UPDATED with full schedule: Disney has revealed the full schedule for what it terms “the Biggest Disney Fan Event of the year,” Destination D23, which will take place from Friday, September 8 through Sunday, September 10, at Disney’s Contemporary Resort at the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando.
The event, tied to the company’s 100th anniversary this year and put on for members of its D23 fan club, promises a “journey through every era of Disney, as we venture back through the last century of storytelling and look forward to a limitless future for the company.”
Here is the full schedule revealed today:
Friday, September 8
7 a.m. – 8 p.m. :
Guest Services / International Credential Pick-Up Open
East Registration
Shopping Check-In Open
8 a.m. – 8 p.m. :
Gift Pick-Up Open
Sorcerer’s Apprentice 2
Mickey’s of Glendale Shopping Open
Ballroom of the Americas, 2nd Floor
The Walt Disney Company Store
Grand Republic Ballroom D, 2nd Floor
Ink & Paint Marketplace
Grand Republic Ballroom B, 2nd Floor
Mickey’s of Glendale RSP Pick-Up
West Registration
9:30 a.m. – 8 p.m.:
The Plausible Impossible 60 Years of Disney
Audio-Animatronics Technology
Sorcerer’s Apprentice 3
Saturday, September 9
7 a.m.:
Queue for both General Seating and Preferred Seating opens
Disney’s Contemporary Resort Convention Center, 1st Floor Lobby
7 a.m. – 8 p.m.:
Guest Services / International Credential Pick-Up open
East Registration
7 a.m. – 7 p.m.:
The Plausible Impossible 60 Years of Disney Audio-Animatronics Technology
(closed during presentations)
Sorcerer’s Apprentice 3
8 a.m. – 6 p.m.:
Mickey’s of Glendale Shopping Open
Ballroom of the Americas, 2nd Floor
The Walt Disney Company Store
Grand Republic Ballroom D, 2nd Floor
Ink & Paint Marketplace
Grand Republic Ballroom B, 2nd Floor
8:15 a.m.:
Doors Open – Preferred Seating admission
Fantasia Ballroom H
8:30 a.m.:
Doors Open – General Seating admission
Fantasia Ballroom G
9 a.m. – 12 p.m.:
Morning presentations, including:
A Celebration of Disney Parks, Experiences and Products: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow
Disney Parks, Experiences and Products Chairman Josh D’Amaro and special guests look at the future of Disney parks, featuring updates from around the world and some fun surprises along the way.
10:30 a.m. – 10:45 a.m.:
Morning Break
D23 Updates with Michael Vargo
The Early ’Ears – Ub, Oswald, and Mickey
Walt Disney Archives Director Becky Cline takes a journey back to the roaring ’20s and the “Early ’Ears of Disney” during this retrospective conversation, featuring iconic characters like Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, Mickey Mouse, and the Legends behind them, like Ub Iwerks and Walt Disney.
100 Years of Classic Characters: Unforgettable Stories
Actress and fashion icon Ashley Eckstein catches up with fellow voice actors behind fan-favorite Disney characters, including Bret Iwan (Mickey Mouse), Kaitlyn Robrock (Minnie Mouse), and Disney Legend Bill Farmer (Pluto, Goofy), for a rousing tribute to the characters that have inspired us for a century.
12 p.m. – 2 p.m.:
Lunch Break
1:30 p.m.:
Doors Open – Preferred Seating admission
Fantasia Ballroom H
Doors Open – General Seating Admission
Fantasia Ballroom G
2 p.m. – 5 p.m.:
Afternoon presentations, including:
National Geographic Live – Secrets of the Whales
Dive deep into the groundbreaking science of whale families—and their startlingly human parallels—through the awe-inspiring work of celebrated National Geographic Explorer and photographer Brian Skerry.
Disney Cruise Line: 25 Years of Innovative Design at Sea
Get an inside look into designing and building Disney Cruise Ships from the Disney Imagineers currently working on its newest fleet. Learn of the intricacies that go into designing unique spaces and the complexities of ship design.
3:15 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.:
Afternoon Break
Marvel: Beyond Earth’s Mightiest – Celebrating 60 Years of The Avengers
Celebrate 60 years of Earth’s Mightiest Super Hero team, the Avengers! Since their debut in 1963’s The Avengers #1, this all-star roster of beloved characters has been uniting to fight the foes that no single hero could withstand. Now, join Marvel Comics Editor-in-Chief C.B. Cebulski to trace the comics history of the Avengers across six decades—and BEYOND! Surprising stories and tantalizing teases await in this can’t-miss panel about how the Avengers rose to become a pop culture phenomenon! Avengers, assemble!
100 Years of Innovation: Magic in Every Medium
At its core, The Walt Disney Company lives by its ability to “keep moving forward,” as curiosity leads us down new paths. Imagineers Daniel Joseph and Karin Hanson reconcile a century of innovations in which Disney stories have been brought to life through magic, connecting how they have been inspired by the innovations of yesterday, to the exciting ways they innovate through storytelling today.
EPCOT: Always in a State of Becoming
A look into the design and ideas behind the transformation of EPCOT and its new neighborhoods, attractions, and experiences. Explore the legacy of the park and discover more about the collaboration between Walt Disney Imagineering and Walt Disney World Resort throughout this ambitious process. Highlights include details uncovered by the Marty Sklar Archives and the inspirations that have guided the evolution of Disney’s first park without a castle.
Sunday, September 10, 2023
7 a.m.:
Queue for both General Seating and Preferred Seating opens
Disney’s Contemporary Resort Convention Center, 1st Floor Lobby
7 a.m. – 8 p.m.:
Guest Services / International Credential Pick-Up open
East Registration
7 a.m. – 5 p.m.:
The Plausible Impossible 60 Years of Disney Audio-Animatronics Technology
(closed during presentations)
Sorcerer’s Apprentice 3
8 a.m. – 6 p.m.:
Mickey’s of Glendale Shopping Open
Ballroom of the Americas, 2nd Floor
The Walt Disney Company Store
Grand Republic Ballroom D, 2nd Floor
Ink & Paint Marketplace
Grand Republic Ballroom B, 2nd Floor
8:15 a.m.:
Doors Open – Preferred Seating admission
Fantasia Ballroom H
8:30 a.m.:
Doors Open – General Seating admission
Fantasia Ballroom G
9 a.m. – 12 p.m.:
Morning presentations, including:
Walt Disney Studios Showcase
A sneak peek at exciting upcoming projects from The Walt Disney Studios.
10:30 a.m. – 10:45 a.m.:
Morning Break
100 Years of Walt Disney Animation Studios
Becky Bresee and Wayne Unten, heads of animation on Walt Disney Animation Studios’ upcoming feature Wish, sit down with legendary animator Mark Henn to revisit some of their favorite filmmaking memories.
Disney Global Ambassador Showdown
Disney Parks Ambassadors from every Disney destination around the world talk about their home resorts and engage in a friendly competition to see whose resort is the “best of the best.”
Weird Disney: Centennial Edition
Get weird with the Walt Disney Archives and experience 100 years of “weird Disney” moments in the centennial edition of a Destination D23 fan favorite!
12 p.m. – 2 p.m.:
Lunch Break
1:30 p.m.:
Doors Open – Preferred Seating admission
Fantasia Ballroom H
Doors Open – General Seating admission
Fantasia Ballroom G
2 p.m. – 4 p.m.:
Afternoon presentations, including:
The Road to 1923: Walt Goes West
Disney Legend Don Hahn provides new and fascinating insights into Walt Disney’s fabled journey that would lead him to join his brother Roy in California, where the two would establish the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio—the beginning of what is now The Walt Disney Company.
Down the Rabbit Hole: The Disney You Didn’t Know
Join Disney archivists and authors Kevin M. Kern and Steven Vagnini for a journey down the rabbit hole as they uncover astonishing Disney discoveries, connections, and little-known facts that will change everything—well, at least some things—you thought you knew about the Disney universe!
100 Years of Creativity: A Playful Look at Disney Imagination
Join Imagineers Diego Parras and Jason Grandt for a decade-by-decade look at some of the more interesting and lighthearted moments of Disney creativity from the last 100 years.
See Ya Real Soon: A FAN-Tastic Finale
5 p.m. – 7 p.m.:
Dinner Break
7 p.m. – 9 p.m.:
Disney+ Hallowstream Costume Bash
Kick off the scariest season in style and enter the world of Hallowstream with Disney+, the streaming home of your favorite Halloween stories. With phantomized photo-ops, chilling treats, and spellbinding surprises, guests will find all their hearts’ desires in this lavish lair of scares. Don’t forget to don your favorite costume so that you can dance the night away!
Among the promised highlights are:
- Presentations from Disney archivists, historians, Imagineers, cast members, animators and luminaries—including Disney Legends Bill Farmer and Don Hahn; the voice actors behind some of Disney’s most iconic characters, Bret Iwan, Kaitlyn Robrock, and Ashley Eckstein; Disney on Broadway’s own Genie, Michael James Scott from Aladdin; and many more—in two days of programming worthy of the first century of Disney—and beyond!
- A conversation with Disney Legend Don Hahn and Director of the Walt Disney Archives Becky Cline and learn about Walt Disney’s Journey to join his brother Roy in California, and the earliest days of The Walt Disney Company—from the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio to the Alice Comedies, Oswald the Lucky Rabbit and, of course, everyone’s favorite mouse.
- A catch up with the voice actors behind fan-favorite Disney characters, including Bret Iwan (Mickey Mouse), Kaitlyn Robrock (Minnie Mouse), and Disney Legend Bill Farmer (Pluto, Goofy), and join them for a “table read” of iconic scenes from 100 years of Disney history.
- 100 years of “weird Disney” moments from the Walt Disney Archives
- See the “Disney you didn’t know,” as the Walt Disney Archives uncovers some of the most astonishing Disney discoveries, connections, and little-known facts that will change everything—or at least some things—you thought you knew about the Disney universe.
- Celebrate 100 years of Walt Disney Animation Studios with legendary animators and guests, and get a sneak peek at their highly-anticipated upcoming feature film, Wish.
- A 60 Years of Disney’s Audio-Animatronics Technology Exhibit in which The Walt Disney Archives and Walt Disney Imagineering join creative forces for a special exhibition at Destination D23 to celebrate the history of Audio-Animatronics technology. This exclusive exhibit will showcase the evolution of the art and its related technology through a diverse showcase of rare figural assets, photography, and vintage ephemera and documentation all in the name of celebrating key moments from Walt’s earliest inspirations and development to modern-day marvels.
Tickets for the event are already sold out, but some presentations will be live streamed.
