D23: The Official Disney Fan Club, also known as Disney D23 or simply D23, is the official fan club for The Walt Disney Company. Founded in 2009, the organization is known mainly for its biennial[2] exposition event, D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event (previously known as the D23 Expo). The name D23 refers to D for Disney and 23 for 1923, which is the year Walt Disney founded the company.[3]
Membership is in two levels: free and gold.[4] Membership includes Disney twenty-three (a quarterly publication), yearly gifts, events, exclusive merchandise offers, and discount and early access to the D23 Expo fan convention.[5]
History
Bob Iger introduced D23 on March 10, 2009, during the company's annual meeting.[3][5][6] D23 had a booth at San Diego Comic-Con in 2009 and held the first D23 Expo from September 10 to 13, 2009.[3] In March 2010, D23 announced that the expo would be biennial instead of annual, and Destination D events would be held in the off year.[2] In February 2013, the Walt Disney Company Japan announced the first D23 Expo Japan would be held from October 12 to 14, 2013.[7]
Steven Clark stepped down as head of D23 in late September 2013. In January 2014, Adam Sanderson took over as Senior Vice President, Corporate Communications with oversight of the Disney Archives.[4][9] At the November 21, 2014, weekend event, Destination D, Sanderson indicated that the silver level of membership was being discontinued.[4]
In October 2018, Disney Cruise Line began showing Disney at Sea with D23, a 30-minute entertainment news show that covers the many Disney subsidiaries with input from D23, starting with the ship Disney Wonder.[10]
Destination D (2010–present) a smaller biennial event alternating with the Expo.
Disneyland '55 (September 24 and 25, 2010) Disneyland Hotel's Grand Ballroom[2]
Attraction Rewind (November 21–23, 2014) Disney's Contemporary Resort; Mickey's of Glendale (the Walt Disney Imagineering store located at their Grand Central Creative Campus HQ) pop-up shop and Treasures of Walt Disney Archives, containing Disney Parks collectibles and memorabilia and New York World's Fair Disney collectibles; Tomorrowland sneak peek[4]
Advance screening
Disney studio lot screening of past animated films with panel discussion
Lunch with a Legend (2014–present)
D23 Day: Walt Disney Studios and Archives members tours held three times a year
Member VIP studio tours (2015) available to Gold members and are during the work week and include a Disney Legend lunch and a unique VIP gift
Light Up the Season (2015) original an annual event for employees to mark the start of the holiday season, D23 members have their own version on the studio lot which consists of carols, cocoa, and a tree lighting.
Member Night at Newsies—On Tour (2015–present)[11]
Behind-The-Scenes Experiences (2015–present)
Member mixers at Disney stores, 2nd time in 2016, member only mornings of shopping, discounts, games and goodies
The New York Times has called the expo "both awe-inspiring and terrifying to witness because it showcases how deeply the company's products, mythmaking and characters are woven into the cultural fabric."[14]
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.[15] 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.
As announced at the annual shareholders meeting in 2010, the D23 Expo did not return in 2010, but appeared at the Anaheim Convention Center from August 19 to 21, 2011. A then-new event called "Destination D" was held at the Disneyland Hotel ballroom in Anaheim, California from September 24 to 25, 2010. Each year Destination D would have a new theme, with the 2010 event's theme being "Disneyland '55." It is likely that these events would alternate each year.[19]
2011
Destination D: Walt Disney World 40th
The Destination D event was held from May 14 to 15, 2011, at Disney's Contemporary Resort at Walt Disney World Resort, in honor of Walt Disney World's 40th anniversary.
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,[23] where guests could buy Disney Collectibles and connect with the Disneyana Fan Club,[24] Mouse Planet,[25] Mice Chat,[26]Hidden Mickey author Nancy Temple Rodrigue, and artist Brian Rood with his one-of-a-kind The Rocketeer.[23][27]
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.[32]
Destination D: 75 Years of Disney Animated Features
The Destination D event was held from August 11 to 12, 2012, at the Disneyland Hotel ballroom in Anaheim, California, to celebrate 75 years of Disney Animated features, which is an unprecedented celebration of the art, storytelling, music, voices, imagination, and innovation of Disney's benchmark films.
The first D23 Expo Japan was held from October 12 to 14, 2013, in the Maihama area at the Tokyo Disney Resort. This expo celebrated multiple anniversaries, 90th anniversary of the company, Tokyo Disney Resort's 30th, Disney Channel's 10th, Disney Mobile's fifth, the Disney–JCB Card's fifth and Dlife's first.[7] This was the first time that a Disney fan event took place in Japan.
2014
Destination D: Attraction Rewind
The Destination D event was held from November 22 to 23, 2014, at Disney's Contemporary Resort at Walt Disney World Resort.
The first Destination D23 virtual event was held from November 16 to 20, 2020, online. The full lineup of virtual events and presentation has been announced for the D23 Fantastic Worlds Celebration, which has gone digital due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
2021
Destination D23: A Fan-Tastic Disney Celebration
The Destination D23 event was held from November 19 to 21, 2021, at Disney's Contemporary Resort at Walt Disney World Resort and on online, which is part of Walt Disney World Resort's 50th anniversary celebration.
The Destination D23 event was held from September 8 to 10, 2023, at Disney's Contemporary Resort at Walt Disney World Resort and on online, which is part of The Walt Disney Company's 100th anniversary celebration.
2024
The eighth D23 fan event was held from August 9 to 11, 2024, at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, California.[58] 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 the 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 the Honda Center.[59]
The first D23 Brazil was held from November 8 to 10, 2024, at Transamérica Expo Center in São Paulo, Brazil. On January 11, 2024, during the 2024 Consumer Electronics Show, Disney announced that the event would be going global, with D23 heading to São Paulo, Brazil, in November of that year. This was the first time that a Disney convention was held in Brazil.[62][63][64]
2025
Destination D23: A Journey Around The Worlds of Disney
The Destination D23 event is scheduled to be held from August 29 to 31, 2025, at Disney's Coronado Springs Resort at Walt Disney World Resort and it will be double the size from the previous events.[65][66]