It is SO hard to choose!
One of the main perks of being a Sorcerer is reserved seating at any of the four main venues – Hall 23, Stage 28, D23 Expo Arena, and the Walt Disney Archives Stage. This was one of the reasons I chose to invest in the Sorcerer’s Package in the first place. But with so many awesome things happening, it was tough to narrow down the choices. Even as it is, I don’t know if I’ll make every single one. I love walking the floor so much I feel I might be lured by the wonder of it all and skip a couple of panels I’ve reserved. Plus, somewhere in all this I need to eat lunch.
You might have guessed, I finally got the email I was waiting for! Sure enough, it had a link to a site where I could choose which panels I wanted to see from the four main arenas. But I was not allowed to pick any panels that overlapped. Even with that small caveat, right away I was in a dilemma. How was I going to see the Walt Disney Studios / Pixar Animation presentation AND see Mark Hamill with the other Disney Legends OR Pirates of the Caribbean in the Disney Parks? How would I see both Marvel Animation AND Melodies in Walt’s Time? And that’s just the first day.
But I finally made the hard choices and here’s what I chose:
Friday: I decided to skip the Legends ceremony (the only BIG panel I am missing out on). It’s the one I’m least interested in and Friday morning is the absolute best shopping day (other than Thursday! – so psyched). Plus, I LOVE Gravity Falls and to hear how the big brain of Alex Hirsch works will be a treat in itself. “Cup O’ Joe” is one of those panels I could never get into in the past and being a huge Marvel fan, this will be something so meaningful for me. Of course the Pixar / WDS presentation was a no-brainer considering all the cool surprises they’ve done in the past – like hearing Idina Menzel sing “Let It Go” live. And being a huge fan of Disney music, “Melodies in Walt’s Time” not only seems like a musical treat, but they hint at some great guest stars singing Disney favorites. Dick Van Dyke? Ashley Brown? Lin-Manuel Miranda?! Sigh… one can dream.
Saturday: Again, two were no brainers – Live Action is one I’ve never been able to see and Parks and Resorts is a must see for someone like me who is a HUGE theme parks fan. Last year, the Walt Disney Interactive presentation was phenomenal and as someone who grew up on these types of games, it was cool to hear what’s coming out. Plus we got one of the coolest souvenirs at the Expo at that presentation – the Kingdom Hearts Mickey costume (plus a Mickey) for the Infinity system. And how could I pass up hearing Richard Sherman? The book A Kiss Goodnight is something I’ve been looking forward to and Sherman is such an amazing storyteller, this should be an event worth remembering.
Sunday: Since I heard about Marcy Smother’s book Eat Like Walt I’ve been looking forward to reading it and to hear her talk about this aspect of Walt’s life is nothing I’ve heard before (except his love of chili). And Alan Menken? Who would miss that if they had a choice? As for the Oswald presentation, both my daughter and I love Oswald but also David Bossert is someone I had the chance to interview before and he has a lot of great stories. It should be really interesting to hear how Walt’s first successful original character developed.
So that’s where I will be. Where will you be? Make sure to download the D23 Expo app for your phone and/or tablet and you can start making your own schedule today! I hope to see you there! Look for me and say “hi.” Follow me on Instagram and Twitter especially during the Expo to find out where I am. I would love to meet you!
- Read part 1 of A Sorcerer’s Journey and keep following the Disney Nerds blog for more!
- My handy guide for D23 Expo has it’s own page if you haven’t checked it out yet!
Disney Nerds 