841 · 23 Takeaways from Destination D23 2025 - WDW Radio: Your Guide to the Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise and More Disney Magic!

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(00:01):
Ladies and gentlemen, thecreator of Mickey Mouse and the Silly
Symphony cartoons, Mr. Walt Disney.
They have selected you to fillour quota and they'll haunt you until
you return.
What do we do?

(00:22):
We swim.
Right?
My daughter Ariel has been upto the surface again.
Somebody's got to nail thatgirl's fins to the floor.
You know, you're probablysurprised to see me here, aren't
you?
But then there's probably alot of.
Places you'd be surprised tosee me.
When you think about it.
WDW Radio, your informationstation at destination D23 2025.

(00:50):
Fans were treated to bigannouncements, emotional moments
and unforgettable surprises.
But beyond the headlines,there were deeper stories, important
reveals, meaningful takeaways,and even one announcement.
I think that's hiding in plainsight that no one is talking about,
but what I believe is a signof what's to come.

(01:10):
This week we're going to recapthe event, explore what it all means
in so many ways, and uncoverthe 23 biggest takeaways you need
to know from this year'sDestination D23.
Hello my friend and welcome toWW Radio, your guide to the Disney
parks and experiences aroundthe world.
I am Lou Mongello and this isshow number 841.

(01:32):
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(03:28):
This past weekend in WaltDisney World, Destination D23 once
again reminded us why it issuch a special event.
For three days, fans cametogether at Disney's Coronado Springs
Resort to celebrate the past,the present and yeah, a little bit
of the future of Disney.
We got surprising and excitingannouncements, emotional tributes,

(03:51):
incredible performances, somesneak peeks at what's coming next
and maybe most importantly,the chance to connect as community.
And this destination D23 and Ihave been, I've been very grateful
to have been to all of themsince the very beginning was the
largest to date with more than4,000 people coming together.
And it really took us as fanson a journey across the world of

(04:15):
Disney with a, an amazinglineup of experiences including announcements
and sneak peeks.
And there was shopping and anafter hours event, behind the scenes,
live performances and somesurprises and special moments.
And I think it gave us a, aglimpse not just into what is happening
now, a little bit of the past,but a little bit of the, I think

(04:36):
bold and creative future thatis ahead.
And with so much to experienceand to try and cover here, we're
going to, we're going to talkabout 23 of the biggest takeaways
from Destination D23.
2025, including teaser what Ithink is a huge announcement.
Hiding in plain sight andjoining me today, I pause for dramatic

(05:00):
effect.
Joining me today and in theroom this past weekend so I can vouch
for her emotional reactions isSiri Lynn from Living by Disney.
Serena, welcome back.
Thanks for having me.
I'm excited to dive into allthis and process it in real time
with all of you.
Yeah.
Because we, it ended, youknow, last night and we are recording,
you know, early the nextmorning because I think we did need

(05:21):
a little bit of time to takeit all in and let it sort of just
come together in our heads.
But I also want to talk aboutit as quickly as possible while it
is fresh, you know I talkabout how we were, you know, literally
in the room together.
We sat together for a lot of this.
And I want to start right there.
I want to talk about theimportance of being in the room.

(05:42):
Right.
Putting your.
I always talk about it's soimportant to put yourself in the
right room with the rightpeople in a business or personal
sense.
And I think this is a perfectexample of that.
In my, you know, coupleInstagram stories where I, you know,
talk to camera, I kept talkingabout the room and the energy.
So talk a little bit aboutthat versus some other D23 destination

(06:04):
Ds and expos, because I thinkthis felt very, very different.
And then talk a little aboutyour feel and if so, why.
I agree it did.
The energy was amazing and weuse that word a lot.
But I feel like the more andmore we spend time in digital and
online spaces, the morevaluable IRL in real life interactions

(06:28):
become, the more we can bemoved by the energy of the people
around us.
And you know, I reallyencourage people that are listening
to consider attending one of these.
It might feel like a lot.
It's.
It's obviously cost and time,but boy is it just.
There's something about beingsurrounded by people who love what

(06:49):
you love that's just so, it'sso validating, but it's so rewarding.
It just fills your cup up so much.
Yeah.
And it's funny because thiswas, I mean when we say it was bigger,
it's double the size of whatit has been before.
But I still.
And what I love about thisevent, you know, it's a one room
much, much smaller,exponentially smaller than D23 Expo.

(07:11):
But it's that same sense ofcommunity and I think maybe even
more so.
And I think time and historywill sort of look back and we'll
sort of be able to chart thepre and post pandemic.
And as time has gone on, thisincreased need and I think desire
for in real life and moreimportantly, not just being in the

(07:33):
same room, but creating thatsense of community.
I think that's what D23 hasdone very, very well.
I think we'll talk more aboutthat as our conversation goes on,
but I think, you know, we talkabout this event and how it was different
and as we approach the event,I held myself back.
I don't know if you did with.

(07:54):
Here are my predictions forall the big announcements that are
coming from destination T23because I don't need to go out of
my way to be wrong.
That happens naturally.
And I just Come to set myexpectations for this event, which,
and I don't want to use theword lower because I think that dimension
is what the event is.
But they were different interms of announcements because that's

(08:15):
not what this event is meantto be.
And I think sometimes we asfans set false expectations based
on what we want, not what theevent is.
So for example, you may haveseen the Internet.
There is no, you know, peoplelike, there's no parks panel.
Well, there hasn't always beena parks panel that Josh Tomorrow
was not here.

(08:35):
But for me I was like, listen,I am not going in with the expectation
of huge Disney parks news.
This is not where you're goingto get the fifth gate.
But yet the weekend was stillfull of a lot of surprises.
Yeah, I agree.
I think sometimes too we canforget that the Disney company is
more than theme parks like that.
That's just one piece of thismassive company that has so many

(09:00):
parts, but also so manydifferent types of fans.
You know, for everybody that'sin that room, there are people there
that don't even go to thetheme parks.
Like that's not even a part oftheir Disney fandom.
So, you know, to be like,well, there's no park stuff, so what's
the point?
Like, it's just, it's a verynarrow minded view.
And it is, I think, I don'tknow, I feel like it is kind of nicer

(09:24):
because it's not aboutbreaking news and you know, all of
that hubbub.
It's more about fans.
It's a fan convention.
So it's about the fans andsort of honoring the fans and not
like big celebrities and allthe flash and dazzle.
It's just more about like abunch of people who love this thing
coming together andcelebrating it.

(09:44):
Yeah.
And you are very, very right about.
And when I first started thislike journey back in 2003, I never
realized.
I was like, we're all Disney fans.
Forget about not going to the parks.
Some people didn't even go tothe panels because they're there
for like D23, the flamethrower.
Like it's about themerchandise for a lot of people.
And I think I said it manytimes, I'm probably say it many more.

(10:07):
There was definitely somethingand someone for everyone in that
room.
And you know, before we evenget into some of the takeaways, I
think the merchandise and theshopping experiences is part of that.
And again, I think there was an.
I'll talk about the executionof the event as a whole.
But you know, the Walt DisneyCompany Store, Mickey's at Glendale,
the Ink and Paint Marketplace.

(10:30):
Not just having officialDisney stores and access to places
that you would not be able toreach otherwise unless you go to
the studios, unless you go to Imagineering.
But Disney publishing is there.
Disney consumer products is there.
And what I love is that allthe Expos and destination Ds also
invite friends of Disney.
Right.
The friends of Disney brands.

(10:51):
Rock Em Socks and Rob.
I love those guys.
East Continental Gems has, Ihave a video coming soon.
A very, very unique set ofcool collectibles.
But there's also likeRavensburger and Joffrey's and Art
Brand Studios, Pandora, Stife,McFarlane toys and yeah, Lug bags.

(11:11):
Right.
So before the event evenstarted, there was the opportunity
to, you know, satisfy your,your, you know, need for some retail
therapy and go in and do some shopping.
Yeah.
And that's a, that's a bigpart of these.
And you're right, like howthese are places that the merchandise,
you don't get any moreexclusive than this.
Like this is the only placeyou can get them.

(11:33):
Even something like Bath andBody Works, they have a Villains
collection coming out thathasn't even hit the Internet yet.
And you could shop it.
So they know what the fans want.
They know it's going to getpeople excited.
And, and there's a huge fanbase of people that that's the main
reason they attend.
And, and much like not being asweets guy, I'm also not a merch
guy that seems to have to beup for debate based on my recent

(11:55):
eating habits.
However, I do think, you know,I spent a lot of time in those rooms
just walking through to get asense of what was being offered.
The people that were therelistening in on conversations.
And I love the fact that Lugand Loungefly and Bath and Body Works
are these lifestyle.
They're not random sponsors.

(12:15):
Right.
I think they are designed tosort of fit seamlessly into how Disney
fans live their fandom everysingle day.
Because maybe you can't get tothe parks.
We want to bring some of thatat home.
I may or may not have creepedup on you making some of those purchases
on your own.
You wanted that, you know,Snow White poison apple.
Candle holder.
Candle holder.
But I also think things that,you know, shops like Mickey's of

(12:38):
Glendale makes the shoppingexperience itself feel like a privilege
of belonging to the community.
Yeah.
And a big reason why you, youwant to say I was here at this event.
I have the merch that shows it.
I got The T shirt that shows it.
But I also got this reallycool stuff that you can't get anywhere
else.
And you know, my favoriteimagineer has this shirt or my favorite,

(13:02):
you know, whatever.
Like it feel very exclusiveand very fun to, to shop around and
look at all that.
And I love to see the, thebrands that are like lake lug bags,
which is a, you know, familyowned business, husband and wife
business that started, gotthat Disney partnership and now they're
sponsoring this whole eventand, and you know, offering all of

(13:23):
these things for fans.
So it, it's fun to see the,the smaller businesses as well as
the big corporations all kindof come together for, for something
that the fans are going to love.
Well, we keep talking aboutthe energy, right.
And the energy is not just theenergy in the room.
It's in the hallways and it'sin these rooms because the vendor
halls and the sponsoractivations because it's not just,
you know, lining up for merchandise.

(13:44):
They really are sort ofinteractive exhibits and there's
people to, to meet.
They really are a major partof the buzz.
Right.
Watching fans line up andshare their halls and trade finds
and trade pins and then posttheir experiences online I think
helps to fuel that communityaspect of D23.
And I think because they'recreating tangible takeaways from

(14:07):
the event, whether it's thelug bag that you carry and kudos
to lug, I think it isbrilliant from a marketing perspective
to give every single personone of their bags or the pin you
scored or the exclusive candlethat you bought.
They become physical memoriesthat are very much tied to the emotional
highs of the weekend that wetook away.

(14:28):
And I think it's really smartof Disney the way they do it, because
it's not just about we need tosell vendor space in this room.
They really curate vendorsthat align with Disney's values of
storytelling and creativityand fandom.
Yeah.
And they know what we like.
I mean, they know what thefans like.
So they know how to get thethings in there that are going to

(14:48):
excite people.
Yeah.
And it's right.
And again, I think it's an extension.
I'm going to keep coming backto community because I think it's
really one of the things thatimpacted me so much this weekend.
But it's not just about thepanels and announcements, but about
the things we're able to takehome, share with one another and
then look back on, reflect inour homes or offices.

(15:09):
But all right, let's get into it.
Let's get into 23 of whatcould have been 230 for me.
Takeaways from destination D23 2025.
And these are.
I don't know what order mybrain ended up putting these in.
I tried to sort of curate them into.
Into a couple of different things.
But number one for me, and Ithink this for a lot of us who not

(15:32):
only attend but, but exhibitthere, this was the announcement
I really was waiting for.
Is that D23 the ultimate.
It used to be D23 Expo.
I have to catch myself.
The ultimate Disney fan eventis returning with major expansion
to Anaheim, California, August14th through the 16th.
It's again once again going tobe held both at the Anaheim Convention
center and.

(15:52):
And the Honda Center.
And Jody Benton was named theofficial D23 Fanbassador who's going
to engage with fans throughoutthe year leading up to event.
Tickets are going to go up onsale in spring 2026.
I know, Serena, you haveattended before.
I have attended an exhibitedEvery time before D23.
This, this biannual event isthe thing I sort of mark on.

(16:15):
I look to start marking on mycalendar the minute the.
The last D23.
I'm going to call it Expo forbrevity sake.
The last D23 Expo ends.
I agree.
I think they're.
They're my favorite event.
And now with destinationreally becoming its own event in
its own right now we get onekind of every year, which is great
and coast to coast, whichmeans people have the opportunity

(16:38):
to attend the one that'sclosest to them and most convenient.
Also, both of them being closeto parks means you can incorporate
it into a park visit, which is nice.
But I.
Last year, I don't know howyou felt, but the addition of the
Honda center for the largerpanels to me was wonderful.
I loved it.
I loved having a seat.

(16:59):
Everybody had an assigned seatthat you didn't have to stress or
you know, lines used to wraparound the building.
People would wait all night.
It was just, it was a lot.
And now it's just much easier,much more convenient.
And now they really have madeit into a huge production.
I mean it is like, you know,Taylor Swift eras tour, but for Disney

(17:21):
fans.
Well, I remember when theyfirst announced the Honda Center.
Like the logistics part of mybrain is like, I don't understand
it.
Like, how are they going toget all these people from the convention
center to the Honda Center?
It's going to be a mess.
It wasn't.
It was seamless and it wasexecuted flawlessly.
And the experience in theHonda center did not make you feel

(17:45):
like you were lost in a big space.
It just felt like a grandagain that, that tight sense of community
because you were surrounded bylike minded people, but bigger and
better.
And I've never been to theERAS tour, but I'm assuming it was
like Expo.
But again, that, that crazyenergy that was in the room and I
love the fact that they dothat so more people can experience

(18:07):
it and they can increase theirproduction value as well.
Yeah, they gave you a show.
I mean that is about thespectacle and the dazzle and the
celebrities and all of that.
But there's also thisincredible energy in the room.
You know, when they make thesebig announcements and everybody's
just, you know, you just.
You lock eyes with thestrangers around you in this.

(18:29):
Just very like we're all in the.
Having this shared experience.
It was, it's amazing.
So I love that you have one ofthese each year, but they're also
different.
The, the, the Expo or the onein Anaheim is the big, you know,
the big spectacle, thecelebrities, the red carpet sort
of vibe.
And then the destination D ismore cozy.

(18:52):
It's more, it feels more aboutthe fandom.
It's less about the bigbreaking news and more about celebrating
the fans as a whole.
So I love both.
Yeah, I didn't realize lockingeyes was where you were supposed
to stop.
I would just get up and starthugging the person.
I'm like, oh my God, it'sCharlie Pox and Daredevil.
But it's okay.
Like we all, we all get it.
And actually leads me to thenumber two takeaway on my list is

(19:15):
that the D20.
You know, it's not just D23,the Disney D23, the ultimate Disney
fan event and destination D23.
But the D23 events calendar ispacked for 2025 and 2026.
They announced or sort of, youknow, reminded us of other events
including the D23 SpooktacularSpotlight with Walt Disney Imagineering

(19:38):
in Orlando, the HalloweenBonanza in California, Percy Jackson
season two celebration in December.
D23 on the road celebratingHome Alone's 35th anniversary sign
me right up.
Over 18 cities startingNovember 1st.
A jolly holiday on the lot iscoming back December 14th for the
D23 Gold Theater virtualhaunted Mansion holiday event.

(20:02):
And something new which I amvery, very intrigued about is the
Walt Disney Los Angeles tourincluding the Studios Imagineering,
the Tam o'.
Shanter.
Normally something that was reserved.
Some of those things reservedfor a.
An adventures by Disney.
It is.
You are now going to haveaccess to a much smaller, again,
much more intimate VIP behindthe scenes tour led by Becky Klein

(20:27):
from the Walt Disney archives.
I have three words for you andthey are sign me up.
Yeah, every single one ofthose experiences sounds amazing.
And we, you know, as beingpart of working with Disney, as media,
we get some really cool opportunities.
And these are every bit ascool as that.
Like, they're giving reallyunprecedented access.

(20:48):
And I love that.
It's for everybody, absolutelyeverybody, any fan, anyone who's
listening, you can go sign upfor these opportunities and these
events and get that reallyexclusive, really interesting access
to all of the people and theplaces that create the things you
love.
I mean, that's just, that's amazing.
I, I, every one of thosesounds, sounds fantastic.

(21:10):
And they are in thisincredible period of growth and I
just love that for them.
And I love the fact that theyare doing these on the road events.
So it's not just you have tocome to Florida, you have to come
to Anaheim.
And they've been doing thisfor a long time.
And it's actually funny.
Last week I was speaking at aconference in Cleveland and a friend
of mine is like, hey, I'm inCleveland too.

(21:32):
Let's get together and let's,let's grab a coffee at your hotel.
And I'm like, yeah, but youlive in Detroit.
Why are you here?
Like, I hope you didn't drivefive hours for coffee.
And she says, no, we're herefor the D23, a goofy movie event,
which I didn't even realizewas going on.
And I was like, one, I lovethe fact that they are bringing this
to people where they are witha five hour drive and that people

(21:57):
are willing to make that fivehour drive, not because they can't
watch a goofy movie at home inthe comfort of their own couch with
their own snacks and restroom.
But again, Serena goes back tothis idea.
We don't want to just watchthe movie.
We want to watch the moviewith other people.
We want to sort of have thatshared experience in a movie theater.

(22:18):
It's not about the merchandiseor the pins or the celebrities or
the autographs.
I think it's about havingthese, doing these things with other
people in the room.
Yeah.
And they made, I went to theGoofy movie one that they did here
and it was like, I don't know,like Rocky Horror Picture show type
of, you know, where peopledressed up in the theater, they had

(22:41):
bouncing balls that peoplewould pass through the audience.
They had a giant inflatablecar just like goofies from the movie
that people passed over theirheads when they would drive.
They gave you a map withstickers and.
And along the way there wassticker stops.
And they would put up a signand be like, sticker stop.
And everybody would take outtheir stickers and put it on the.

(23:01):
Like, it was a whole vibe andglow things.
And I mean, it was just.
It was a whole experience thatwasn't about watching a movie that
all of us could quote.
It was about just having agood time with a bunch of people
that love this movie.
And now that I've done that,I'm like, okay, I have to do the
Home Alone one.
Like.
Like, these are really, really fun.

(23:21):
Yeah.
And again, I think there'ssomething for everyone.
They are in multiple locationsand they truly are experiential.
It's not just, hey, we'regonna rent out a theater and watch
this movie together.
It celebrates the seasons, itcelebrates some of our favorite movies,
it celebrates some of ourfavorite characters.
And most importantly, I thinkI love the fact that it celebrates

(23:41):
Walt and his journey.
So speaking of movies andtelevision, nice segue, Mongello.
Number three on my list is really.
And I'm sort of going toconsolidate and we can do an entire
show about some of theseannouncements, but is really sort
of what we got on the big andsmall screen.
And I'm going to preface this,and I told you I said this in the

(24:01):
room.
And you know, I think youagreed with me or you just pacifying
me to get me to shut up.
But this is the most excited Ihave been in a long time about what
is coming to the theaters andto Disney.
Plus, we are getting what wewanted and we're also getting the

(24:22):
things that we didn't knowthat we needed.
And what I mean by that is,let's start with Toy Story, right?
It's going to celebrate 30years with three different announcements.
The original Toy Story isreturning to theaters September 12th
for the 30th anniversary.
Again, not that you can'twatch it on Disney.
We're going to go to thetheater because we want to have that
big screen experience withother people.

(24:44):
Toy Story 5 releases June 19th.
Featuring this very cool sortof toys versus tech storyline with
some new characters likeSmarty Pants voiced by Conan o'.
Brien.
And then the Buzz Lightyearballoon is going to return to the
Macy's Thanksgiving Day Paradewith a brand new design.
But I want to quickly touch onToy Story 5, Serena.
Because this is the movie thatnobody asked for.

(25:05):
We're like, oh, no.
Are you really going to thewell one more time?
But we got to see the firstfive minutes, and I was all in.
Like, I was all back in.
I'm like, bring on Toy Story 5.
Like, I was like, I want to gohome and watch Toy Story get.
I haven't seen it in so long.
And that's what I mean.
It's like, I don't thinkanybody was demanding a Toy Story
5, but, man, I'm excited tosee what's coming.

(25:25):
It looks so good.
I was shocked.
I was like.
My first reaction was a bit ofan eye roll, like, we're just going
to keep.
We're just going to keepmilking this franchise.
And then immediately, withinseconds, I was like, okay, all right,
I'm in.
Sign me up.
Yep, there's a lot morestories to tell.
These characters are sobeloved, you know, and they're.

(25:47):
They're.
They're so good at knowing howto keep pace with the times and obviously,
yeah, the technology, toyswith tech, they had sort of, you
know, all these smart toyscoming into the.
To the picture.
There's a lot of materialthere that they can do.
And I'm.
Yeah, I'm.
I'm in.
I got the sense that this isnot making Toy Story 5 for the sake

(26:12):
of making Toy Story 5 orbecause we know, you know, look,
we.
We as Disney fans, we're interested.
We're an interesting breed.
We will complain about, well,another sequel, and then the sequel
will go out and make a billion dollars.
So it's hard to deny that.
The opportunity to do that.
But this is one that I waslike, wow, I'm really excited to
see much more than I was.
I think, for Toy Story 4.

(26:32):
4.
This one looks good.
I love the timeliness and therelevancy of it that you mentioned.
We also saw that Pixar'sfuture slate is now extending through
the decade.
We saw that, you know, Goto iscoming in 2027.
The Incredibles 3 is coming in 2028.
Coco 2 is coming 2028 plus.

(26:55):
But we also saw a bit of theMarch 2026 release of.
Of Hoppers, which, admittedly,Serena, I had heard nothing about,
I knew nothing about.
I'm like, here's another movie.
I don't.
We got to see some of Hoppers.
And again, I'm like, I'm all in.
Like, bring on Hoppers again.

(27:18):
These two alone, like, itfilled my little emotional heart
and cup with excitement forDisney movies again.
It did.
They look so good.
It felt, like very familiar.
It felt like a return to thePixar that we've loved.
And lately they've not beenhitting a lot of home runs.

(27:40):
They've had some, but thisfelt like everything we love about
Pixar, which is take somethingthat doesn't seem like it should
be alive and have feelings andmake us love it even more.
And that's what they're doingwith Hoppers.
I had seen there was a viralclip of like a lizard being like,
lizard, lizard, lizard.
And I thought, what is that?

(28:02):
That's so weird.
And yeah, but the, the wholepremise of it, along with the, the
stars, I mean, it was.
Jon Hamm is going to have a role.
Like, it looked brilliant.
I definitely, I definitelywill see it.
And if you, if you haven'theard of Hoppers, as I didn't, basically
the story is about a studentwho hops into this robotic beaver,

(28:25):
which, when I say it out loud,it sounds like, what is it?
Trust me, it's going to make sense.
And it does.
It has that whatever, I don'tknow, whatever I might have felt
was missing from some of therecent films.
I'm like, it's it.
It's got it.
Like this thing seems to haveit again.
Just like Disney Animationunveiled hex for 20.

(28:47):
Again, there's a lot coming ina short period of time.
There's a new film called Hex,which is gonna release next November.
It follows an awkward teenageboy, so I can immediately relate.
And his type A mom, it still tracks.
Who discovers that some of hisweird traits and quirks are actually
magical powers that transportsthem into this secret world of magic.

(29:09):
A topic that I don't thinkreally has been covered like this
in a Disney movie.
I think this is just the topic alone.
Screen is gonna appeal to alot of people.
But again, we saw a little bitof the concept art.
We're already on the high fromstuff that we had seen and this too,
even the little that we knowabout it.
The concept art looked beautiful.

(29:30):
It did look beautiful.
And people have criticized nothaving enough original movies.
That's been something that,you know, people say about Disney
animation.
So here we have an originalconcept original movie.
It's not a sequel.
Let's hope that they do, youknow, pull out a great story.
Disney, that's what Disneydoes best is their storytelling.

(29:51):
So, yeah, the concept andeverything looked really, really
good.
I'm very excited about it.
And don't worry, more sequelsare coming.
If you love sequels, Disneyhas a lot.
Zootopia 2.
I love that.
My family kids still loveZootopia One that's coming out in
November, this November 2025with some new characters like Mayor

(30:13):
Wind Dancer, voiced by PatrickWarburton, who was in the room.
Again, people lost their minds.
And EMT Otter and the Baroness.
Both are voiced by YvetteNicole Brown.
I'm not sure if I'm readinginto this, but I saw EMT Otter and
I'm like, that's a brilliantreference because I read it as Emmett

(30:34):
Otter, which is a remitreference to Emmett Otter on drug
band Christmas.
Or am I seeing things thatdon't actually exist?
Oh, I didn't.
I didn't think about that.
But yeah, maybe so.
They love their Easter eggs,so that.
Would not surprise me if itwasn't an Easter egg.
I'm making it my own Easteregg and I'm going to just think of
it as Emmet Otter.
After nearly a decade, Ice Ageis returning.

(30:56):
We forget now Ice Age is partof the Disney family.
Ice Age Boiling Point is goingto release in February 2027.
Diary of a Wimpy Kid.
The diaries continue to go on.
That is going to be on Disney.
The last straw releases Dec 5, 2025.
And lest we forget that Disneyalso owns Marvel, we did get a very

(31:21):
fun, a very funny videomessage from Anthony and Joe Russo,
the director of Avengers Doomsday.
They were joined by Paul Rudd,who again, speaking of magical powers,
does not seem to age, but he'sreprising his role as Ant man for
the fifth Avengers film.
And there was nothing reallynew that we got other than this message.

(31:42):
But it really talks about thescope of the project.
You know, they called it thebiggest movie that they've ever done.
And I think including a littlebit of a teaser of some of the replayed
footage that we've seen beforereally is just helping to set the
tone, set the excitement for Doomsday.
Yeah, Paul Rudd, like you saidhe is.

(32:02):
I don't know what kind ofvoodoo he's got going on, but I want
some of it.
Like, he's amazing.
But the, the little teaserthey showed was great.
And then they, they re showedthat clip of all of those directors
chairs with all of those nameson it.
And when you really see itlined up, you just realize how many
big, big stars are involved in Marvel.

(32:24):
And of course, having RobertDowney Jr.
In Doomsday, you know, like,like we're not going to see it.
I mean, obviously we're goingto see it.
The scope of it seems huge.
And understand what I mean by this?
Like, a lot of the movies thathave come out, have done very, very
well in box offices.
They have their fandoms.

(32:44):
But at the end of this, I feltlike there was almost a little bit
of a realignment from thestudios and from Pixar and from Marvel.
Like, okay, we've tried someother things.
Not everything.
You don't always hit a homerun every time they get up to bat.
However, we are going back towhat we do best.

(33:08):
Creating the stories and thecharacters that, you know, love and
some that you don't know, butI think are going to fall in love
with.
And again, I had this renewedsense of excitement, not just about
waiting to see it when itcomes on Disney, but getting back
to that theater on openingweekend and seeing it with other
people.
Yeah.

(33:28):
Which is.
That's what you want, right?
You want people to actuallywant to go to the theater and have
a movie.
That, again, an experience inreal life.
You're not at home.
You're out there with other fans.
There's an energy to that as well.
And, you know, if they cangive people an experience in with
their families, especiallywith those Disney animation movies,

(33:48):
I think, you know, we.
We miss that.
We miss.
I. I miss that.
Like, I love a movie theater experience.
And the fact that we got tosee not just, you know, some concept
art, but some of thesepreviews and trailers that have not
been shown before.
Those are the little surprise moments.
Those are the gifts thatsomebody asked me before I went.
He said, what are you lookingforward to?

(34:11):
Somebody from Disney said thisto me, and I said, it's the stuff
that you haven't told us iscoming yet.
I'm there for all the things Idon't want to know everything.
When I walk in the door, Iwant to be surprised.
The movies were the first surprise.
You may or may not have seenthis, but metaphorically speaking,
Serena, before destinationD23, there were mobs of people with

(34:32):
torches and pitchforks, like,so sad, so mad, so clearly angry.
X, I'm looking at you thatthere was no Disney Parks panel this
year.
And why am I even going?
And what are they doing?
And I'm never going to DisneyWorld again.
Just slow down, because let'sgo over to the Disney Parks.
I said this before I started.

(34:54):
Nobody had this on their bingo card.
But number four, which reallycould have been and maybe should
have been number one, theMagic Kingdom is getting a historic
Carousel of Progress updatewith a Walt Disney Audio Animatronics
figure coming to the Carouselof Progress, the first major update
since 1993.

(35:15):
Three, which doesn't soundlike long ago, but it's almost 30
years.
And the Walt animatronic whichwe saw earlier, Disneyland in 2025,
is going to be added to a newintroductory scene with the heart
of the attraction, I think,remaining intact.
Again, nobody saw it coming.
The room lost their mind.
And it's funny because theconversation has happened over and

(35:38):
over again, probably evenbetween us, about updating Carousel
progress.
Well, how do you do it?
Can you do it?
Should you do it?
Is it the final scene is thefirst scene?
Do you start from scratch?
I think this is almost theonly way you can do it is by having
Walt Disney come in and talkabout this attraction that he was

(35:59):
so intimately involved in.
It is not going to be the samefigure in his classic gray suit.
If you go back and watchthere, go to YouTube and there's
a video of Walt talking aboutthe Carousel of Progress in a much
more almost Mr. Rogers, like,casual pants.
And he's got his tie and he'sgot his blue, like, you know, button

(36:21):
up sweater.
It's a little bit more of likea comfortable, relaxed Walt.
And I like the fact that thisis not going to be a carbon copy
of what we have in Disneyland,which, again, I think until you see
it in person, you cannot andshould not judge it.
I think it is spectacular andwell done.
I am very, very excited forthis update to attraction that I

(36:46):
still love.
Not for the air conditioning,but for the content.
It's one of my favoriteattractions at the Magic Kingdom.
And I agree.
This is when, you know, Disneyis really getting it right, is when
they announce something and itsounds like, well, yeah, obviously

(37:06):
that's, that's the obviousthing that they should do.
Of course, that's.
That's the clear choice to make.
And that's how I felt about this.
Like, I didn't.
I wasn't thinking about that.
Like, oh, they should add aWalt animatronic to Carousel of Progress.
But as soon as they said it, Iwas like, that's perfect.
That's literally perfect.
What a great way to update an attraction.
Give it a whole new life, giveit a whole new reason to visit, introduce

(37:31):
people to Walt.
This is the attraction that isWalt's name is on it.
It was something that he wasreally passionate about.
So he gets to tell you in hisown words why he loves this attraction
so much, why it's part ofthis, of the storytelling in his
theme parks.
And then we get to have thatsort of time travel moment where
we get to follow this familythat we've loved through all these

(37:53):
decades.
It's a perfect way to blendold and new and keep Walt in the
parks.
I loved it.
I love everything about it.
If you go to.
Next time you go to Carouselof Progress and you go to the final
scene, look all the way to theright at the little cork board next
to where the mom is working.
And there still is a littlehandwritten note there.

(38:13):
You have to zoom in on itsays, marty called wants changes.
Marty, you finally got your changes.
And Walt is coming to WaltDisney's Carousel of Progress.
I can't wait.
Knowing the love and the careand the respect and the importance
and the meticulous attentionto detail that was brought to the
attraction to Disneyland, Icannot wait to see what they do here
in Walt Disney World.
All right, I want to keep going.

(38:34):
We have a lot, and we're onlyon number five.
Let's stay in Magic Kingdom.
Obviously, there's a lothappening there, but we learned a
phrase that I've never heardfrom imagineering before in terms
of Villains Land and thearchitecture, which is revealed as
conjured architecture, whichis going to be both inspired by the

(38:56):
art nouveau styles from 1800s Europe.
Disney legend Aris Deja wasthere, which I love.
He was an aminator for Jafarand Gaston.
He's consulting on theproject, which I love.
Focusing again on a lot ofthese characters, big personalities
and the bold influences.
But again, I love the factthat they gave us a peek at not just

(39:20):
how it's being done, but the why.
Right.
Going to the sense of how doyou even start thinking of a villain's
land?
Well, it starts with thisconjured architecture philosophy
inspired by that art Nouveau.
And, you know, they showed uspictures from research trips to Paris
and Barcelona.
So there's that modernism sortof influence on the surreal, you

(39:45):
know, dark spell, like designthat's going to be there.
Yeah.
They talked about these sortof natural motifs that seem cursed
and bringing in, like, organicdesigns, stained glass, rich, jewel
toned.
But then, like, merging all ofthat together with something that
feels like it's grown into acursed situation.

(40:06):
I was thinking about, like,the scene in Sleeping Beauty where
maleficent spines and thornssort of grow and become part of the
castle and it gets dark and spooky.
There's a lot of, like,richness there that they can play
into sort of a place.
Disney's really good atcreating something brand new that

(40:26):
looks like it's been there foreons of time.
And I can see how they could.
They could blend that and makethis look like something that, you
know, has been, you know, wornand sort of seen all of these types
of, you know, struggles andcurses from these various villain
stories that they add to the park.
It's cool to see that some ofthese research trips that these imagineers

(40:51):
do become legendary.
You think about Joe Rody andthe Nepal trips that he did in creating
Animal Kingdom.
They become just as much ofthe story for us fans.
Will this be a story thatwe're looking back on once we are
so familiar with this villainsland that we've come to love and
think about?
Oh, this is where they got theinspiration for this.

(41:13):
Like, it's cool to kind ofthink about that.
Yeah, I like the.
I love that it is inspired byfantasy but grounded in reality because
we didn't get any new conceptart and we didn't need it because
this was enough to sort of getyou excited.
Because now in our mind's eye,we are able to sort of conjure what,
like you said, what we thinkit's going to be.
It's going to be this Frenchsort of art nouveau style, but with

(41:37):
those vines and sort of withthis dark, you know, metaphorical
cloud hanging over it.
I think this got a lot ofpeople very excited as well.
Speaking of parks, attractionsand tying into movies, number six
on my list is that Tron isgoing to get a red hot movie tie
in overlay.

(41:57):
Because Tron Light Cycle Runis going to get a red and orange
overlay starting September15th in just a couple of weeks over
at Magic Kingdom and the nextday over at Shanghai Disney, featuring
music from Nine Inch Nails,the soundtrack to promote the upcoming
Tron Aries film, which I'm.
I'm a huge Tron nerd.
You might see my identity discin the background behind me.

(42:20):
They also talk about how theoriginal Tron franchise is getting
a complete 4K treatment.
So it's going to be remasteredin 4K Ultra HD same day, September
16th.
And then Tron Ares releasesOctober 10th featuring that new film
score from Nine Inch Nails.
Again, Walt Disney Worlddoesn't do a lot of overlays of attraction.

(42:41):
Haunted Mansion Holiday.
I'm looking at you because you can't.
You just can't close those attractions.
But being able to do somethinglike this and have as soon as you
see that red, you're alreadystarting to think of Tron areas.
I love the fact that they hadone of the new light cycle props
out for photos in the hallways.
So I'm digging this.
I love Tron.
I love the, the attraction.
So I'm looking forward to theoverlay too.

(43:01):
Yeah, the, the lighting looksamazing and I like that they said
that there'll be, you know,music and that all it takes is lighting
and music to change the toneof a ride.
So I think it's perfect.
The movie they showed us alsoa clip, like an extended clip of
the movie.
It looks so good.
I'm very excited to see it.
It that's going to be anotherlike again movie theater experience

(43:24):
movie which I love.
You have to see that in thatis going to be an opening night like
theater one AMC Dolby.
Nobody talk to me.
I need to sort of lock in andcheck out Tron.
All right, number seven.
As long as we're talking aboutthe parks, it is not just Walt Disney
World and Disneyland, but theinternational parks are expanding

(43:44):
with new attractions and entertainment.
World of Frozen is openingthis spring in Disneyland Paris as
Walt Disney Studios park isgoing to officially be renamed Disney
Adventure World.
We saw a video of Elsa's icepalace being installed.
Hong Kong.
Disneyland is gettingWayfinders, which is a Moana inspired
table service restaurant.

(44:04):
Later this year there's alsogoing to be a new party coming to
a Disney California Adventure.
And I, I mentioned this as itsown thing, Serena, because we were
talking earlier.
I think there is for usdomestically, I have started to see
this new and renewed not justinterest in traveling overseas, but

(44:25):
actual travel overseas.
I think as more people aregoing to these international parks
and sharing their experiences,the accessibility, the ease of traveling
and not having to worry aboutlanguage barriers and things like
that.
More and more people are nowjust not watching videos of what
it looks like to visit theseparks, but they're actually starting
to book their own trips as well.

(44:45):
Yeah, that's really exciting.
As someone who's not done tothe Asia parks yet, I've got to do
it.
But it does make it accessible.
It doesn't feel like it's sofar reaching, especially when you
get to see so many differentpeople sharing their visits.
I also love that they showedus them assembling the ice castle
up high and how it's all thesevarious pieces because it's something

(45:09):
that's sort of in the distance.
So it's up high.
But it looked beautifully done.
I, I and they said what spring?
It's spring of 26.
So that's like right aroundthe corner.
Yeah.
And I think if you can and areable to visit the international parks,
you absolutely should.
I think, you know, if you're,I'm speaking, you know, if you're

(45:30):
domestic Here in the US Ithink Disneyland Paris is a great
first step to do that.
It's very accessible.
It's very easy to get through,is very easy to navigate.
And then look, as long asyou're there, just keep on going.
Just keep going east and goover to the parks in Asia.
Shanghai and Hong Kong arelike, right across the street.
And then don't go to Japan.

(45:51):
Do not go to Japan, because itwill spoil you for the rest of the
planet.
And vacationing anywhere else,I think Tokyo Disney Sea is.
Is the best of the best of the best.
Again, another conversationfor another day.
For number eight, let's go back.
Let's.
Let's ground ourselves back inthe Magic Kingdom because the night
before Destination D started,we had an opportunity to get a sneak

(46:13):
peek.
Well, actually was opening dayof the Beacon Barrel Tavern over
in Magic Kingdom.
And again, the hype leading upto this as one of Disney's most storytelling,
rich dining venues is real.
I still believe that theHaunted Mansion Parlor.

(46:33):
I know I'm a broken record is on.
The Disney treasure ispossibly the single greatest storytelling
and placemaking space Disney'sever created.
Beacon Barrel.
I need to go back a few moretimes because you are very much giving
that a run for its money.
Because I think it blends.

(46:54):
I think we sort of agree thatthe same thing it is this blending
and marriage of influencesfrom Trader Sam's and Oga's and the
Haunted Mansion Parlor withpirates theming, the interactive,
very immersed crew, hiddendetails, great menu, a repeatability
factor.
I think that comes becausethere's so much to see, there's so

(47:15):
much to experience.
And it.
And it sort of does not go ona very short, looping cycle.
I was Serena, I was very,very, very impressed.
My head was on a swivel.
Like, I needed a neck bracewhen I was done because I was just
trying to take it all in.
I was hugely impressed.
I. I don't know what I kind ofexpected, but I completely agree.

(47:37):
Haunted Mansion Parlor is the bar.
They set the bar.
I mean, that one blew all ofthe other bars out.
Like, it was just like thatwas on a whole other level, a league
of its own.
And it was the way that theyshowed us, wow, Disney can really
combine everything we loveabout attractions into a dining or

(47:59):
a, you know, lounge venue.
Like, that's not an easy thingto do.
I mean, on a ride, you're.
You're in a ride vehicle.
They're controlling where yougo and what you see and what you
do.
Whereas these spaces are oneswhere people are roaming free and
yet they manage to give youthe same type of storytelling and

(48:20):
experience with thingshappening in almost a show element
around the spaces.
But I also love with BeaconBarrel, it's not too much, it's not
something happening constantlywhere you also can't have a conversation
with who you're with or youfeel overwhelmed.
It's just enough where it'slike, oh, this little fun element.

(48:41):
Oh, that's cute.
Oh, that was so fun.
And then you get a littlebreak, you know?
Yeah, very much.
It feels like Trader Sam's,but at a larger scale.
First of all, it's abeautifully designed space and I
love the communal table rightin the middle, much like Trader Sam's
has.
I love the fact that there'slittle rooms, there's more intimate

(49:03):
spaces in the corner in the back.
If you were in that centerarea, yes, you can see the parrot
come out and have some ofthose interactive elements around
the beautifully designed bar.
But you also can sit fartheraway and there's sort of like little
sweetheart tables and there'sbooths and there's the cool little
jail cell that you can sit in.
And you almost forget whatthis space looked like before it

(49:26):
was Beacon Barrel.
Right when it used to be themerchandise location, when it used
to be a Pirates league, youknow, way back when it was sort of
the pirate Bibbidi version of the.
Of the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique.
Really?
Really.
I think a very smart use ofthe space and design and theming.
And again, I want to go back,I want to give it a little bit of
time to sort of go throughlike any restaurant.

(49:47):
I want to sort of let it gothrough its.
Its not that I saw any growingpains, but let it go through its
time and then go back and havea full, you know, 45 minute experience
when I go.
Because the food was also.
We also tried the arepas andone of the desserts and it was excellent.
Yeah, it was really good.
The drinks are really good.
Very solid.
I also think that, you know,it's going to be massively popular.

(50:09):
It's going to stay popular.
So it's going become a diningreservation that you're going to
want to prioritize if you'replanning a visit.
This is going to be like rightat 60 days, you know, put this one
in the top of your listbecause I think.
I don't know that the hype'sgoing to die off on this one.
I think this is going to be one.
Because after we were there,we were there 45 minutes.

(50:30):
And I just thought, oh, I wantmore time.
So I know people are visiting.
It's not like a one and done.
I think this is a space thatyou're going to, you're going to
want to visit a couple times,maybe sit in different areas, try
a different drink, try adifferent snack.
So because of that I thinkit's going to stay popular for a
while.
So definitely prioritize thison your adrs, make sure you, you

(50:50):
get to visit it because it's,it's worth it.
And I thought about it incontext too of what else we have
gotten in, in the parks,specifically in Walt Disney World.
Geo82, I'm looking at you lookat these two new venues, completely
opposite ends of the spectrum.
G0.82, a much more elevatedadults only experience with unique

(51:16):
cocktails and menu itemsversus a storytelling driven space
like this.
Again, the something foreveryone, really trying to create
places and spaces and thingsfor whoever you are and whatever
it is that you're looking for.
And, and the fact that theyare inside the Disney parks.

(51:36):
You almost forget that you'rein a theme park when you're there.
Yeah.
And Beacon Barrel too isfamily friendly, which is nice.
It's great for the whole family.
And they had a really nicelike little platter kind of specifically
designed for kids with a funlittle lemonade drink sold and you
know, given to you in like afun little cup and little cake pops

(51:58):
and stuff.
So they're definitely makingit something that the whole family
can enjoy, which I like.
And I also love looking at itfrom the opposite side.
We talked about it.
The crew being interactive, Ilove like Galaxy's Edge, like some
of these other, you know, theHaunted Mansion Parlor.
The crew is able to sort of,they are not servers and bussers,

(52:20):
they are actual charactersthat are part of the show.
And I love that it not onlygives them the license and freedom
and flexibility to have somefun with it, but for us as guests
being able to have those interactions.
Which is going to lead me tonumber nine because I'm trying to
go faster.
Let's go from land to sea.

(52:40):
We are huge fans, I know ofDisney Cruise Line.
Both very excited about whatis coming to the Disney Destiny.
We've talked a little bitabout what we know is coming in terms
of characters, but keeping inthis theme of villains that we're
going to touch on again.
This, this, this ship is alsogoing to feature some of those villainous

(53:02):
encounters.
For example, what we saw thatwas new, we'd heard about Cruella
we heard a little bit aboutLoki, but we saw the first picture
of Dr. Facilier offering ameet and play experience with parlor
tricks and card games andmagic on the Destiny launching this
November.
We've also saw some reveals ofsome of the new menu items, some

(53:23):
of the new cocktails.
Again, Serena, not just here,is just a plain cocktail in a souvenir
glass on a menu.
What we're going to see at thesanctum is going to be this elevated,
almost experiential craftingof the drink that is served to you
on this levitating platform.
Literally levitating platform.
Like, like actually in frontof you, levitating.

(53:47):
I, I My excitement for DisneyDestiny, I didn't think could get
any higher.
And now I just.
The experiences that they'reexplaining how they're going to use
the space, especially in thegrand hall, which is the most beautiful
thing to me about the Wishclass ships, is that huge center
area that they can use as aplace to come together for several

(54:10):
moments throughout your cruiseand as a way to really have continued
storytelling.
There's lighting, there's likea show element built into that space.
And now that they're saying,you know, Loki is gonna be a part
of that, they showed a pictureof the grand hall with his green
light and hip up on thisbalcony, sort of grandstanding, you
know, in the way that we knowthat he can do.

(54:33):
And Cruella, again, all ofthese spaces that you immediately,
when they tell you you see it,you're like, yes, I can see exactly
how that's gonna work, howmuch fun that's gonna be, and a lot
of sort of surprise anddelight type of things that aren't
necessarily going to be set instone, but might, you know, come
upon them throughout yourcruise, which I love.

(54:54):
I just, I cannot wait to seethat ship.
Well, and the consistentthread that, and that's why I put
this here is because for along time we've been talking about
and hearing and sort ofanticipating this increased level
of interactivity andpersonalization of your experience.
I think when we hear that, wethink of this, right?

(55:17):
We think of that coming to ourphones in terms of the Play Disney
Parks app or gettingpersonalized message or Genie or
whatever it might be.
I actually think it's different.
And I think what we'restarting to see is that interactivity,
that personalization, thosesort of unique experiences are not
from your devices, but fromthe people, right?

(55:37):
We're seeing it at Beacon Barrel.
We're seeing it with these newmeet and play type Experiences that
we're going to start to see onthe Destiny.
I think they're going to sortof roll those back to other ships
as well.
It's not just lining up for aquick chat and a photo with a character.
You're going to meet thatcharacter and you're going to be
taken somewhere else.
Right.
Again, very much sort of inthe same vein, I think of the Galactic

(56:01):
Star cruiser where again, youknow, it did not necessarily go on
the way it was initially planned.
But I do think there are someelements from that experiment that
are being introduced into theparks and into Disney Cruise Line.
I think that's what we'regoing to start to see on the Disney
Destiny.
It's what I'm very, veryexcited to see coming this November.

(56:24):
All right, moving on.
Let's get into double digitsvery quickly.
It's been too long since Italked about food over in Disneyland.
Napa Rose is getting this veryextensive makeover.
We saw some new concept artbeing released for Napa Rose.
Again, this elevated craftsmandesign, that timeless architecture,
a little sort of more modern,sophisticated Californian architecture

(56:48):
too.
And I mentioned this herebecause I think it's continuing on
like Geo82, where sometimesyou think about going to a Disney
park or going to a Disney resort.
You think it's theme quote,unquote, theme park food.
I have not felt that way in decades.
I have this pear shapedphysique to prove it.
But I love the fact that theyare offering upscale experiences

(57:12):
that are not necessarilythings like Victoria and Albert's.
But you can go and have a veryelegant special occasion, anniversary,
birthday, business meeting,meal, whatever it might be at places
like Napa Rose, which is, youknow, very clearly one of probably
the top five restaurants onthe west coast.
Yeah, it has the mostbeautiful bar area too.

(57:34):
And the, the concept art theyshowed of the outdoor dining looked
stunning.
And that's actually a placewhere you can be outside and not
want to die from the heat.
So that makes a lot of sensein California.
Yeah, I'm looking forward.
And at Napa Rose you talkabout, you know, some of the, the
more difficult advanced diningreservations to get.

(57:55):
I think that is going to beincreased even more.
So.
All right, moving on back intothe parks.
One of the panels that Ireally enjoyed was about the castles.
And so number, number 11 forme is sort of the castle history
and the updates.
We got a lot of rare, youknow, I'm a historian, you know,
I'm a history guy.
But we got a lot of raredetails and photos and videos.

(58:17):
We never saw before aboutSleeping Beauty Castle and Cinderella
Castle and the mosaics and thedragon in Disneyland Paris and the
spires and, you know, guyslike Tom Morris coming in, dispelling
some of those longtime rumorsand urban legends.
We learned about the swansculptors in Shanghai and this philosophy
of plussing the castles over time.

(58:37):
And, you know, I loved evensort of simple things like, you know,
they talked about the designinspiration of Neuschwanstein sort
of influencing Sleeping BeautyCastle and such great use of overlaying
of images to show while it was inspired.
In part, they deliberatelymade it less similar because they

(58:58):
predicted that Castle wouldeventually appear on things like
calendars and puzzles, andthey didn't want that confusion.
But we learned about theinfluences, and we saw videos of
the drawbridge in Disneyland Paris.
We learned about, you know,that there's snails on some of the
spires, and there's alwaysbeen sort of disputes about how or

(59:18):
why they were there.
And look, that castle in thedungeon is reason to get on a plane
and go to Paris itself.
It is.
I love.
I love that they got to sortof nerd out about some of this stuff
because, like, the snail thingwas like, no, we just.
We just.
He said, what about snails?
And we were like, yeah, that's funny.

(59:39):
Let's do snails.
Like, I love that.
It was literally like.
Like, there was no story.
And that was.
The story is we thought itwould be cool, and we thought people
would be like, why snails?
I also loved the.
The story, the backstory ofthe stitches.
The one day.
I think it was one day, right?
It was stitch TPS the castle.

(01:00:01):
My head is hung in sadness.
I did not.
That, for me, Serena was notone of my fondest views of I did
it.
I know I'm a nerd.
Like, it's just a castle to the.
I was like, I thought it was disrespectful.
I know it's stupid because Iknow it's a gof and I know it's a
joke, and I want to promotethe movie.
And I'm like, I thought it was disrespectful.

(01:00:22):
The toilet paper castle.
Well, I'll get over it eventually.
The funny thing is, they'resaying it was very much not received
well, especially by people whowere visiting that day and wanted
their photos with the castle, understandably.
But I loved the way theimagineers talked about it is almost
like.
It was like almost urbanlegend to them.
Like.

(01:00:42):
Like.
Like, basically, can youbelieve these guys had the guts to
do this?
How cool that they actually.
Actually did this.
Like, that was crazy.
And that somebody actually letthem do was hilarious.
They even had Stitch come onthe stage and basically TP the whole
stage as just an example ofthe ridiculousness of it.

(01:01:05):
I will say.
And again, one of the biggestsurprises most.
One of the things that gotmost people most excited and got
the biggest cheers over theweekend was paint.
Because Cinderella Castle isreturning to the classic color scheme
of grays and creams and bluesand some of those touches of gold,
moving away from that pink andgold 50th anniversary color.

(01:01:29):
I love every single thing about.
I think the castle isbeautiful right now, but I do love
that traditional castle look.
But the reason why I sort ofput all these together is I want
to have this.
It's not just about the.
The return of the color ofCinderella Castle.
I think this really reflectsthe Walt philosophy of plussing right
the day after Disneyland open.

(01:01:50):
He's always tweaking,upgrading, and adding details to
make things better.
And I think these castles areliving icons that are designed with
room not just for improvement,but evolution.
Whether it is the updating thecolor palette, adding the history,
sort of adding some of thehidden Easter eggs like the coat

(01:02:10):
of arms or the mosaics orcarvings, and being able to enhance
the castle and their roles inthings like the nighttime spectaculars,
where they're treated likecharacters in the story and not just
backdrops.
Right.
So they're not just thesestatic monuments.
They're living, evolving icons.
And I think that carry notonly sort of very deep imagineering

(01:02:34):
artistry, but some of thatwhimsy and that humor.
Again, I love that story from Tom.
And I think more importantly,there's emotional resonance with
these because they are thesetimeless landmarks.
But are also these everplussed storytelling canvases as
well?
Yeah.
I love too, like we heard fromthe creator, the show designer for

(01:02:54):
Happily Ever after, and howthey treated that show, treated the
castle as a character.
Like the castle is a characterthat actually speaks and talks and
has its own journey throughoutthe show.
And that's the first time I'vereally thought about the fact that
maybe that's why the audienceconnects so much with that show.
That show has just become so beloved.

(01:03:16):
Maybe that's part of it.
Because to us, the castles arefar more than a building.
A Disney fan sees the castlesas really.
They become the icon thatrepresents the whole park for us.
So it's interesting to seethat even from a show standpoint,
that's how they approach it.
Yeah.
So next on my list is stilltied to the parks but going back

(01:03:38):
to the screens, becausesometimes some of the most exciting
and sometimes even maybeinteresting and emotional trailers
are not necessarily for thebig budget Dolby Surround Sound movies
in theaters, but what we geton things like Disney and in the
Creating the Happiest Place onEarth panel, filmmaker Leslie Iwerks

(01:04:00):
unveiled a trailer for a newdocumentary called Disneyland Handcrafted,
which is going to premierethis winter on Disney and on Disney
YouTube, which I think is interesting.
Leslie Iwerks, she's Oscar andEmmy nominated.
Very deep Disney lineage.
Her grandfather was of Iwerks,her father's Don Iwerks were both
obviously Disney legends.
And this is the one I look.

(01:04:21):
I am, again, a sucker for, youknow, archival footage I've never
seen.
And as somebody who's, youknow, I do a lot of research, and
there is so much that nobodyhas ever been seen or even scanned
before from the archives,including, like, these raw 16 millimeter
reels that were originallyused in programs that never saw the

(01:04:43):
light of day.
And like, even for a WonderfulWorld of Color.
And it's this very sort of unfiltered.
We want to be the fly on the wall.
That's what this is right about.
The construction of Disneylandthrough the lenses and the eyes of
the artists and the craftsmenwho worked.
And I still don't know howthey built this in a year, but they

(01:05:06):
did it.
And I think it's perfecttiming, obviously, with the 70th
anniversary.
And it's.
I love that this highlightssome of the people who we don't think
about when we go into the parks.
The people whose names are noton the windows, but the workers and
the craftsmen who are buildingthe literal and figurative foundation

(01:05:29):
for all of these Disney parks worldwide.
I know that the trailer is nowonline, and I don't think they gave
a specific release date forit, but I do know it comes out this
winter on Disney.
It looks so good.
It looks so good, honestly.

(01:05:49):
And I also love that, again,it's highlighting Walt's vision and
how quick it was so fast.
Like, when you see the footageof the space before they're building
Disneyland, you just struck bythe vision that he had, and it was
so clear and it came to fruition.
But how many people thatobviously it took to do something

(01:06:13):
on this scale that had neverbeen done and to do it in that short
time frame.
I can't wait to see some ofthis footage that they've got, because
even just the bits they wereshowing us is stuff I'd never seen
before.
And I think it goes To Walt, too.
I think now we almost take itfor granted when they're making a
Marvel movie.
There's a whole nother crewthat is making the making of the

(01:06:35):
Marvel movie.
This is 1954.
And Walt was like, we need tojust get cameras out there and just
film everything.
And it shows his literal andfigurative vision for the importance
of capturing what, you know,you want to talk about something
that is much more than quoteunquote, just a theme park.

(01:06:57):
And to be able to see that.
I love being able to see thenever before seen stuff before.
So I know a lot of historynerds like myself are very, very
excited for this.
All right.
I specifically put this atnumber 13 because we talked about
getting what we wished for.
And for a number of years weknow people have been asking for

(01:07:18):
and getting more Disneyvillains and they really are taking
center stage across all of the properties.
And there was a DisneyVillains Icons of Evil panel.
Again, we learn more from Imagine.
I know I've known Wyatt Winterfor years and Caroline May.
They talked about constructionfor Villains Land is on the horizon.

(01:07:39):
They talked about thatconjured architecture.
But they also talked about theDisney villains Unfairly Ever after
show over at Disney'sHollywood Studios over in Disneyland
Resort.
At Oogie Boogie Bash, there'snot just this focus on the villain,
but there's also a brand newvillain encounter syndrome from the
Incredible.
I haven't been to Oogie BoogieBash in years and now I want to go
just to see syndromes from the Incredibles.

(01:08:04):
There's also otherenhancements to Villains Grove and
the frightfully fun parade.
We talked about Dr. Facilierand Maleficent and Cruella on Disney
Destiny.
Look even in the merchandise.
Right?
That Bath and Body Worksvillains collection.
Mattel introduces a new Ursulacollectible dolls.
There are new villains andentertainment coming to Hong Kong,

(01:08:26):
Disneyland and the overseas parks.
And I think there is.
This is Disney sort of saying,we hear you.
We know you want more villainsand we are going to give it to you
across the line in spades.
Yeah.
And I think people are like,yes, more.
Absolutely.
It's so interesting to see.

(01:08:47):
I don't know, I feel like theyare tapping into something that people
have been asking for for a while.
Oogie Boogie was one of thefirst events that really offered
so much villain encounters andsort of it became the point of the
entire event.
But Disney World hadn't reallykind of gotten on that boat yet.

(01:09:09):
But with Villains Land,obviously it's coming.
But even with the Destiny andseeing the focus On Villains and
the Destiny, I don't know ifit ties into the sort of Disney adults
and the fact that so manyadults for experiences maybe that
aren't just made for kids, but they're.
They understand it, they get it.
I may have bought a fewvillain items from that Bath and

(01:09:33):
Body collection myself.
Yeah, I love it.
I think it's super excitingand it's really interesting to see
that.
Obviously the response hasbeen great.
So they knew they're on theright track.
Yeah, there's.
Disney fans definitely have adark side.
Right.
So that's leading me to thenext thing on my list.
I'm trying to sort of tiethese together so it makes sense.

(01:09:53):
Disney fans have thiswonderfully playful dark side.
And when they made thisannouncement, I think.
I don't know if I leaned overto you, it's like, did they say what
I think they just said thatthey just talked about murder in
the Destination D panel.
Because Disneyland's HauntedMansion holiday is getting not just
a new gingerbread house, butit's called A Murder so Foul.

(01:10:15):
And I was like, wait a minute,what is he saying?
Is it F o w l or F o u l?
But this year's HauntedMansion Halloween ballroom centerpiece
is going to be this toweringgingerbread house called A Murder
so Foul.
Again, continuing thistradition of these very elaborate,
one of a kind gingerbreadcreations that have really been going

(01:10:36):
on since 2001.
This one is going to be 13ft tall.
It is going to be very, verydramatic, as it should be.
400 shingles, 200 pounds ofgingerbread dough and a murder of,
not murdering, but murder of13 crows.
And there'll be hidden mickeysand things like that.
I love the use of the crowsnot just in the title, but in the

(01:11:00):
thing.
And sort of this nod to theravens that appeared in the original
Haunted Mansion attraction.
But again, they gave us asense of the creation and the craftsmanship.
And these, you know, I thinkthey said what, there's eight pastry
chefs that build this overlike nine different days.
And, and for the.
The haunted mentioned holidayover there runs to I think right

(01:11:24):
early January or that firstweek of early January.
Yeah, the.
They've released a video of itwhich was so ridiculous because it's
like the gingerbread ravensare talking to the chef and it's
ridiculous in the best way possible.
Like, I love, I love the humorthat they have with that entire project,
but I also love how, yes,there's a dark side in the, in this

(01:11:48):
villain thing, but it's alsolike it's also like just very wholesome
too.
Like maybe it's just mebecause I've been seeing a lot of
Halloween horror nightscoverage from media friends right
now.
And everything I see I'm like,oh, that's just not, not my thing.
You are not going to need aponcho in Haunted Holiday.
No poncho will be needed.

(01:12:08):
And you, you're not goingdisturbed in any way.
Like it's still done in a veryDisney way.
But they do kind of get thatlittle tongue in cheek humor with
it too.
And it's not just domestically.
Right.
We obviously have not so thevery not so not so scary Halloween
party here, which weexperienced this past week.
That parade I just absolutely love.

(01:12:28):
And you know, I may or may nothave sung it in the car on the way
home.
That's fine.
But the international parksare getting it too, right.
Disneyland Paris is gettingthe, the unlucky nugget overlay for
their lucky Nugget Saloon Shanghai.
And the overseas parks, eventhough they don't necessarily celebrate
Halloween, they do Halloweenvery, very well.

(01:12:48):
They're getting some Halloweenthemed foods.
Tokyo Disney Sea as well.
We've talked about it in thepast in, in one of the scariest things
I've ever seen in the Disneypark was this during Halloween season,
walk through very interactive,very dark and I'm still slightly
disturbed attraction that wasbuilt temporarily in, in Magic Kingdom

(01:13:12):
for it.
So they do Halloween well notjust domestically but overseas as
well.
All right, let's move on fromland back to sea again because they
did also talk more about thelounges on Disney Cruise Line, specifically
on the Disney Destiny.
Continuing on with thisinspiration from pirates, we have
the cask and cannon.

(01:13:33):
We got a little moreinformation about some of the rum
collection and the bootlegbeers and this very cozy treasure
filled tavern not just withstuff on the walls, but in terms
of some of the cool littlenods and Easter eggs that are there.
I am very, very excited forthe Sanctum.
The Sanctum Santorum inspiredby Dr.

(01:13:53):
Strange.
In the center of the, in thecenter of deck four we got again,
we saw some of those magicalinspired cocktails and spirits and
coffees and, and some of thefood items as well.
And we also learned too thatthe Haunted Mansion Parlor sort of
piggybacking on the success ofDisney Treasure.
While it is going to basicallybe a mirror image of the same, it

(01:14:18):
sounds like there's going tobe not just new cocktail mugs but
new cocktails as well.
Yes, that it's going to have anew Menu or at least new offerings
there, which for those of usthat have done the treasure, it just
gives you another reason to.
To visit that ship, as opposedto, you might say, oh, well, that's

(01:14:40):
the best thing on the Destiny,and I've already done the treasure.
There's no point.
I don't know why you'd saythat, because there's always point.
But.
But if.
If that is you, then.
Then you definitely havereason to do.
To do it.
For all new drinks.
But also, going back to thesanctum really quick, they had that
one that was like lightning.
Did you see that?
Is that the mirror dimension?
Yeah.
What.
What.

(01:15:00):
How.
How is that.
How is there light?
It looked like lightning in abottle, essentially.
And I'm like, I don'tunderstand how you can do that in
something that I'm going tothen ingest.
Do you remember.
You're probably too.
Do you remember?
Many, many, many years ago,they used to sell these.
These.
Those globe things, Globesthat you would turn on and we would
touch it.
And the quote, unquotelightning, the energy bolt, it almost

(01:15:23):
looked like a.
Like a.
Like a Tesla coil, the wayit's the same thing.
But it's going to happen onyour glass, in your drink.
I don't want to know how thesource that's.
You don't know how the sourcereally happens, but I cannot wait
to try it.
Yeah.
It looks so cool.
Yeah.
So, yeah, we got things likethe mirror dimension in the sanctum,

(01:15:44):
the chilling challenge at thehaunted mansion parlor, and the dead
man's chill at the Kask andCannon, and I mentioned those only
by name, and I wanted tospecifically talk on those because
again, it's this.
Every ship, every attraction,every park is not just a mirror.
It's not copy and paste.
It is this iterative evolvingprocess to continue to make everybody's

(01:16:05):
experience not just unique,but better than it was before.
All right, let's move on tonumber 16.
And I put a few of thesetogether because we're talking about
places and spaces and thingsto do and things to eat and things
to see.
But as a very, very wise manonce said, it takes people to make

(01:16:26):
the dream a reality.
And that's for me.
Sorry to.
What this event was about wasit was about the people.
And number 16, for me, my noteonly says this.
Don Hahn is a treasure.
Don is an absolute treasure.
I have had the privilege ofgetting to know Don over the last

(01:16:47):
number of years.
He hosted a few differentpanels, including Creating the Happiest
Place on earth, celebratingDisneyland's 70th anniversary.
The goofy movie 30 standoutyears with Bill Farmer and Jason
Marsden and directed Kevin Lima.
The.
He's going to host that, thatGold Theater virtual event for the
Haunted Mansion holiday.

(01:17:08):
And what I love, I mean this,it's a salute to all people, but
mostly Don Han.
What I love about him is whenhe gets on stage, he's not, and this
is not a slight on everybodyelse, but he's not reading off a
teleprompter.
He injects so much of hiswarm, funny, incredibly brilliant

(01:17:29):
personality into everythingthat he does.
So he plays off not just thepeople on stage, but the audience
as well.
He's a fan first, in additionto being a brilliant producer, director,
author, writer, artist, thelist goes on and on and on.
But what he does, and thereason why I wanted to sort of put

(01:17:51):
him here, not sort ofspecifically talk about an individual
panel, is there's somethingthat I think unites his panels and
projects and like just thenarrative depth.
Right.
Whether he's talking about theorigin of Disneyland or the Goofy
movie.
Right.
He dives deep into thestorytelling, the history and the

(01:18:12):
emotional resonance because hecomes from the producer, the director,
the artist and fan point of view.
I also think, which sometimesis tough in a room like this, is
he's able to bridge multiple generations.
There are people in the roomwho were 8 and who were 80, and he's
able to connect the origins ofDisney magic with modern fandom in

(01:18:38):
a very natural, organic way.
And I think it, it highlightsthe history and the fandom, the fan
devotion over time.
And he also gives us, I wantto call it like exclusive access.
And what I mean by hasexclusive access not to the things
that he's showing on thescreen, but to him.

(01:19:02):
Right.
So his story, his insiderperspective and these behind the
scenes glimpses that don'tjust come from.
Well, here's the piece ofconcept art you haven't seen before.
But here's the story that Ilived while we were making this.
Here's the story of myinteraction with this person.
And I just think there is awarmth and genuine authenticity and

(01:19:23):
passion and sincerity in hisdelivery that is, is it affects and
influences every session thathe's in.
And funny.
Like he could be a stand up.
His, his comic timing with theway that he interacts with the people
that he's with, you know, waslike genuinely hilarious.

(01:19:44):
Like he had the entire room in stitches.
And that, that's just not easyto do because he's just so comfortable.
He's so like you feel likehe's just sitting there on his couch,
shooting the breeze with somepeople talking about, you know, the
good old.
In a room of 4,000.
Right.
He makes a room with us, likeyou said, feel like you're sitting
in his living room.
Yeah, that's real.
That's a talent.

(01:20:04):
That's a gift, truly.
Yeah.
And it's, it's genuine.
It is not.
There's nothing about him is performative.
The person you see on stage isthe person you see off stage.
And yeah, I appreciate thatand I appreciate that he's able to
let that come through,especially in a room that large.
I came away a huge fan of hisand also it reminds me of why I love

(01:20:26):
events like this.
Because he's not someone whomaybe would have been on your radar.
He's not a, you know, we havethe Josh Tomorrows and the flashy
people, you know, that get alot of screen time for Disney, but
yet you get to actually getFaceTime with people like him, like
Becky from the Archives, likepeople who really have incredible

(01:20:47):
stories to share and can bringthings to life for you.
And that's one of the bestthings about these events.
And he doesn't.
And again, this is not.
I'm not throwing shade.
He doesn't sit in a green roomand he doesn't walk around with an
entourage.
He's just walking the halls.
He's looking at the merchandise.
He's attending the panelsbecause he wants to be there.
Like, he genuinely loves itand he loves having conversations

(01:21:10):
with people.
I mean, usually I have to lookup because he's like 11ft tall, but
he's.
Pictures of he and I togetherare always very funny because.
Because I'm an Ewok and he's,you know, a giant.
But yeah, I just, I wanted tocall him out because I appreciate
him so very much.
I'm going to do the same for number.
I'm trying to keep track ofnumber 17.

(01:21:30):
And somebody I've known andwatched his journey going back from
when I very first started isStephen Vagnini and the entire Walt
Disney Archives team.
He did down the Rabbit Holewith the Walt Disney Archives, which
is sort of the thing that Ihad sort of metaphorically circled
because I love Stephen, I lovehistory, I love the archives.

(01:21:51):
And he, alongside Kevin Kern,took us down the rabbit hole for
some discoveries andconnections and little known facts.
And again, I don't know howthey dig up some of this archival
maps and drawings of HarperGoff and Herb Ryman and early Disneyland
and some things that werenever published, that were planned

(01:22:15):
for Burbank before they chose Anaheim.
And he's also a great storyteller.
And he.
There's.
There was actually a sort ofan image of how he put it together
to connect the dots of wherehe was going with all of the stories.
And even when he.
I remember specifically whenhe was talking about Disneyland as.
And I never thought about thisbefore as the walkable movie.

(01:22:37):
Right?
The walkable.
The hub and spoke design isthis walkable dream, this walkable
movie where every landcorresponds to a different genre
of film.
And he talked about, you know,Main street and the historical continuity,
and I think gave us also adeeper look and understanding of
the archival research itself.

(01:22:58):
It's not just aboutpreservation, but understanding Walt,
understanding the intentionsand I think even more so keeping
that vision, that philosophyalive in modern imagining projects.
Which is why Walt, you know,he's been gone for so long, but he

(01:23:19):
is still very, very present ineverything that Imagineering does.
Yeah, I was thinking aboutthat, how they're presenting this
information to us as fans, butthey're also sharing this information
with everyone who works forthe Disney company.
You know, everyone who'spresent, all of the cast members
that are there present, all ofthe PR teams and the events team
and the imagineers who arethere for their own panels are also

(01:23:41):
getting to hear this deep diveinto the history of the company that
they work for and that that'sgoing to influence their jobs going
forward.
I'm so happy that they havethe job they have and someone is
paying them to do the Lord'swork here, because I just.
I just imagine, like, themgoing to whatever boss they have,
and they're like, well, what.

(01:24:02):
What was your week like?
What things did you accomplish?
And they're like, well, we didthis deep dive into Walt's crazy
aunt.
And them being like, sounds good.
Keep it up.
You know.
Right.
Because on paper, like, whocares about Walt?
But he made it so interestingand so intriguing.
And we were like, you know, wewere, like, sitting there at the

(01:24:24):
edges of our seat, like, ashe's telling this story.
And again, I've known himsince, you know, he worked, I say,
as a kid, you know, as sort ofa kid working with Dave Smith and
that as he went through thearchives and working with Becky and
over at Imagineering and evenat some of the events that.
That I've done, where he camein, we did a Tower of Terror event,
and he came in and gave apresentation again, showing things

(01:24:46):
that we had never seen beforefrom Tower of terror.
And I had him on the show,maybe it was a year or so ago, because
he's not just picked up themantle of keeping the archives alive
in terms of the research, butmore importantly bringing those stories
to the stage.
But, like, massive undertakings.
Like, yeah, I'll keep up theDisney Encyclopedia, you know, this

(01:25:09):
30,000 page work of trying tokeep the information not just updated
and relevant, but moreimportantly accurate.
So, yeah, and I just likeStephen a lot, personally and professionally.
But the.
The first day that I gotthere, you.
I don't think I told you this.
I sat in my car for a fewminutes and I was very distraught

(01:25:33):
because I said, don't look so surprised.
I said, how.
How can I possibly love BeckyKlein any more than I already do?
Number 18 is Becky Klein fromthe Walt Disney Archives.
How could I love her anymore?
She said, hold onto my bagpipebecause you want to talk about that

(01:25:56):
Sounded weirder than I should have.
You want to talk aboutsomebody who is the perfect person
in the perfect role at theperfect time, not just sort of leading
the archives internally inwhat we don't see in that giant Raiders
of the Lost Ark cavernouswarehouse that they must have, at
least in my mind's eye, butgetting up on stage and sharing it

(01:26:19):
with us, whether it is thethree Caballeros and El Grupo to
the Disney family legacy withRoy the Disney around the globe,
the sort of short interstitialprograms going down the rabbit hole,
spotlighting 55 years of thearchives and alongside Michael Vargo,

(01:26:40):
you know, talking about someof the.
The things that they have beencurating, sharing some of the stories
of in a very, I think, again,like Don Hanna, I think, in a very
intimate way, sharing howthese items are acquired, how they
are preserved, andhighlighting some of the recently
added pieces that they're ableto bring in.

(01:27:02):
Again, connecting to youwherever you are, whether it's, you
know, chronologically in yourDisney history or age wise, they're
gonna make sure that there issomething that you go, oh, God, I
love that movie.
I love that character.
I remember that piece.
Oh, that ring that they foundin, you know, the background of some

(01:27:22):
other movie and were able tosort of preserve it and bring it
to the archives.
Those are the things that just.
I appreciate so much abouther, not just as an archivist, but
as a storyteller.
Yeah, she was.
She was everywhere.
She was like, in 52 panelsover the course of the.
I don't even know a lot ofcostume changes.
I did not expect Becky Kleinto have the most Costume changes.

(01:27:43):
She brought a lot of change ofoutfits to, you know, fit whatever
she was talking about.
No, you're right.
The perfect person in theperfect role at the perfect company.
That is her.
And she does bring it to lifefor you.
And thank goodness.
I mean, we always joke like,oh, they're doing the Lord's work.
No, she really is.
Because this is stuff thatmatters to us fans, and it's stuff

(01:28:05):
that needs to be preserved.
The clock is ticking.
You know, some of these thingsthat they're finding are, you know,
handwritten letters frompeople connected to Walt, you know,
three generations ago that,thank goodness somebody's out there
finding these things andpreserving them and bringing them
into the archives, becausethey'd be lost forever, and these
stories would never be told.

(01:28:25):
We'd never know it.
And all of the stories thatthey tell give us a more round understanding,
broader understanding of thethings and how these things were
created that we've come to love.
I.
She's.
She's incredible.
I also just kind of want togo, like, get drinks with her.
Like, take off the name tag Becky.
Let's just get some wine, andlet's just.

(01:28:47):
Let's just chat, you know, andshe's Scottish royalty.
I mean, there was bang.
I mean, they literally waslike, you know, and they're from
Disney.
Like, they're.
They're firefighters and EMTpeople, current and retired.
Like, there was.
She told her story and how itrelates to Disney, and, you know,
a Scottish bagpipe troop comesin and performs her leading the way.

(01:29:09):
I didn't know I needed thatuntil it happened.
Because I was actually.
I had gone all the way downthe hallway for.
For something else.
I was meeting with somebody,and as I came back, I'm like, do
I hear bagpipes?
Like, am I dying?
Is there, like a.
And I was like, why wouldthere be bagpipes?
Not knowing that, you know, anhour or two later, this is like,
oh, now I get it.
Of course it's Becky Klein.

(01:29:31):
But I mentioned that one ofthe things she did, which leads me
to the next person number 19on my list, because.
And I don't know that this wasthe one that a lot of people like,
oh, this is the one I want tomake sure I don't miss.
But this, for me, was one thatwas definitely, like, not that I

(01:29:52):
planned on missing it, but,God, I'm really happy.
Like, I didn't miss it,because to have that rare opportunity
and gift of having a Disney onstage is an absolute privilege and
a gift to everyone who was inattendance because.
From the Dreaming Tree toDisney Family.

(01:30:12):
That was a panel moderated byBecky Klein with Roy Patrick Disney.
And he is the grandson of RoyO. Disney, the grand nephew of Walt
Disney.
Again, it's this very largeroom of 4,000 people, but I just
felt that it was this veryintimate presentation where he's
sharing personal photos andnostalgic stories from his childhood.

(01:30:37):
And it gave a heartfeltglimpse into the Disney family that
we cannot get from anywhere else.
Because he was there, right?
He was the one who was thereand talking about memories of great
Uncle Walt and, you know, hisgrandpa Roy, there was a.

(01:30:59):
There was an emotional tone tothis that wasn't like, somber or
sad or that, but it was sowarm and so personal.
And again, these are words Iknow that keep coming up because
it's what I sort of felt theentire time.
Getting these candid looksinto the family was like sitting

(01:31:24):
down with him and him openingup like a photo album.
That's sort of what I felt like.
I felt like I was sittingthere next to him and he was opening
up this photo album, tellingstories and, you know, making jokes
about the way he used to haveto dress in order to get on a plane.
And I just felt there was thiswonderful emotional balance between,

(01:31:46):
you know, nostalgic and verypersonal depth and historic resonance.
And again, it's connecting the dots.
It's this sense of familiallegacy that really sort of grounds
the focus not on looking atthe past, but on future progress

(01:32:07):
as well.
And I think it let.
For me, it let me not justsee, but really sort of feel the
personal side of Disney history.
I think I do.
I think it was a verysignificant moment for Disney fans
to see him there.
It was really powerful.
You know, we have our view ofWalt as how it relates to us as Disney

(01:32:28):
fans, but to him, it was just family.
And it felt like somebody kindof saying, you know, like, you just,
you know, are talking tosomeone and they're like, oh, I have
this really cool memory of my grandfather.
And, you know, and they sharethis memory with you, and you're
like, oh, that's so sweet.
It's so cool that you havethat memory.
But also, it just happens tobe Roy Disney, and it just happens

(01:32:50):
to be this moment thathappened inside of Disneyland when
he was a little kid running around.
And people that we have aconnection to, right.
We never obviously met them,but we feel a connection to one Walt.
We feel a connection and agratitude to Roy.
So it does bring us into that family.
Fold.
Yeah.
And it kind of takes somebodywho is very two dimensional to us

(01:33:11):
and makes them threedimensional because now we see more
layers to them.
We see more of how they wouldrelate to.
To somebody as a familymember, as someone who is this, you
know, older grandparent roleto this person.
It makes them so much more real.
And if you've never been tothe Walt Disney Family Museum in
San Francisco, you should makethe pilgrimage and go.

(01:33:33):
We did a group trip, like aWWE group trip a number of years
ago, and you can literallyspend all day there, as well you
should, because it does do that.
It's a lot more of thepersonal side.
But we.
Maybe I need to do that again.
Maybe you do.
I think I need to write Serena.
I'll just put your name.
I'll put your name on the listright up on top of the.

(01:33:54):
Sounds good.
Couple more we have leftbefore we wrap up.
And number 20.
You want to talk about takingcenter stage?
Disney on Broadway took center stage.
Good golly, Miss Molly, man.
There is nothing like livetheater and live performances.

(01:34:16):
And I am happy that this roomwas dark because I was sitting next
to you for a lot of it and youmight have seen some tears.
I was like, be cool.
Don't let her see the tearsrolling down your face.
You saw me crying.
I. I did, but that was fine.
I have video if anybody wants it.
The original belle fromBroadway's Beauty and the Beast returned

(01:34:37):
to the stage again, connectingwith fan.
Not in the weird way.
I have developed this, like,not weird crush on Susan Egan because
I was so moved by what, what,like, she was putting out there on
stage.
Michael James Scott, theGenie, most famously known for the
genie for Aladdin on Broadway,is electrifying.

(01:35:00):
He brings a very, you know,unique energy to everything he does.
Daniel Gardner, who playedLumiere, we're obviously going to
talk about Jody Benson andsome of the others, but.
And I.
And look, all the performers were.
Were spectacular in again.
There was something foreveryone, giving us multiple concerts

(01:35:23):
throughout the weekend, fromthe earliest classics to a goofy
movie, whatever it might be.
But, like, these mattered, Ithink, not just for an entertainment
perspective, because theperformers didn't just sing like
they were sharing stories.
And I loved how, like, Gardnerwas sharing all these anecdotes and

(01:35:44):
Michael James Scott wastalking about these performer and
fan bonds and these momentsthat were very sort of intimate and
authentic to them, which Ilove, because a lot of times you
see a performer and they singand that's it.
And we don't sort of getAnything more.
But I love how, you know,people having people like Susan Egan
there who I think is takingthe same potion as Scott Lang.

(01:36:10):
Ant Man.
Wait, why am I Paul Rudd?
Because you would not guess.
But her being there, herpresence honored this contin.
Like, let's not remember,let's not forget how oldish Beauty
and the Beast is.
This lasting impact, again, itbridges the gap between the, the,
the show's beginning and itscontinuing resonance with new generations

(01:36:32):
of fans.
And you get to see like theoriginal Belle alongside modern day
stars.
And there's this livingtimeline of Disney on Broadway and
it shows not just howimportant they are, but how they
transcend time.
And the other thing too, Ifelt was there is definitely like

(01:36:53):
this familiar, like thiscamaraderie that you almost sense
between all of the performance.
There was this genuine warmthand laughter and affection that I
think embodies this as notjust entertainment, but again, being
in the room.
It is this shared communalfamily experience.
Yeah, they talked about that alot, how they're family and they,

(01:37:16):
when they brought out the newLumiere, it was like, oh, he's our
new member of our family.
Which I thought was so cute.
Yeah, I, I. Susan Egan.
Gosh, her live singing.
Stop it.
I just can't.
How does she sound so good?
Still like the voice of Meg,you know, she still has that incredible

(01:37:38):
quality to her voice that'slike sort of this raspy just.
Oh, it's so, so good.
She was joking that if Tangledever comes to Broadway, she wants
to petition to be Mother Gothel.
And then.
Which I was like, sure, yeah,you can sing anything.
But then the next day sheopens the villains panel by singing

(01:37:58):
Mother Knows Best.
And I was like, okay, everyonein this room would sign that panel,
that position right now.
Incredible.
That's, that's when I was,that's when I was both crying and
crushing all the same.
Do you think that maybe sinceHercules is going to be part of the
destiny, that there is in anyway a chance that she might be on

(01:38:19):
our media if, if she is blue.
I'm just saying might.
Prepare yourself now.
Prepare yourself now becausethat will be.
I mean, there's a chance.
There's always a chance.
There is a.
It's not just the remarkabletalents and that voice, but again,

(01:38:40):
the storytelling.
And there's a look she.
All of them have sung thesesongs hundreds, if not thousands
of times, but there is asincerity in the performance because
she knew who she was singingto that I think just came out.
And that'll actually let me transition.

(01:39:00):
Because 21 on my list wasSusan Egan and Jodi Benson.
Jody Benson.
Oh my gosh, again.
You know, look, I have noproblem sharing this with you.
Like, you know, there weremoments I was like, mangello, you
got to keep it together, man.
Because you are getting waytoo emotional over Disney songs for

(01:39:22):
one reason or another.
Because it reminded me, oh,I'm gonna do it right now.
Because it reminded me of mychildhood or it reminded me of my
kids when they were younger ora moment that just sort of like,
clicked because I heard alyric from a song.
And this D23 Fanbassador is soperfect for her because.

(01:39:47):
And God bless her in D23because we've seen this sort of almost
coming down the pike becauseshe brings this new personal connection
to fans through meet andgreets and panels and special appearances,
which is really a first forthe D23 experience.
And she made her presence felt right.
She gave those behind thescenes, backstage joyful interactions,

(01:40:10):
the stories of working with,you know, Alan Menken and, and there
is this warmth and genuineenthusiasm that she still has again.
And we, and understand thepoint of the story is not where we
were, but we did have anopportunity in, in the room with,
with other invited mediaguests to have Jody come in.

(01:40:34):
And she, you know, she gavesome, shared some words and we had
an opportunity to ask a question.
And I, and I said it thenbecause it's true.
I said she has this remarkablegift of whether it is the first person
in line or the last, whetherit is the first or ten thousandth
person.
You are the only person in theroom when you speak to her.

(01:40:55):
And she gives you the time andthe attention and the respect and
like, genuine interest in whatyou are talking about that not, not
everybody does.
And I think she is not just anambassador and the voice of Ariel
and Disney storytelling, buther being there really does make.

(01:41:18):
Help make this.
She was such a big part ofthis glue that I talk about, about
making this feel not just verycelebratory, but very intimate.
Yeah, Sheila, she was veryvulnerable on stage when she talked
about this, what this, thissort of new role, because it's like

(01:41:38):
it's now an official role shehas within D23 of being the, the
host and sort of the, the.
The throughway throughout allof these events and what a perfect
choice for them.
But also she just, you couldtell how genuinely excited she was
for this new, new role thatshe, she was emotional.

(01:42:02):
She was emotional about whatit means to her about, you know,
what this, this One role thatshe got in her youth and how it has
changed the entire course ofher life and the way that the synergy
that she has with who she isas a person with the Disney Company.
And it was a beautiful thing.

(01:42:25):
And that's what I think.
It got everybody in theirfeelings because she was just so.
She was being so vulnerableand open with what all of this meant
to her.
She wasn't trying to be coolor try to be like, oh, yeah, of course.
This is just, you know, whatever.
I just have this new role.
I'm.
I'm your host.
She was just being very honestabout how much it meant to her.

(01:42:45):
And so she just let us allkind of share that moment with her.
And I think.
And part of the reason why Iput the two of them together, I think
the two of them speak to eachof us, whether we know them from
the very first time we sawtheir films in theaters or on our,
you know, Black Diamond VHS tapes.

(01:43:09):
Be kind.
Rewind.
But they also speak to a newgeneration of fans that have grown
up watching them on Disney andfalling in love with their stories
and falling in love with theirvoices and what they represent, both
as characters and as actressesto so many people and getting us

(01:43:30):
to sort of peek behind thecurtain with them and hear their
very intimate stories.
Like when she sang.
When Jody sang the Disneylandsong, that's.
That's when I was crying.
I was like, I.
She was.
Tell the story about theDisneyland talk.
Yeah.
Oh, it was just so beautiful.

(01:43:50):
So I guess this was part of ashow that was canceled early, I think.
Was the show called Smile.
I think it's called Smile.
And it was canceled early.
And she was devastated by thefact that this show wasn't going
to get this long run that theywere hoping.
And this was the song that shesang in this show about Disneyland,

(01:44:13):
and she performed it for uslive with Piano Player.
It was a beautiful song.
It was incredibly moving.
But what was so amazing aboutit was the story she shared about
how this was the low point inher career where she thought, great,
this show that I've put myheart and soul into is canceled.
And what am I going to do now?
I have no job.
I have no prospects.

(01:44:33):
And it was that show and thatperformance that got her on the radar,
that got her the audition toaudition for Ariel that ended up
giving her the job thatchanged the whole course of her life.
And it's such a great storybecause it's so often how life works
that.
That when, you know, when adoor closes and we're at a low moment

(01:44:55):
that is, it's actually exactlythe way things were supposed to happen
and exactly puts us where weneed to be and where we were meant
to be.
And it was just, it wasbeautifully done.
I love that she told us thereason why that song meant so much
to her and then she sang itand so we got to have this moment
with her.
It was incredible.

(01:45:15):
Yeah.
And again, again, Smile was,it was a marvel.
Hamlisch did the music andagain, the connecting of the dots.
Howard Ashman did the lyrics.
And she said, you know, whenHoward said, oh, why don't you come
and try out for this role?
She thought he was just beingkind to her, like, I'll never get
this.
And obviously the rest was history.

(01:45:37):
And obviously there's theHoward connection with Don Hahn and
the incredible documentarythat he did on Disney, which you
haven't seen, you absolutelyshould see.
But yeah, I just loved every,I loved every part of the performances
and the people and, you know,my heart grew three sizes at Destination

(01:45:59):
D this year.
And let's just take a momentto say Jodi Benson herself is 64.
I don't believe it.
You know, she's had this 40year career with Disney with, you
know, doing what she loves,but also she's embarking on a whole
new career here.
This is a whole new role for her.

(01:46:20):
She's, you know, entering intothis completely new role and era
at 64 years old.
Like, you're, you're never,it's never too late for you to, to
take on a new challenge and totry something new.
I'm sure she was nervous, I'msure she was scared.
But how amazing it is that weget to have her in this role for
us and she's going to be ableto be, be part of, you know, for

(01:46:43):
years now, these events thatwe get to enjoy.
And she talked about how shelike, had stepped off a plane at
like midnight the night before.
And you would never guess thetwo of them, both her and Susan Egan,
just the energy that they brought.
Again, not in a creepy way,but, you know, I fell in love with
them all over again.
And I actually interviewedJodi Benton back on show number 693

(01:47:06):
probably two, three years ago.
And I mentioned that onlybecause I want you if you've never
heard an interview with her, Iwant, because it came through the
same way.
And I think that was the firsttime, my first conversation with
her like that I was like, wow.
Like, I really, like, don'tjust like, admire and respect this
person for the work she hasdone on film and on stage, but just

(01:47:30):
who she is as a person as well.
I will admit to you, I camehome last night and I'm like trying
to put thoughts together and Iopen up Instagram and again, this
is not about me.
This, it's about me just beinglike a total nerd.
When I saw that like JodiBenson and Susan Egan liked my post,
I was like, good night everybody.
That's it.
I screenshot it like I was a.

(01:47:50):
13 year old girl and I waslike, that's amazing.
Yes.
It's so stupid, the littlethings that make us happy.
But I'm like, Susan, you likemy post.
I know, yeah.
But it's, it shows the loveand respect that we have, have for
them.
So.
All right, we can, we can justfawn over the two of them and all
of the performance who were incredible.

(01:48:12):
We have two left and the twothat I want, want to get to is the
first.
Number 22 is what I alluded toat the very beginning and I saw your
face like, what are youtalking about, Mangello?
I think there was a nonannouncement, a big non announcement,
hiding in plain sight.

(01:48:32):
We said that this DestinationD is not about announcements and
it wasn't.
And I think we got someunexpected gifts and I also think
that we got something morethan people realize or I'm incredibly
wrong and hopefully if I am,you'll forget about this as time
goes on.
Becky Klein did theseinterstitial presentations called

(01:48:54):
Disney around the Globe.
And there were three that shesprinkled throughout the weekend.
And each one spotlighted aspecific region around the world,
including India, China andJapan, sort of showcase casing Disney's
cultural inspirations and theconnections and I think the influence
across.
I sort of felt this was reallyless about like the parks and things

(01:49:16):
really about like globalstorytelling and rather than doing
these deep dives.
I love that they were thesevery concise, maybe 10 minutes each,
almost like a visual showcasethrough some of the historical references
and archival imagery andthings like that.
So again, you know, for Japan,which I wish could have been a two
day session, it's centered on,you know, Disney connection to Japan

(01:49:39):
and Japan's connection toDisney as well as same thing for
China and then India.
I was like, oh, this isinteresting, you know why, you know
why it was brought in.
But I, I love from a fanperspective, I felt that even though
they were short, these panelsmattered because it reminds us as

(01:50:01):
fans that Disney stories don'texist in isolation.
They are enriched and inspiredand informed by cultures around the
world from, as we talked aboutearlier, from villains like architecture
to art styles and music andfashion and folklore that is brought
into the stories.
And I think it's the archivessort of use this as like a, A, A

(01:50:24):
cultural bridge, right?
History is preserved not justfor nostalgia, but to help us sort
of understand Dizzy's place inthe wider cultural conversation.
And I think by doing this, wemaybe don't get to travel to these
places.
We, by hope, by highlightingsome of those influences, we have
a respect and recognition ofthe different communities that shape

(01:50:47):
stories and honors their contributions.
And I also think this, I thinkby doing this, it gives a sense of
belonging to a worldwidefandom in terms of keeping with.
I think sometimes we, youknow, here domestically in the States,
we sort of forget that Disneymagic is shared and celebrated and

(01:51:10):
also interpreted differentlyacross continents.
You know, we talked about whenAbu Dhabi was announced, the sort
of the cultural implicationsof that.
And I think that's what this has.
I think by reminding us asfans of the cultural ties, it sort
of indirectly points to futureexpansions and parks and films and

(01:51:30):
collaborations.
And so, like, I understoodChina and Japan in World Showcase
and where Disney currently hastheme parks, but I want to talk specifically
about India because I waslike, this is an interesting choice.
I was like, huh?
Like, I always felt, well,there's no presence in World Showcase,

(01:51:54):
but I think it would make theperfect addition.
We've had this conversationover years and decades, but that's
not what this was about, like,at all.
They talked about animationand the Jungle Book, right?
And modern Disney animation.
I had never heard of MiroRoyal Detective and this mystery
adventure that's set in Japur,this fantasy world that was inspired

(01:52:17):
by India.
I think they talked about,like, the Cheetah Girls and Million
Dollar Arm and Jungle Book andthe remake of Jungle Book and some
of the inspiration there, butI'm not so sure that's it.

(01:52:38):
I think, and maybe I'm readingbetween the lines, the fact that
India was spotlighted.
Unlike Japan or China, Indiahas no presence.
And I don't know, I can'tthink of other time where Disney
sort of highlights countriesin a major fan event without reason.

(01:53:00):
I think they use moments likethis to, as I said earlier, build
awareness of some of thecultural connections, maybe plant
the seed of interest and maybejust possibly test the waters with
the fan community.
And I think India makesperfect sense for Disney.

(01:53:21):
I think it's a culturally richin terms of mythology and architecture,
music and art.
Let's not even start talking.
I love Indian food too, so Ithink there's great opportunities
for storytelling and place making.
I also think India is one ofthe fastest growing entertainment
markets in the world.
Disney also has already amassive footprint there through tv,

(01:53:43):
like Disney Star and Hot Starand film and consumer products.
I think it's the perfect WorldShowcase fit.
Epcot has room and I thinkdesire for new pavilions.
It's been rumored as blue skyfor years.
And there was actually conceptart for an India Pavilion.
An India Pavilion with thisTaj Mahal style facade going back

(01:54:06):
to the 80s.
And I think on the flip side,look, I think as Disney looks beyond
existing park regions, AbuDhabi, I'm looking at you.
India sort of represents oneof those last major untapped markets
for a potential international resort.

(01:54:26):
So I may be wrong.
I probably am.
But I wonder if the Indy.
If India being Featured@Destination D23 was not just a random
choice, but more importantly adeliberate breadcrumb.
That's really exciting.
You're right.
The other three that theymentioned were China, France and

(01:54:50):
Japan.
I've got to mention France.
Yeah, yeah.
And they all have alreadyexisting parks, or we have not only
parks, but, but they alreadyhave ref, you know, things within
Epcot as well with the WorldShowcase, whereas India doesn't.
And maybe there's a reason whythe head of Disney archives was doing

(01:55:12):
a deep dive into theconnections of Disney and India.
Interesting, because I thinkthis is sort of how Disney works,
right?
They start with storytelling,they start with the culture, they
start with this archival celebration.
Right.
They build a little bit of fancuriosity and then maybe connect

(01:55:33):
that narrative thread to aphysical place or experience.
So look, I think, and I couldbe way off and I know nothing other
than what I saw this weekend,but I think that the India Spotlight,
because it was, it was notjust part of something else, it had
its own, like, slot on the schedule.

(01:55:54):
This India spotlight atdestination D23 might be more than
just a cultural showcase.
It could be Disney quietlysignaling the next frontier.
That would be really cool.
I support it.
I think that'd be awesome.
Especially because so much ofthose panels that Becky did felt

(01:56:17):
like.
It felt like a person going,hey, here's my hyper fixation of
my latest research project.
Here's the things that I justdiscovered that I am really fascinated
by and I'm going to share itwith you.
Whereas everything kind of hada reason, but, you know, why India
as opposed to, you know,Disney parks?

(01:56:39):
Disney around the globe.
India was the name of thatright piece and Disney, every other
place there's a touch point.
Right?
There's a physical touch point there.
There isn't anything there.
So, yeah, even if it is just.
I say just.
But like, obviously a newtheme park would be a huge thing.
Slightly smaller would bemaybe a presence within World Showcase,

(01:57:02):
which would be amazing andwould be, I think, incredibly well
received.
I'll even be happy startingoff with a restaurant.
Like bring in some tikkamasala and I am, I am good to go.
Yes.
Yeah.
Who knows?
Yeah, let's, let's.
Yeah.
I'm very.
For those, for you sittingaround this table with us.

(01:57:24):
I'm curious to hear your thoughts.
And look, if you think I'm acrazy person, this is probably not
the only evidence that youhave or you would agree that this
might be what is coming next.
Last and certainly not least.
And I know we've been goinglong, sorry, but there was so much
to cover from three days.
Number 23 is that destinationD23 unequivocally proves Disney's

(01:57:48):
commitment to the fan experience.
This sold out 4000 person,three day event demonstrated their
dedication to providingexclusive content, which again, I
think is a gift announcementsand experiences to the most passionate
fans.
Which really sets the stagefor an even bigger set of reveals

(01:58:10):
at D23, 2026 in Anaheim.
I think destination D23 isthis microcosm of Disney.
It balances nostalgia and legacy.
We didn't even Talk about theexistencio tribute the 70th, the
archival deep dives withfuture facing projects like Villains
Land, Paris Disney Destiny.

(01:58:33):
It wasn't just aboutcelebrating the past or the future.
It's about that continuum ofDisney storytelling.
But Serena, I honestly thinkit was more than about announcements.
It was about belonging.
It's the shared fanexperience, the communal joy of being

(01:58:53):
together in that room.
It's not a news event, it's acommunity event.
And that closing presentationand that closing concert was the
perfect finale.
It was this joyful exclamationpoint and a reminder like it's not
about stories and history andthe things that separate us, but
the things that unite us.
And it's music and sharedexperiences that bring us all together.

(01:59:18):
We talk about the energy.
Like that finale was electric.
It was high energy and it waslike goosebumps and tears and clapping
and everybody, every of the,each of the 4,000 people in that
room were part of the show.
And it underscores what D23 isall about, which is connection.
And I met a lot of.

(01:59:39):
And thank you to so many people.
I had a chance to talk to,because for some, it was the first
time at a D23 event, and forothers, it sort of become tradition.
And in that finale, man, noneof it mattered.
Everybody was united, like, bythe same songs and the same stories
and the same love of Disney.
And it, like, was at thatmoment, I'm like, I don't know 99%

(02:00:01):
of you, but this feels like afamily reunion.
And it was sort of tiedthrough that music.
And I think it just.
It was the sort of the perfectpresent moment of community.
I totally agree.
And I would really encourageanyone to consider attending.
I know that it.
They do sell out quick.

(02:00:21):
You have to be kind of, youknow, paying attention, and you have
travel plans and stuff, but there.
There's something reallymagical about being in the room where
it happens.
You know, it's worth trying atleast one time.
You know, whether it's this,whether it's the one in Anaheim or
the smaller events thatthey're doing as they take D20 around
the world.
And to go on tour with theseevents, just think about attending

(02:00:45):
one in person so that you getthat touch point with your local
community of fans that lovethe things you love.
Disney isn't just about whatyou see on a screen or in a park.
It's about how it makes us feel.
And those feelings become evenmore magnified and stronger when

(02:01:06):
we share them together inshared spaces like this.
And again, whether it'sDestination D and on the road event
or D23, the ultimate fanexperience next year in Anaheim,
these events are all built oninclusion and welcome and belonging

(02:01:27):
and heart and soul.
Like, I always talk about how,like, for me, the podcast is the
heart of what I do, butcommunity is the Soul.
And destination D23 proves that.
Again, like, the announcementsmight make the headlines, but it's
the communities that make the memories.
And look there.
There was so much more that wedidn't get to talk about from panels

(02:01:49):
and presentations and photoops and.
And one last thing I want tosay, and it's to Michael Vargo and
the entire team.
I felt this event, Serena, wasflawlessly executed from an organizer
and guest perspective.
The lines, the shopping, the food.
I heard no complaints, notjust from me, but from the people

(02:02:10):
around me.
Look, Disney fans, this maycome as a shock to you.
There are some people who arejust sort of perennially grumpy,
and they'll just complain likethere was none of that.
There was none of that there.
And I cannot imagine what ittakes and how many moving pieces
and puzzle parts There are andthings going on behind the scenes
that we don't see.

(02:02:30):
But from a guest perspective,from my personal perspective, that
you are welcome to disagree.
I think this was one of themost flawlessly executed events in,
like, I had zero complaintsabout it and that I know it's a monumental
undertaking.
So to everybody, like, onstage, backstage, behind the scenes
in Anaheim, in Orlando, andeveryone else around the world, like,

(02:02:53):
kudos to you for what you did,did to make this come together like
that.
I totally agree.
It was a fantastic event.
And just the organization.
I so appreciated how organizedit was, how clearly everything was
marked, how easy it was tofind your way around, how everything
was so accommodating.
It was.
It was wonderful to experiencesomething like that and didn't feel.

(02:03:15):
I know it's 4,000 peoplebecause they told us it was 4,000
people, but it didn't.
Didn't feel like it was, youknow, too many people in the space
that they were there was very.
Well, there was a lot ofthought and a lot of planning that
clearly went into this event.
And, you know, a lot of fanevents these days don't go off flawlessly.
So I appreciate what obviouslymust have gone into it to make it

(02:03:38):
such a good one.
It's just one that I couldreally, like, feel wholeheartedly
recommend to people to attend.
Like, you're gonna have a good experience.
It's not gonna be somethingthat you're just gonna end up frustrated
and feel like, oh, that wasjust a bunch of money wasted.
Like, it's genuinely just areally, really good time.
And whether you are anintrovert or an extrovert, whether
you have attended somethingbefore, whether you're part of a

(02:04:00):
community, like, I just feltlike this is.
I had a conversation withsomebody and I said this, you know,
sort of tongue in cheek.
You know, one of the thingsabout Disney is it is a place that
is welcoming and inviting andaccepting of everyone.
A lot of us maybe were notthose popular kids in school speaking,

(02:04:23):
you know, I may be talkingabout myself.
Disney's always been thatplace where you always felt welcome,
and that's what these events do.
And whether you come alone,whether you come with family like
you, you come with friends,you know that you are.
You know, you say, like Isaid, God help the outcast.
Like, this is a place where.
Where you know that you cancome and be welcome because.

(02:04:46):
And you.
Communities sort of become amarketing buzzword in some spaces.
But, you know, communitieswhere the stories that we love become
the stories that we live, andthat's what this coming together
is really about.
And, you know, I think the.
I thought about this as I waswalking out yesterday.
I said, you know, the greatestattraction Disney's ever built is

(02:05:06):
community.
And It's a big.
D23 is a huge, huge part of it.
Last question for you, Serena.
If you were to close your eyesright now and think back on one memory,
one moment, one takeaway fromdestination D23, what is it?
Probably it's Jodi Bensonsinging that song about that she

(02:05:33):
got to sing to all of us.
And just the story behind it.
That's probably, like, that'swhat pops in my head at the beginning.
It's also just the time that Iget to spend with people.
Like, on a personal note,like, what we, you and I do is we
run our own businessessingularly with just us.

(02:05:53):
It's just us in an office, alot of times just behind a computer.
It's like one.
It's a time where we get tocome and interact with people and
actually see people.
We're not just talking to thevoid here.
Like, you know, we actuallyget to, like, see faces, have people
come up to get to haveconversations with other fans, get
to have.
Have conversations with otherpeople who do what we do and love

(02:06:15):
what we love.
It.
It's just.
It's so personally fulfilling.
Really fills up your cup inthe best way, and it gives you all
of this stuff that no, nosocial media post can.
Can convey.
Like, I can't share this on Instagram.
What it gives me.
This is something that itgives me that's very personal and,

(02:06:37):
you know, makes.
Makes me feel like I want tojust keep going.
I want to just keep continuingto do what I do.
I want to keep going back tothese parks that I love.
I want to keep watching thesemovies that I love.
Like, that's such a greatfeeling to feel like your creativity
and your spark reignited.
Not a lot of things do that in life.

(02:06:58):
Most things drain us.
This is one of the few thingsthat fills us back up.
Yeah, we.
We said at the very beginning,and it was.
The word we kept using allweekend was the energy.
Right.
It was the energy in the room.
It was the energy on the.
From the performers and thepanelists and the presenters, and
was the energy that we left with.
Right.
You just wanted to, like, takeit all in.
I get it.
You want to go home and, like,watch a Disney movie.

(02:07:20):
You want to, like, yeah, go toa park and things like that.
And that's.
And that's something special.
When an event is able to dothat, especially at scale.
So yeah, thank you for sharingand spending so much time during
the event with me.
Again, these things aredefinitely best enjoyed when you
can share them with someone else.

(02:07:40):
Do me a favor, tell peoplewhere they can find you.
Living by Disney on allplatforms and I have a podcast as
well where we talk aboutDisney stuff as well as like tips
and strategies for visitingthe parks, mostly Disney World and
Disney Cruise Line.
Living by Disney on alleverywhere you go.
I will, I will link to it inthe show notes over@wwradio.com and

(02:08:04):
I look forward to.
We've gotten to listen, we'vegotten to do some pretty amazing
things together and there'ssome good stuff coming up that we
get to to do and I appreciateyou you sharing that with me.
Oh, thanks for having me.
Anytime.
Still that the Susan Egan,Jody Benson moments and even like

(02:08:25):
when all the presenters got onstage and the confetti is flying
and they're singing like eye.
To eye like it's, it's great.
It was a really good event.
It was a really, really good event.
Now I didn't go to destinationD23 last time, the time before, so
I didn't do the, the mostrecent one at the Contemporary.

(02:08:47):
But I love this.
I hope they keep, keep goingwith this.
And it's like this was likethe way Expo was in like, I don't
know, like 2015, 2016,whatever that was.
So it feels like this one'sjust gonna keep growing and fan events
gonna keep growing.
I can't wait to see what D23,the ultimate fan experience has.

(02:09:11):
Yeah.
Next August.
It's gonna be awesome.
It's time for this week'sDisney Trivia Challenge where you
can test your knowledge ofWalt Disney World sights, sounds,

(02:09:32):
secrets and stories.
And if you think you know theanswer, you can enter via our online
forum for a chance to win aDisney World prize package.
This week's trivia contest isonce again brought to you by my favorite
foodie event of the year.
This body does not happennaturally and I love and look so
forward to going to thisyear's Walt Disney World Swan and
Dolphin Food and Wine Classic.
Friday and Saturday, November15th and 16th.

(02:09:55):
Right in the heart of WaltDisney World.
It is an amazing evening ofincredible food, drinks, live music
and real Disney magic.
More importantly, your ticketincludes unlimited food and beverages
with dishes from award winningchefs from the incredible restaurants
at the Swan and Dolphin,wines, beers, cocktails from around

(02:10:16):
the world.
It really is one of my foodhighlights of the year I have been
going since the very first year.
Tickets are on sale now andyou can get all the details over
at Swan Dolphin Food and WineClassic and I hope to see you on
the the Causeway this November.
Now before we get to thisweek's question, let's go back, review
last week's and select our winner.
So last week we were talkingabout the Disney Destiny, having

(02:10:39):
just come from touring theship over in Papenburg, Germany and
I asked you on What2DisneyCruise Line ships can you play one
of my favorites, the MidshipDetective Agency game.
Thanks to all of you whoentered, got this one correct and
knew that they are of coursecourse, the Disney Dream and Disney
Fantasy.
If you've never been on boardor heard of the Midship Detective

(02:11:00):
Agency, it is this amazinginteractive self guided mystery game
aboard these two ships.
It is completely free, fun toplay whether you are a kid, kid at
heart or together as a family.
Everybody gets a specialdetective badge with a QR code, a
map and clues to locate theenchanted art around the ship, which

(02:11:20):
literally comes to life whenscanned to help solve one of several
randomized mysteries like theCase of the Plundered Paintings,
the Case of the MissingPuppies, or my favorite, the Case
of the Stolen show featuringthe Muppets.
And thanks to those of you whonot only entered but shared some
stories about how you enjoyedplaying the game by yourself or with

(02:11:41):
your kids.
Anyway, I took all the correctentries, randomly selected one, and
last week we were playing forthe WW Radio keychain stickers pin
and a mystery prize that Ibrought you from Disney Cruise Line.
And last week's winner,randomly selected is Peter Connolly.
So Peter, congratulations.
I'll get your prize packageout to you right away.

(02:12:01):
And if you played last weekand didn't win, that's okay because
here's your next chance toenter in this week's timely and appropriate
Disney Trivia challenge.
So we're Talking aboutdestination D23 and really D23 in
the community as a whole.
And your question this week issimply to tell me in what year did

(02:12:21):
D23 officially launch?
What year did D23 launch?
Remember, there was the wholemystery posts from Disney leading
up to it that just asked thesimple question, are you 23?
And they weren't asking your age.
So again, tell me, in whatyear where did D23 officially launch?
You have until Sunday,September 8th at 11:59pm Eastern.

(02:12:42):
To go to www.radio.com clickon this week's podcast, use the form
there.
Again, this week.
It'll play for the keychain,the stickers, the pin and a mystery
prize that I got for you fromthis year's Destination D23.
So good luck and have fun.

(02:13:06):
Thank you again for listening.
I know we had a lot to coverthis week.
And more importantly, forbeing part of the WW Audio family,
I am so grateful to and for you.
I hope you found some magic inthis week's show.
And please know that I wouldnot have been able to attend destination
D23 if it wasn't for you andyour friendship, love and support.
So thank you for the gift ofme being able to go and share it

(02:13:29):
with you.
Everything I get to do isthanks to and because of you and
I am appreciative of it everysingle day.
If you enjoyed the show,please help spread the word, share
the show and tell a friend.
And even if you couldn't be atthis year's event, hopefully you
can come to a future one.
But more importantly, I hopethat this week's show just put a
smile on your face and youfeel better because of it.

(02:13:51):
Remember to be kind to choose.
Choose the good.
Have a great day and evenbetter tomorrow, teach and lead by
example.
So until next time, alwaysremember that you've got a friend
in me, whether we have met yetor not.
See ya.
Well, it sounds pretty good.
In fact, that's just the right spirit.

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841 · 23 Takeaways from Destination D23 2025

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