I’m Back

After over a year away, I have decided to return to the blogging world.  I have gotten very excited about some of the amazing new things coming from The Walt Disney Company that I just had to share my opinion, despite the fact it has no value.  So with that being said…

The D23 Expo is only 136 days away, and I thought I would share the 5 things I am interested in seeing at the 2nd Not-So-Annual D23 Expo.

  1. New Faces: Since the last time Disneydom gathered at the Anaheim Convention Center, the leaders of 3 out of the 5 buisness units that comprise Disney have changed.  I am looking forward to seeing how Tom Staggs, Rich Ross, John Pleasants, and James Pitaro make their first impression with Disney fans.  How Dick Cook WOWed D23 a few days before he “retired” is the stuff of legend.  It will be interesting if any of these new executives can make the same impact (but stay employed).
  2. Animation: With Reboot Ralph being just over a year away, will we get any glimpse of the state of the Disney Animation Studios?  Bloggers have discussed how Reboot Ralph will be the first feature developed from the ground up since the new regime has taken over.  Will it overperform like Tangled or will it be more like Princess and the Frog. 
  3. Marvel: In many ways, the D23 Expo is modeled after a comic convention.  And since the last Expo, Disney has finalized the acquasition of an actual comic company.  With Comic-Con being just a month before, I presume Marvel will unveil most of their upcoming initatives with their loyal fan base.  That being said, I want to see how much of a part Marvel plays in the dialogue.  With Avengers being the first Marvel film being distributed by Disney and Disney XD launching more Marvel programming they should have a pressence at the Expo.  One of the things I loved about the last Expo was ABC’s pressence.  Disney fans were exposed to a part of the company that they might not be as familiar with, but is still a part of the family.  I would love for some Disney fans to cross over to Marvel as they might notice some similiarity in the way both brands opperate. 
  4. Shaghai:  One of the great things about the Expo last time was getting info on the three new lands being added to Hong Kong Disneyland.  I got to talk to Imagineers about a project I might not get to see in person for quite some time.  I hope the same is true with info about Shanghai Disneyland.  While still in development, it would be great to get my head around a development that I won’t have access to for a while.
  5. The Sleeper: Prep & Landing won me over at the 2009 D23 Expo.  I am curious as to what will be the surprise that I discover while going to a presentation or roaming the show floor.  I never know where I might discover a piece of the magic that is unexpectedly endearing. 

Quick Takes:

Parks and Resorts: The NGE train keeps on chugging down the tracks, with the long rumored enhancments to the Hitchhiking Ghosts being unveiled.  Check out LP’s video here.

Studio Entertainment: The recently named, Monsters University is being pushed back to 6/21/13.  Disney Animation Studio’s Reboot Ralph will take MU’s release date of 11/2/12.

Media Networks: Radio Disney has started their 15th Birthday Celebration.  (WOW I am getting old).  The celebration continues on Friday, April 8 at 3pm PT/ 6pm ET when Greyson Chance and Cody Simpson take over with Ernie D.  If you know who those two young men are, you are probably the same age as Radio Disney.

Consumer Products: In an example of Marvel integration, Disney has taken over running Marvelstore.com You can tell because it looks a lot like DisneyStore.com  Expect to see a lot more attention put on this site as we get closer to the summer.

Interactive Media: Disney will be releasing video-game tie-ins with the Phineas and Ferb DCOM.  Phineas and Ferb: Across the 2nd Demension will be available for the Wii, DS, and PS3.  The PS3 version supports Playstation Move. 

Marvel: Marvel announced that Steve Rodgers will be returning as Captain America with a relaunch in July.  Basically, they are trying to make sure the comic is accessible to folks that see the movie and want to get in to comics, so they are putting a “#1” on the cover to not scare folks away and making sure the guy that is called Captain America in the movie and in the comic are the same guy.