D23 is a Disney program to build a fan community of Disney enthusiasts, the first sponsored by The Walt Disney Company.
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D23 was introduced on March 10, 2009 by Robert Iger during the company's annual meeting in Oakland, California. The name D23 refers to Disney and 1923, the year the company was founded . The goal of D23 is to communuicate with Disney fans by "placing them in the middle of the magic."[1]
The major components of D23 include a Web site, Disney twenty-three (a quarterly publication), yearly member gifts, member events, member exclusive merchandise, and the D23 Expo, a Disney fan convention dubbed "The Ultimate Disney Fan Experience".[2]
At launch, D23 featured one level of charter membership for $74.99. For 2010, D23 introduced two levels of membership featuring different prices.
The D23 Web site features comic strips, breaking Disney news stories, event information, "This Day in Disney", and a "Walt Disney Archives" section, where visitors can view some rare pieces of Disneyana.
The D23 Expo was held at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, California on September 10-13, 2009.[3] The expo featured pavilions from Walt Disney Imagineering, showcasing models and tests for future attractions, Corporate Responsibility, which feature a photo op, as well as projects for overseas troops and homeless shelters, Disney Consumer Products, showing the many products being sold by Disney within the next few years, a Disney Dream Store, costumes and props from the Walt Disney Archives, a Collectors Forum, where people from all over the country showcased and sold memorabilia.
Events were held in the D23 Arena, Stage 23, Storytellers Theatre, and Walt Disney Studios Theatre. Many announcements regarding future projects were announced, including an expansion of Fantasyland at the Magic Kingdom, a extensive re-hauling of Star Tours for Disneyland and Disney's Hollywood Studios,[4] a film based on the Beatles' Yellow Submarine, a fourth film in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, a new Muppet movie,[5] as well as clips and sneak peeks promoting projects such as Prep and Landing, Rapunzel, Beauty and the Beast in 3-D, a set of viral Muppet videos, and a film series with Guillermo del Toro.
Celebrity appearances included John Travolta, Nicolas Cage, Patricia Heaton, Kelsey Grammer, Tim Burton, Selena Gomez, Donny Osmond, Tom Bergeron, Kym Johnson, Betty White, Robin Williams, Joseph Fiennes, Johnny Depp(as Captain Jack Sparrow), as well as live performances by Miley Cyrus,[6] Honor Society, and the Muppets.
It was announced at the annual shareholders meeting in 2010 that the D23 Expo will not return in 2010, but will return to the Anaheim Convention Center August 19-21, 2011. Instead a new event called "Destination D" will be held at the Disneyland Hotel ballroom in Anaheim, California on September 24-25, 2010. Each year Destination D will have a new theme, with the 2010 event's theme being "Disneyland '55." It is likely that these events will alternate each year. [7]
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  | Official D23 site - D23 | The Official Community for Disney Fans |
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