Destination D23 Livestream Information and More

By Paula BrownWDW Blog
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Photo courtesy D23

Destination D23 will take place September 8-10 at Disney’s Contemporary Resort. The event is exclusively for D23 Gold Members and their guests, and it sold out in a matter of minutes. If you’re like me and didn’t get tickets, or you just want to follow along, Saturday, September 9 will be livestreamed. The Parks Panel will take place that morning, I’ll share a link when we’re closer to the date. Here’s the latest Destination D23 news, from D23.

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Celebrate 100 years of Disney and find the complete details about the biggest Disney fan event of the year, Destination D23 presented by Lug, below—including which panels will be livestreamed!

Please be advised: The event is currently sold out and all schedules, events, and merchandise are subject to change without notice. 

EXHIBITS

60 Years of Disney’s Audio-Animatronics® Technology Exhibit: The Walt Disney Archives and Walt Disney Imagineering join creative forces for a special exhibition at Destination D23 to celebrate the history of Audio-Animatronics technology. This exclusive exhibit will showcase the evolution of the art and its related technology through a diverse showcase of rare figural assets, photography, and vintage ephemera and documentation all in the name of celebrating key moments from Walt’s earliest inspirations and development to modern-day marvels.

SHOPPING

Attendees will be able to explore a completely transformed shopping experience, including Mickey’s of Glendale, fan-favorite brands at the Ink & Paint Marketplace, and—for the first time at Destination D23—The Walt Disney Company Store!

LIVESTREAM: SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 9

For one day only: Anyone who is unable to attend Destination D23 will be able to livestream all the magical announcements shared on Saturday, September 9, 2023. To watch the livestream, go to our YouTube or Facebook pages (@DisneyD23) or visit D23.com/DestinationD23.

PANELS AND PRESENTATIONS

Saturday, September 9, 2023

  • 9 A.M. – 9:15 A.M.: Destination D23 Welcome
  • 9:15 A.M. – 10:30 A.M.: A Celebration of Disney Parks, Experiences and Products: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow — Join Disney Parks, Experiences and Products Chairman Josh D’Amaro and special guests for an entertaining presentation looking to the future of Disney parks, featuring updates from around the world and some fun surprises along the way.
  • 10:45 A.M. – 10:55 A.M.: D23 Updates with Michael Vargo
  • 10:55 A.M. – 11:15 A.M.: The Early ’Ears – Ub, Oswald, and Mickey — Join Walt Disney Archives Director Becky Cline on a journey back to the roaring ’20s and the “Early ’Ears of Disney” during this retrospective conversation, featuring iconic characters like Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, Mickey Mouse, and the Legends behind them, like Ub Iwerks and Walt Disney.
  • 11:15 A.M. – 12 P.M.: 100 Years of Classic Characters: Unforgettable Stories — Actress and designer Ashley Eckstein catches up with fellow voice actors behind fan-favorite Disney characters, including Bret Iwan (Mickey Mouse), Kaitlyn Robrock (Minnie Mouse), and Disney Legend Bill Farmer (Pluto, Goofy), for a “table read” of iconic scenes spanning 100 years of Disney history.
  • 2 P.M. – 2:35 P.M.: National Geographic Live: Secrets of the Whales — Dive deep into the groundbreaking science of whale families—and their startlingly human parallels—through the awe-inspiring work of celebrated National Geographic Explorer and photographer Brian Skerry.
  • 2:35 P.M. – 3:15 P.M.: Disney Cruise Line: 25 Years of Innovative Design at Sea — Get an inside look into designing and building Disney Cruise Ships from the Disney Imagineers currently working on its newest fleet. Learn of the intricacies that go into designing unique spaces and the complexities of ship design.
  • 3:30 P.M. – 3:55 P.M.: Marvel’s Avengers: Beyond Earth’s Mightiest – Celebrating 60 Years — Celebrate 60 years of Earth’s Mightiest Super Hero team, the Avengers! Since their debut in 1963’s The Avengers #1, this all-star roster of beloved characters has been uniting to fight the foes that no single hero could withstand. Now, join Marvel Comics Editor-in-Chief C.B. Cebulski to trace the comics history of the Avengers across six decades—and BEYOND! Surprising stories and tantalizing teases await in this can’t-miss panel about how the Avengers rose to become a pop culture phenomenon! Avengers, assemble!
  • 3:55 P.M. – 4:20 P.M.: 100 Years of Innovation: Magic in Every Medium — At its core, The Walt Disney Company lives by its ability to “keep moving forward”, as curiosity leads us down new paths. Imagineers Daniel Joseph and Karin Hanson reconcile a century of innovations in which Disney stories have been brought to life through magic, connecting how they have been inspired by the innovations of yesterday, to the exciting ways they innovate through storytelling today.
  • 4:20 P.M. – 5 P.M.: EPCOT: Always in a State of Becoming — A look into the design and ideas behind the transformation of EPCOT and its new neighborhoods, attractions, and experiences. Explore the legacy of the park and discover more about the collaboration between Walt Disney Imagineering and Walt Disney World Resort throughout this ambitious process. Highlights include details uncovered by the Marty Sklar Archives and the inspirations that have guided the evolution of Disney’s first park without a castle.

Sunday, September 10, 2023

  • 9 A.M. – 10:30 A.M.: Walt Disney Studios Showcase — A sneak peek at exciting upcoming projects from The Walt Disney Studios!
  • 10:45 A.M. – 11:15 A.M.: 100 Years of Walt Disney Animation Studios — Becky Bresee and Wayne Unten, heads of animation on Walt Disney Animation Studios’ upcoming feature Wish, sit down with legendary animator Mark Hennto revisit some of their favorite filmmaking memories.
  • 11:15 A.M. – 11:25 A.M.: Disney Global Ambassador Showdown — Join Disney Parks Ambassadors from every Disney destination around the world, as we learn more about each of their home resorts and engage them in a friendly competition to see whose resort is the “best of the best!”
  • 11:25 A.M. – 12 P.M.: Weird Disney: Centennial Edition — Get weird with Becky Cline, Director of the Walt Disney Archives, and experience 100 years of “Weird Disney” moments in the centennial edition of a Destination D23 fan favorite!
  • 2 P.M. – 2:45 P.M.: The Road to 1923: Walt Goes West — Dial the clock back to the 1920s as Disney Legend Don Hahn and Walt Disney Archives Director Becky Cline provide new and fascinating insights into Walt Disney’s fabled journey that would lead him to join his brother Roy in California, where the two would establish the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio—the beginning of what is now The Walt Disney Company.
  • 2:45 P.M. – 3:15 P.M.: Down the Rabbit Hole: The Disney You Didn’t Know — Join Disney archivists and authors Kevin M. Kern and Steven Vagnini for a journey down the rabbit hole as they uncover astonishing Disney discoveries, connections, and little-known facts that will change everything—well, at least some things—you thought you knew about the Disney universe!
  • 3:15 P.M. – 3:45 P.M.: 100 Years of Creativity: A Playful Look at Disney Imagination — Join Imagineers Diego Parras and Jason Grandt for a decade-by-decade look at some of the more interesting and lighthearted moments of Disney creativity from the last 100 years.
  • 3:45 P.M. – 4 P.M.: See Ya Real Soon: A FAN-Tastic Finale
  • 7 P.M. – 9 P.M.: DISNEY+ HALLOWSTREAM COSTUME BASH — Enter the world of Hallowstream with Disney+, the streaming home of your favorite Halloween stories. With phantomized photo-ops, chilling treats, and spellbinding surprises, guests will find all their hearts’ desires in this lavish lair of scares.

Destination D23 presented by Lug is a D23 Gold Member exclusive event. Visit JoinD23.com to learn more about the benefits to a D23 Gold Membership, including the 2023 D23 Gold Member Collector Set, which features the Mickey Mouse “Leader of the Club” Milestone Statue; a quarterly subscription to the Disney twenty-three publication; exclusive discounts and offers; access to fan-centric events; and more!

About Lug: Founded in 2005 by Ami and Jason Richter, Lug’s unique silhouettes and thoughtful designs keep you organized throughout your day. Featuring fashionable bags and accessories in brilliant colors and novelty patterns, Lug provides solutions to everyday life with both function and fashion in mind—and soon, some extra magical Character! Learn more at http://www.luglife.com

Disney Rewards is the proud Platinum Sponsor of this year’s event. Learn how to make Disney dreams come true with your Disney® Visa® Credit Card from Chase at DisneyRewards.com.

For more information about other Destination D23 sponsors, visit D23.com/DestinationD23.