Moon Knight,
Ms. Marvel,
She-Hulk, and
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.
Lucasfilm presented a behind-the-scenes preview at
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. Finally,
Walt Disney Pictures presented first looks at the live-action remake of
Mulan, an extended clip of
Maleficent: Mistress of Evil,
Jungle Cruise, and the live-action prequel
Cruella. This expo also marked the first time that Disney showcased projects from
20th Century Fox, with clips of upcoming films from
Ford v Ferrari,
Spies in Disguise, and ''
The King's Man''.
Alan Horn stated that they were not going to announce anything about Fox at the expo, but also noted that more news about Fox would be forthcoming in the future.
2022 The seventh D23 Expo was held from September 9 to 11, 2022, at the
Anaheim Convention Center in
Anaheim, California. The event was originally expected to be scheduled for 2021, but was pushed back a year due to the
COVID-19 pandemic in the United States. D23 Expo 2022 saw the debut of the
new production logo of
Walt Disney Pictures, created by the Disney Studios Content and
Industrial Light & Magic and accompanied by a new arrangement of "
When You Wish Upon a Star" composed by
Christophe Beck and conducted by
Tim Davies.
Pixar and
Walt Disney Animation Studios presented a first look at
Elemental and
Strange World, and also announced
Inside Out 2,
Elio, and
Wish. Walt Disney Pictures presented first looks at
The Little Mermaid,
Peter Pan & Wendy,
Disenchanted,
Snow White, and
Haunted Mansion, and also announced
Mufasa: The Lion King.
Marvel Studios announced
Werewolf by Night and presented exclusive looks at
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,
Ironheart,
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania,
Loki,
Echo,
Secret Invasion, and
The Marvels.
Lucasfilm presented an exclusive first look at
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny along with trailers for
Tales of the Jedi,
The Mandalorian, and
Willow.
20th Century Studios announced an ''Assassin's Creed
TV series for Netflix and presented a first look at new scenes from Avatar: The Way of Water. Disney Branded Television presented first looks at multiple shows, including upcoming Disney+ exclusives American Born Chinese, The Muppets Mayhem, and Percy Jackson and the Olympians. Disney also presented panels and exhibits on "Disney100", the then-upcoming yearlong celebration of the 100th anniversary of the company, as well as a "Celebration of Encanto" and a Disney Princess concert featuring Susan Egan and Anneliese van der Pol. The New York Times
estimated attendance for the 2022 expo at around 140,000 people. Disney dropped the word "Expo", resulting in the name "D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event". On August 8, the D23 kickoff celebration took place at Disneyland Resort. From August 9 to 11, shopping pop-ups, exhibits, panels, and presentations were held at the Anaheim Convention Center during the day, and then the largest marquee shows were held at Honda Center in the evening: the Disney Entertainment Showcase (August 9), the Disney Experiences Showcase (August 10), and the Disney Legends Ceremony (August 11). The Guardian'' noted that the prices of three-day tickets for the event started at just under $300 and went up to $2,599 for the best seats at Honda Center. Part of the Disney Experiences showcase was viewable in-game on
Fortnite and showed a trailer
for the next Battle Royale season featuring
Doctor Doom.
2026 The ninth D23 fan event will be held from August 14 to 16, 2026, at the
Anaheim Convention Center, and
Honda Center in
Anaheim, California. The event will also see the return of D23 Day at
Angel Stadium (on August 12) and at Disneyland (on August 13). ==D23 Japan (formerly D23 Expo)==