Disney Publishing

D23 EXPO 2022 Merchandise Info

21 June 2022 by Suzannah Otis Leave a Comment

I will admit, aside from the Walt Disney Archives exhibits and the show-stopping news we usually hear, the merchandise is a main draw for me at the D23 Expo, and 2022 will be no different. I love being able to shop at “Mickey’s of Glendale” with exclusive Imagineer items, as well as of course all of the other specialty items you can find only at the D23 Expo. Below is the scoop from D23 directly with all the news and how you can ensure you see all the merchandise there is to see at the D23 Expo:

For the ultimate Disney fans, D23 Expo 2022 will feature never-before-seen, limited-edition merchandise from across Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, National Geographic, and more. Author appearances, engaging panels with iconic Disney personalities, and interactive social moments on the show floor will give attendees a variety of ways to celebrate the magic of Disney and kick off 100 Years of Wonder. The Ultimate Fan Event, presented by Visa, takes place in Anaheim, Calif., from September 9 through 11, 2022.

WHERE TO SHOP

D23 EXPO MARKETPLACE: Debuting on the show floor this year is an all-new shopping experience, D23 Expo Marketplace. This 27,000-square-foot retail location offers merchandise from fan-favorite collections and characters across Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, National Geographic, and more, including limited-edition merchandise and the availability of the first items celebrating Disney’s 100th Anniversary. The D23 Expo Marketplace brings together the most exciting offerings from shopDisney, Disney store, and Disney Parks into one shopping destination for a wide assortment of curated brand collections, specialty items, and milestone anniversary collectibles.

MICKEY’S OF GLENDALE: Mickey’s of Glendale, the Walt Disney Imagineering store, will have three unique retail spaces for D23 Expo attendees to check out at the Anaheim Convention Center.
- Mickey’s of Glendale Main Store — Featuring merchandise designed by Imagineers, including hats, T-shirts, accessories, and more. Additionally, guests will have the opportunity to shop collections celebrating the upcoming Walt Disney Imagineering 70th Anniversary.
- Mickey’s of Glendale Pin Store — Disney pin enthusiasts will want to stop by this space, which will feature a large assortment of limited-edition pins.
- D23 Expo Shop x Mickey’s of Glendale — The Official Disney Fan Club and Mickey’s of Glendale have joined forces to bring you the official merchandise of D23 Expo 2022

DISNEY PUBLISHING: The shopping destination for Disney book fans returns this year with an array of exciting first-to-market books available for purchase. Disney Publishing continues its tradition of celebrating great storytelling by hosting a variety of authors behind well-loved Disney stories. Join these world-building creators for book signings within the booth, including Disney historian and 100 Disney Adventures of a Lifetime author Marcy Carriker Smothers, DisneyBound’s Leslie Kay, Shinji Takahashi and the Mark of the Coatl’s Julie Kagawa, and Cautionary Tales’ Ridley Pearson.

WHAT TO BUY

Jam-packed with gear for every fan, from nostalgic collectibles, to fun twists on beloved classics, to playful merchandise from the newest series, movies, and characters, D23 Expo is the best place for fans to discover their next favorite treasure. A few highlights include:

D23 Expo attendees will have the first opportunity to purchase items celebrating Disney100.
Inspired by the vibrant landscape of Wakanda, and brought to life on-screen in Black Panther, World of Wakanda merchandise from Marvel will debut at D23 Expo Marketplace and on shopDisney.
Guided by the Light, a new collection by Ashley Eckstein (Star Wars: The Clone Wars), is inspired by Ahsoka Tano’s strength amid darkness. The collection will also be available on shopDisney.

With the help of some magic, a new line of adorable plush inspired by tasty treats from Disney Parks Main Street Bakery will debut at D23 Expo: Disney Munchlings. These cute collectibles include a scented Mickey Mouse Cinnamon Swirl Bun and Minnie Mouse Wild Strawberry Cupcake. Disney Munchlings will also be available for purchase on shopDisney.

D23 Expo merchandise Munchlings — I know there is no image here, but I can’t wait to see what Munchlings look like!

HOW TO SHOP

A few ways for attendees to navigate the shopping experience with ease:

Virtual Queue: Attendees will be able to sign up for an available boarding group in a virtual queue for D23 Expo Marketplace, Mickey’s of Glendale Main Store, or Mickey’s of Glendale Pin Store by using the Disneyland Resort app and scanning a QR code located at the store’s entrance.
Merchandise Mobile Checkout: Pay for items from D23 Expo Marketplace, D23 Expo Shop x Mickey’s of Glendale, or Mickey’s of Glendale Main Store via the Disneyland Resort app to save time!
StorePass: To shop select limited-edition collection items, attendees will be able to reserve via StorePass, an online reservation system prior to the start of D23 Expo. Details on how to get a StorePass reservation will be announced later this summer.

INSPIRED BY STORIES: WHAT TO SEE

Throughout the weekend, Disney will give fans the chance to get the very latest in product innovations, listen to revered authors, and explore fashion trends through an array of content. Highlights include:

Women in Disney Fashion: Step into the minds of major Disney fashion icons as they share an exclusive look at their upcoming Disney collaborations.
It’s a Small Disney World: Celebrating the Art of Disney Parks: Ever wondered what it’s like to be an official Disney Parks artist? Disney will gather six artists to dive into their art, ideas for the future, and behind-the-scenes insights.
Cautionary Tales with the Disney Villains: The Imagination of Ridley Pearson: Cautionary Tales author Ridley Pearson and Walt Disney Archives Director Becky Cline will delight fans and spark creativity with insider Disney stories.
National Geographic’s 100 Disney Adventures of a Lifetime: From a dessert cruise with fireworks views to an exclusive dinner in Walt’s Disneyland apartment, discover one-of-a-kind magical Disney experiences in this memorable discussion with expert Marcy Carriker Smothers.
Hey Disney! — a custom voice assistant built on Amazon’s Alexa technology — will be highlighted on the D23 Expo show floor (stay tuned for more details). Whether at home or in a Walt Disney World Resort or Disneyland Resort hotel room, fans will be able to use an Echo device to interact with their favorite Disney, Star Wars, or Pixar characters.
On the Show Floor: Attendees can also check out activations from Visa, Amazon, Target, Aniplex, BoxLunch, Citizen, Enterprise, Funko / Loungefly, IMAX, Pandora, Ravensburger and Sunglass Hut, along with many others.

D23 Expo Guests should get ready to be wowed by the assortment of fan-favorite merchandise, books, clothing, and collectibles.

If you haven’t yet purchased tickets for the D23 Expo for 2022:

A limited number of single-day tickets for Sunday of D23 Expo 2022 are available for $99 for one-day adult admission and $79 for children ages 3–12. Gold Members of D23: The Official Disney Fan Club can purchase tickets for $89 for a one-day adult admission. Single-day Friday and Saturday tickets and three-day passes are sold out. For more information on tickets and D23 Expo 2022, visit D23Expo.com.

Schedule and talent are subject to change.

STAR WARS and related properties are trademarks and/or copyrights, in the United States and other countries, of Lucasfilm Ltd. and/or its affiliates. © & TM Lucasfilm Ltd.

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Disney Book Review: A Portrait of Walt Disney World: 50 Years of the Most Magical Place On Earth

27 October 2021 by Scott Otis Leave a Comment

A Portrait of Walt Disney World: 50 Years of the Most Magical Place On Earth

By Kevin Kern, Tim O’Day & Steven Vagnini

“The boys and girls of the world regard a visit to Walt Disney World … as a must in their lives. It’s a magnet, it’s a mecca for the dreams of youth and for the inspiration of mature people.” Herb Ryman, Disney Legend, Imagineer and artist

When famed Disney artist and then-retired Imagineer Herb Ryman spoke these profound words in 1982, just after the opening of the brand new masterpiece EPCOT Center, little did he know just how prophetic he was, with Walt Disney World since growing to gargantuan proportions, with four full-fledged theme parks, two epic water parks, a massive shopping and dining district, more than two dozen themed hotels, a campground, and more leisure and recreational activities than one can possibly imagine.

It was right around this time, with the shiny futuristic Spaceship Earth beckoning me, that this Orange County California boy of 12, then fully devoted to the only thing he possibly knew or cared about, Disneyland, became fully aware of the wonders of Walt Disney World, and set his mind on getting his family, some way, somehow, to take a summer family vacation to the Most Magical Place on Earth. I finally got that trip in May and June of 1984, and my life changed forevermore, and I knew I’d spend the rest of my life here, in the other Orange County, in the shadows of the very Cinderella Castle that Herb Ryman so beautifully designed years before.

For its 25th Anniversary in 1996, noted Disney historian and author Jeff Kurtti graced the world with his amazing quintessential history of Walt Disney World up to that point, Since the World Began: Walt Disney World – The First 25 Years, and it has held a prominent place on the center bookshelf of my vast Disney book collection, and I’ve turned to that book time and time again in my never ending research of Walt Disney World.

As the 50th Anniversary was growing closer, I was hoping the Company would once again turn to Jeff to write a Part Two, the 2nd 25 Years of Walt Disney World. Alas, that did not happen. But instead, we Disney fans were in for a treat! Not one, not two, but THREE!! fully qualified Disney historians were tapped to author the companion book of Disney World’s Golden Anniversary. When I saw the names attached to this project, I knew it was in the right hands.

Kevin Kern is a longtime Walt Disney Archivist and an accomplished Disney historian and writer; Tim O’Day is one of the foremost experts on Disney history and an amazing idea man who has worked on countless Disney special events; and my dear friend Steven Vagnini has been a constant champion of Disney heritage and history in his vast career with the Disney Archives, the official Disney fan club D23 and his current role in Walt Disney Imagineering.

And boy, oh boy… they did not disappoint.

This enormous 320-page volume is chock full of stories, nuggets, facts, quotes, photographs, captions, drawings, detailed renderings and top secret blueprints, current and historical, of all things Walt Disney World. Rather than the usual chronological format, the authors chose to organize the proceedings almost by using the famous Disneyland plaque “Here You Leave Today and Enter the World of Yesterday, Tomorrow and Fantasy” as their guide.

Before they get into that, though, the authors begin the book with a look at Disney’s history with the State of Florida, and the inner workings of the Company that led them to build their Resort destination there, as well as the purchase of the land tracts, and the massive construction project that turned the vast square mileage of swampland into The Most Magical Place on Earth. They detail the master plans of Project Florida, including the idea of EPCOT, the progress city of the future, that was initially planned for this land. There are extensive amounts of rare and never-before-seen photographs of the early planning stages and construction, with Walt surveying the Florida landscape just before his untimely passing in December 1966.

This section is followed by three short essays from some very important people, remembering their role in all of this, including: Dick Nunis, the former Chairman of Walt Disney Attractions and Disney Legend looking back at the vast job the Company had ahead of them to build and open this stupendous project; Debby Dane Browne, Walt Disney World’s first Ambassador, fondly recalling her early days at the Preview Center, becoming the first Ambassador and her memories of the Grand Opening of the Magic Kingdom and all of Walt Disney World; and Roy Patrick Disney, the grandson of Roy O. Disney, telling stories of his grandfather, who selflessly delayed his own retirement, literally spending the rest of his life to foresee and lead the Company to opening Walt’s greatest legacy, dying mere weeks after its Grand Opening.

This is where the meat and potatoes of the book begins, separating all the different Park areas, lands, attractions, shows and other bits of all of Walt Disney World into the four categories of Nostalgia (An Idealized Yesteryear), Fantasy (The Art of Make Believe), Discovery (Adventure and Exploration) and Tomorrow (A Step into the Future).

Nostalgia includes examinations of such things as Main Street U.S.A., Liberty Square, Frontierland, Hollywood Boulevard and the Grand Floridian Resort. The Fantasy chapter is where you’ll find Fantasyland (of course), Pandora: The World of Avatar, Galaxy’s Edge and Blizzard Beach.

Adventureland, Harambe, The Living Seas, major portions of World Showcase, Wilderness Lodge and much more can be found in the Discovery section. The pages of Tomorrow are where you’ll find stories on Tomorrowland, Spaceship Earth, Mission: SPACE, Contemporary Resort, and such unique concepts as transportation, solar energy, the utilidors and much more.

This is such a fun way to categorize all the distinctive individual ideas that make up the entire 50 year history of Walt Disney World, all with comprehensive quotes, captions and researched and notated footnotes (there are separate bibliographic and endnotes listings for the text, the captions and the quotes found throughout the chapters).

I very much enjoyed reading this incredible historical volume, and inspecting all the amazing images found within, examining the details of things I thought I knew so well. I recommend you take a closer look at this book by clicking the image below, or stopping by your local independent bookseller to pick up your own personal copy!

What a way to celebrate 50 years of the Most Magical Place on Earth! Thank you, Kevin, Tim and Steven! Also thank you to Disney Publishing for providing us this book for review. As always, our thoughts and opinions are our own.

There are quite a few other books that Disney has released for the Walt Disney World 50th celebration. I’ll link them here: (these are Amazon affiliate links, with a very small portion of the purchase going back to the site – we appreciate your support!)

You can see Scott’s previous reviews here, and we also discuss and review A Portrait of Walt Disney World and others on one of our Up the Waterfall weekly LIVE shows (we have quite a few book discussions there so check them out and subscribe for more!):

https://youtu.be/5KqFR2AdXHA

Book Review: The Art of the Disney Golden Books

5 September 2014 by Suzannah Otis Leave a Comment

Zannaland readers are in for a treat, as I’ve finally recruited one of the utmost authorities on Disney books from fact to fiction, from comics to concept art – Scott Otis (or @otisney to some), to share his thoughts in the form of book reviews for us here. Maybe we’ll eventually get him to give us his top 41 Disney Books of All Time too! Please welcome him and enjoy his first review below:

There is more treasure in books than in all the pirates’ loot on Treasure Island and at the bottom of the Spanish Main… and best of all, you can enjoy these riches every day of your life. — Walt Disney

Hello! My name is Scott and I love books, especially Disney books. So, I’ve decided to start reviewing some of them here. I have an extensive Disney library and hopefully I will be able to write many book reviews for you to enjoy here both from my existing collection and new releases, and hopefully it might influence you to expand your personal Disney library as well. Happy reading!

The Big Little (Golden) Book of Pictures – The Art of the Disney Golden Books by Charles Solomon

There were images in the Little Golden Books I was living in, in the backseat of our car on the way to the grocery store. I would dive in and live there, and it felt good. Even if I couldn’t read then — and I was looking at those books long before I could read — they contained amazing worlds. They were warm, inviting, and delicious. I loved them.

— Chris Sanders, Lilo & Stitch writer-director

When I saw that Disney was going to release a book about the history and the art of the Disney Golden Books, I was incredibly intrigued. Just when I thought Disney had written a book about every possible topic, here comes another one about something I had never even considered. I grew up reading Golden Books just like any other kid of my generation, I would assume. So, I remember fondly times in my childhood where my mother would read me shortened versions of some of Disney’s finest movies and stories through the Disney Golden Books. Peter Pan, Alice in Wonderland, the Uncle Remus Stories, Cinderella and Dumbo were some of the ones I remembered the most from my childhood.

Especially the gorgeous pictures and vibrant colors. They weren’t exactly like the scenes from the movies, but close enough, and beautiful in their own way. So, it comes as no surprise that the pictures and story art are the standout stars of this book. Its 160 pages are jam-packed with exquisite examples of some of the finest artwork put out by the Disney Studios and by some of its greatest artists.

Walt Disney’s favorite artist Mary Blair is well-represented here, as she should be. Her artwork stands out with its unique interpretations and bright colors. And it’s wonderful to see the dynamic work of such storied Disney legends as, John Hench, Bill Justice, Joe Grant, Bill Peet, Gustaf Tenggren, and Martin and Alice Provensen displayed on the book’s oversized pages.

Mary Blair, 1944. Note her take on Tinker Bell and the Darling children (9 years before the release of Peter Pan) and Lady (11 years before the release of Lady and the Tramp) and Mole (5 years before the release of The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad)

The Art of the Disney Golden Books is spread through seven chapters: History, Art & Artists, Memories, Influences, Creations, Discoveries and Legacy. It begins with a history of Disney’s long, symbiotic relationship with the Golden Books and the companies that have published them. It then describes many of the Golden Books artists accompanied by fine examples of their work. The next few chapters include many stories and memories from the animation industry’s finest artists, as well as some of the artists that illustrate today’s Disney Golden Books.

Yes, it’s quite amazing that even today, Disney Golden Books are still being produced and subsequently loved by the newest generation of children. With the recent acquisition of Pixar, all of its wonderful stories are being interpreted into Little Golden Books. And all of Disney’s recent successes from Tangled, Wreck-It Ralph and the incredibly popular Frozen have become Little Golden books too. Overall, I very much enjoyed The Art of the Disney Golden Books. The writing was a little clunky and jumped from artist to artist with little transition, but it effectively told the story of Disney’s Golden Books, a story that I wasn’t previously aware of. And I’m very grateful for it. As I said, the art is the true star here and the book is worth getting just for that. The book is available now in stores and Disney Parks:

Have you all seen this book? What are your thoughts? Do you have a set of Disney Golden books for you or your children? I’d love to hear any stories you may have. And, if you have any recommendations for future book reviews, please let me know.

NEWS: Disney Launches a Facebook App-Disney BookMarker-Cast Your Friends as Characters!

11 June 2010 by Suzannah Otis Leave a Comment

Disney Publishing is asking Disney fans the question – “Have you ever wished you could tag your friends as Snow White or Woody?” Well now you can! They’ve just launched a Facebook application entitled “Disney Bookmarker” that allows Facebook users to “cast” their Facebook friends as their favorite Disney characters.

Facebook users can cast their friends as their favorite Disney characters from:

Toy Story
Finding Nemo
Cars
Alice in Wonderland
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
The Little Mermaid
Beauty and the Beast

Disney characters create emotions not only for kids, but also for parents. Now parents and adult Disney fans have the opportunity to tag their friends in a photo of the characters together. Have a friend that always reminds you of Dory? Or an Aunt that reminds you of Ariel? Now you can share that with all your Facebook friends and family.

Nemo DisneyBookmarker — Cast your own Nemo story book among your Facebook friends.

Facebook users will receive a 7-day free trial of Disney Digital Books (DDB) for using the application. DDB is a comprehensive library of over 600 children’s books online. Children will find favorites from popular Disney themes, such as Mickey Mouse, Winnie the Pooh, Toy Story, Disney Princess, Cars, and Hannah Montana, along with many other classic Disney stories.

To access the Disney Bookmarker app directly, use this link: http://apps.facebook.com/disneybookmarker/