Disney’s D23 Expo 2013: The Art!

By Chris Jalufka | 08.16.2013

 

Disney is more than films. Cartoons. Animated animals talking and singing. There’s also the park and the rides and the atmosphere. The culture of kindness. Families, together. Disney’s D23 Expo is a celebration of all of these things. A convention floor full of booths and ‘experiences’ for the fans.

 

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

‘Mary Poppins’ Display Area

 

One section of the expo was dedicated to the art of the classic film ‘Mary Poppins.’ Wardrobe and props were on display. The artwork used to inspire the film’s design.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

These paintings, complete with registration marks, are artifacts of the time when artists painted posters rather than assembled them digitally from stills of a film.

 

 

Beyond the artwork on display at the expo were the booths of new and exclusive Disney merchandise. At the center of all of this was the Disney Dream Store.

 

The Disney Dream Store

 

 

The Dream Store hosted a few stars like Brad Bird for signings alongside the merchandise, but I skipped it.  The line was insanely long for the duration of the expo.

 

 

I may be a huge fan of Disney and its parks, but I’m not a fan of lines so that’s it for the Disney Dream Store.

 

Steamboat Willie: Redux

 

 

On display was also an area of new artwork for the ‘Steamboat Willie Redux‘ line.

 

 

 

 

It’s exciting to see Disney utilizing their original properties in different ways. No word on exactly what these pieces are for, but I’m sure they’ll end up in stores at some point.

 

‘Journey into Imagineering’ Open House

 

 

The ‘Journey into Imagineering‘ was by far the highlight of the D23 Expo. It’s a peek into the world of Disney’s imagineering department, the secret garden of artists, designers, and crafts-folk that bring the world of Disney to life at the resorts.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

One of the ultimate highlights was seeing the imagineers at work, talking to fans about how they create the environments for the parks. In Disney fashion, the imagineers are touted as stars in their own right. It was stunning to watch these incredibly talent artists work.

 

The Imagineers

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Next on the list of displays to visit was the ‘Collector’s Forum,’ a space full of Disney items for sale, new and old.

 

‘Collector’s Forum’

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Throughout the expo were various booths for TV shows and upcoming films —

 

The Expo Floor

 

 

 

 

And of course, there were princesses. Look! It’s Belle! On an iPhone!

 

 

So of course there were photos of me and the princesses —

 

 

 

And photos of Disney stars, like the most important of them all — Pat Carroll, the voice of the greatest of Disney villains, Ursula from ‘The Little Mermaid.’

 

 

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

The D23 Expo is done and won’t be back until 2015, and of course I’ll be there.

 

 

For the movies presented at the D23 Expo, why next check out the handy link below?

 

Previously on ETDC — Disney’s D23 Expo 2013: The Movies!