D23 Expo - Day One Recap

Impressions, thoughts, and maybe a picture or two from day one of the D23 Expo in Anaheim:

Robert Iger's Opening Keynote

A great, big, beautiful commercial for Disney (not that the whole of the D23 Expo isn't anyway) with an opening video splash of all the elements in the Disney universe. Everyone had their favorites and the crowd showed its appreciation accordingly. "Alice in Wonderland" (Johnny Depp especially), "Lost," and "High School Musical" all drew generous shares of applause. The audience positively roared for "Tron Legacy," though. Anticipation is very high for the 2010 game geek movie release.

Iger was pleasant and professional and apologized to the crowd for a nearly half-hour late start. He blamed it on giving more time for all the attendees to be seated. You could argue it was about crowd control, but it also could've been an issue of attendance--the arena was only about 2/3 full.

He talked at length about the Disney legacy and how we all grew up with it. Iger even admitted that, as a child, he owned a Davy Crockett coonskin cap. Nice. He followed it up with a montage video of Walt and the entertainment world he created.

Iger's mention of Disney's recent acquisition of Marvel Entertainment drew a pretty good round of applause. Disney fans (this group, at least) seemed to be ok with Wolverine standing side by side with Mickey Mouse.

The highlight of the opening was the screening of the first half-hour of "The Princess and the Frog," Disney's return to 2D animation coming out on November 25th. The movie definitely has a "Little Mermaid"/"Beauty and the Beast" feel to it--and I mean that in the most positive way--telling the story of Tiana, a working class woman with dreams of running a high class restaurant in New Orleans, who has a curious encounter with a cursed frog-prince. The movie has an jazzy musical score that absolutely grabs you. "Friends on the Other Side," performed by the the film's voodoo-practicing villain, Doctor Facilier, is an absolute show stopper. Think "Oogie Boogie's Song" meets "Under the Sea." Disney's return to fairytale story telling is going to be a hit. As an added treat after the preview, Anika Noni Rose, the Tony Award winning actress who voices Tiana, performed music from the movie.

Disney Legends Ceremony

In a rare public ceremony, Disney inducted this year's Legends honorees. Among the highlights:

Bob Iger singling out 97-year old Legend Art Linkletter (inducted 2005). He still looked pretty spry.

The daughters of Leota Toombs Thomas accepting the award for their mom with a warm and sincere speech. Leota did so much more in her decades of service to Disney Imagineering than just be a head in a crystal ball.

Tony Anselmo accepting his Legends award with a Donald Duck pitch-perfect "Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy!"

Betty White jumping the gun before host Tom Bergeron and Bob Iger finished introducing her. Even better was her later admission that she still owns a Mickey Mouse doll from when she was a child. She's one of us.

Robin Williams marveling at how Disney animators kept pace with him during his brilliant voice work as the Genie in "Aladdin." Who knew you could ever squeeze Jack Nicholson and William F. Buckley into a Disney cartoon?

Security
It's tight, make no mistake. For the arena events (Bob Iger yesterday, Dick Cook today), when they say no cameras, recording devices or cell phones, they mean it. Bags are searched, electronic items must be checked and, oh yeah, you'll be wanded just to make sure you're not sneaking anything in. It makes for a tense situation, though. Can that many people be without their iPhones and Crackberries for three hours or more? Scary.

Most Pleasant Surprise: Richard Sherman

The piano on stage was a dead giveaway, but how nice to see songwriter Richard Sherman perform following a showing of "The Boys: The Sherman Brothers Story." The movie is a nostalgic and touching look at Disney's prolific musical team, who wrote "Chim Chim Cher-ee," "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious," "I Wanna Be Like You," "It's a Small World" and many, many more. The film focuses not only on Richard and Robert's songwriting successes, but also the decades-long strained personal relationship that leaves them virtually estranged from one another today. Richard performed some of their lesser-known songs, "Won't Be Long Until Christmas," "Your Heart Will Lead You Home," "The Ugly Bug Ball," and "River Song," but he couldn't resist reverting to the tried and true, leading the audience in a chorus of "It's a Small World." A terrific performance from a songwriter who, with his brother, doesn't get as much credit as he deserves for helping write the Great American Songbook.

I've got plenty more to share from the D23 Expo. On tap today is Dick Cook's Walt Disney Studios keynote--Nicolas Cage, Tim Burton and Robert Zemeckis will be paying a visit. Also slated is a screening of "Tron" with a sneak preview of "Tron Legacy," and look at the new "World of Color" nighttime water show headed to Disney's California Adventure next year.

See you real soon . . .

Tim

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What to See at D23 - Day One

In less than two weeks, Disney will kick off the first "Ultimate Disney Fan Experience" when it presents D23 Expo at the Anaheim Convention Center September 10-13. Disney has been teasing the Expo for weeks, releasing bits and pieces of information online and on various Twitter feeds. This week, they released the most detailed schedule of meet-and-greets, events and seminars yet (and they keep adding to it). Here's a look at what stands out on the opening day of the show:

Thursday, 9/10/09

10:00 a.m. - Bob Iger Presentation, D23 Arena
Disney's President and CEO will never be accused of being the most dynamic speaker, but give him his props. He righted the company's image after the fall of Michael Eisner, bought Pixar when it appeared to be lost forever, and made Disney an industry leader in Internet-based integration. He'll officially launch the D23 Expo with his opening keynote. Expect lots of video clips and maybe a few stars joining him on stage.

11:00 a.m. - Disney Legends Awards, D23 Arena
Attend the Iger keynote if only to get a good seat for this year's Disney Legends ceremony, just the third time in its 22-year history that it's been open to the public and the first time it's ever been held outside a Disney property. Disney Legends honors those who "best embody the Company's unique creative spirit, personified by its founder." This year's honorees have yet to be announced, but past Legends include Julie Andrews, Steve Martin, Dick Van Dyke, Annette Funicello, Dean Jones, Art Linkletter, Howard Ashman and Alan Menken.

1:00 p.m. - 'Beauty and the Beast' 3D Preview and Panel Discussion, Walt Disney Studios Theater
I'm not sold on the idea of converting 2D animated classics to 3D--if it ain't broke, don't fix it. Still, I saw B&B's opening "Belle" sequence in 3D at this year's National Association of Broadcasters show and it looked amazing. The clip is certain to be shown at this presentation, perhaps with other segments as well. Definitely worth a look.

2:00 p.m. - The World of Vintage Disney--In Color, Storytellers Theater
Regardless of the presentation, if it brings out Imagineer Tony Baxter, see it. Baxter has a long history with Disney and speaks heartfelt and passionate about his experiences. His theme park credits include Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Splash Mountain, Star Tours, and the Indiana Jones Adventure. At this session, he and Media Preservationist Ed Hobelman will show off early film footage of Disneyland in the 1950s and 60s. Don't miss it.

3:30 p.m. - Haunted Mansion: Sounds of Spooks and Music of the Macabre, Stage 23
Randy Thornton is Supervising Producer at Walt Disney Records and his work includes the impressive boxed sets "Walt Disney and the 1964 World's Fair" and "A Musical History of Disneyland." Honoring the Haunted Mansion's 40th birthday, he and engineer Jeff Sheridan will talk about the musical history of one of Disney's greatest attraction and the challenges and joys of compiling a new commemorative CD.

4:30 p.m. - An Afternoon With Imagineering Legends, Storytellers Theater
Last month, after over 50 years at Walt Disney Imagineering, Marty Sklar hung up his mouse ears and retired. At D23 Expo, he'll host a panel of Imagineering legends that will include X Atencio (Haunted Mansion, Pirates of the Caribbean), Alice Davis (It's a Small World, Pirates of the Caribbean), Blaine Gibson (Great Moments With Mr. Lincoln, Haunted Mansion, Enchanted Tiki Room) and Bob Gurr (Matterhorn, Submarine Voyage, Autopia). To quote Captain Barbossa, "There's not been a gatherin' like this one in our lifetime." Well, at least not at D23, anyway.

7:00 p.m. - 'the boys: the sherman brothers' story' Screening and Panel, Walt Disney Studios Theater
You'd be hard pressed to find a more prolific songwriting team than the brothers Robert and Richard Sherman--or a more dysfunctional one. Despite a musical partnership that produced "Chim Chim Cher-ee," "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious," "I Wanna Be Like You," and "It's a Small World," among others, "the boys," as Walt Disney referred to them, have barely spoken to each other in decades. This documentary looks at the musical talent that held them together professionally and the family politics that continues to keep them apart personally. The film was produced by their sons Jeffrey and Gregory Sherman, cousins who hardly knew each other until they were adults, and includes interviews with Julie Andrews, Dick Van Dyke, Angela Lansbury, Roy E. Disney and Alan Menken. A fascinating look at one of the little-known stories of Disney lore.

Those are my faves for opening day. In the coming days, I'll be taking a look at the other D23 Expo events being held through the weekend, plus celebrity appearances and the must-see pavilions at the show. Stay tuned . . .

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