The weekend of D23, the biggest Disney fan convention in the world, is kicking off tomorrow. We will be here for the event reporting the major D23 announcements we expect from the Disney Parks as they come in this weekend!
This evening, we heard some commentary from Bruce Vaughan, Chief Creative Officer of Walt Disney Imagineering, who offered a very optimistic take on the weekend's announcements that have our hopes high. We also got a glimpse at some of the talent and magic behind Imagineering's recent and current projects, including a new look at the upcoming e-ticket Avengers Campus ride, the Haunted Mansion bar coming to the Disney Treasure, and a new model of Disney Adventure World that Walt Disney Studios Paris will transform into. Keep reading for more details and a photo tour around the pavilion!
We also had an early look today at some of the D23 merchandise you'll find at the event, including offerings inspired by Star Tours, Disneyland's 70th anniversary, Haunted Mansion, and more. See everything you need to know about the D23 Expo and its offerings here.
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A Look at the “Imagineering: Behind the Dreams” Pavilion
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We got to see a glimpse of the creative process behind some exciting recent and current projects at the “Imagineering: Behind the Dreams” pavilion as part of a media preview night for D23.
The pavilion functioned as something like an Imagineering Open House, with the venue divided into the four quadrants “invent,” “build,” “entertain,” and “design,” with different Imagineers talking about different projects at center stage. The space showcases models, interactive demos, and more.
There are a couple of hidden rooms that will be opened on Sunday morning after the big announcements are made at the Disney Experiences Showcase on Saturday night revealing future projects.
In the “Invent” section, we got a glimpse of some of the latest innovations including these cute BDX droids that appeared at Galaxy's Edge at Disneyland as part of Season of the Force.
Also in the “Invent” section was a look at the cool HoloTile floor, the world's first multi-person, omni-directional, modular, expandable, treadmill floor, demonstrated by Lanny Smoot, who was recently inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame. Using the HoloTile, people can have a shared virtual reality experience and walk an unlimited distance in any direction without running into each other or falling off.
We have been eagerly waiting for news on the E-ticket ride that will be coming to Avengers Campus, and we most recently got a glimpse of the concept art for the attraction's ride vehicle. In the “Design” section of the pavilion, we got a look at the model for the ride vehicle below:
Here is a new look at King Thanos, a version of the infamous villain the Avengers will be fighting in this “multi-world experience.” We anticipate we will know a lot more about the ride and its concept after the announcements this weekend.
In the “Design” section, visitors can see how Interior Designers use mood boards, sketches, and more to come up with ideas for Disney Cruise Line ships.
Here is a poster for the highly-anticipated Haunted Mansion bar that will be coming to the Disney Treasure!
See a display with more design details of the Haunted Mansion bar. The project team put together concept art, fabrics, and maquettes that have shaped the design of the parlor.
Here is a display giving a glimpse into the interior design for the cruise ships including the Disney Destiny, Disney Cruise Line's newest heroes and villains-themed ship that will be setting sail in 2025.
Here is a look at the display for Tiana's Bayou Adventure. The ride recently opened at Disney World and we are hoping for an opening date for Disneyland during the announcements this weekend.
And a model of Fairy Tinker Bell's Busy Buggies from Tokyo DisneySea's newly opened Fantasy Springs:
Here is a glimpse at the new Disney Adventure World that Walt Disney Studios Paris will be reimagined into.
See a closer look at the Disney Adventure World model below!
Here is a look at costume development from Disney Live Entertainment. You can see the various steps of how Minne's new Disneyland Halloween outfit for this year was created.
See a look at the development of the Elsa animatronic for the new Frozen attraction in Tokyo DisneySea.
Stay tuned here for more from D23 this weekend as we bring you more…
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