Save the Date- Destination D: Attraction Rewind is Coming!

DISNEY LEGENDS AND LUMINARIES CELEBRATE THEME PARK FAVORITES OF YESTERYEAR ATD23 DESTINATION D: ATTRACTION REWIND

FROM AMERICA SINGS AND IF YOU HAD WINGS TO DISNEY’S GROUNDBREAKING PARTICIPATION IN THE 1964–65 WORLD’S FAIR, GUESTS WILL ENJOY PRESENTATIONS, SCREENINGS, UNIQUE SHOPPING, AND MUCH MORE, NOVEMBER 22 AND 23 AT WALT DISNEY WORLD RESORT

Walt Disney once said, “We keep moving forward—opening up new doors and doing new things—because we’re curious. And curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.” It’s in that spirit that guests this fall will have the opportunity to visit—or revisit—some of the most beloved Disney attractions of yesteryear. D23 Destination D: Attraction Rewindpresented by H2O Plus will take place November 22 and 23 at Walt Disney World Resort. D23: The Official Disney Fan Club will bring Disney archivists, Imagineers, Legends, and luminaries together to celebrate fan favorites such as Adventure Thru Inner Space, If You Had Wings, and 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea with rarely seen concept art and images; vintage video clips; and hours of revealing stories. In addition, there will be a full day of presentations dedicated to the 1964–65 New York World’s Fair, which debuted beloved attractions like it’s a small world and Carousel of Progress.

Presenters and panelists include Disney Legends Marty Sklar, Bob Gurr, and Alice Davis; Walt Disney Archives Director Becky Cline; Disney and World’s Fair historians Bill Cotter, Stacia Martin, and Michael Kelley—and more to be announced.

During the weekend, guests will be able to explore a special exhibit designed by the Walt Disney Archives in honor of the event.

The weekend will end with an exciting evening event—Pleasure Island: Rewind. This celebration of the Downtown Disney nightlife district will include areas dedicated to the Adventurers Club, Comedy Warehouse, Mannequins, and 8 Trax. And of course there will be a “New Year’s Eve” celebration to cap the night.

Plus, for the first time, Mickey’s of Glendale, the famed Walt Disney Imagineering store, will set up a pop-up shop at the event for attendees, featuring a selection of exclusive Imagineering merchandise as well as limited-edition pins, T-shirts, and collectibles themed to the event. The shop will also carry a special line from H2O Plus, whose products are featured at Disney Resort Hotels. 

Highlights of D23 DESTINATION D: ATTRACTION REWIND presented by H2O Plus will include*:

• Disney Goes to the World’s Fair: A look at how Disney became a part of the landmark event
• Lost on the Way to the Fair: Pavilion concepts for the World’s Fair that never came to be
• Retro Rewind References: Nods to favorites of the past in current Disney Parks attractions
• That Was Entertainment: Revisiting beloved theme park parades, shows, and spectacles

The weekend event will take place in the convention center at Disney’s Contemporary Resort. Tickets, available Wednesday, April 16, are $190 each and available exclusively to D23 Gold and Silver Members for a limited time. Any remaining tickets will be made available to D23 Free Members on May 28 for $250 per ticket. All guests will receive a special gift in honor of Disney’s contributions to the 50th anniversary of the 1964–65 World’s Fair in New York City. A limited number of “Top of the World” tickets will be available featuring reserved seating, early shopping on November 21, an exclusive dinner reception, special collectibles, gifts from H2O Plus and Ghirardelli Chocolate Company, and more.

More details about the program and tickets for D23 DESTINATION D: ATTRACTION REWIND presented by H2O Plus, as well as a special offer just for members of D23, can be found at D23.com/Events. Additional schedule announcements will be made in the coming months.

About D23

The name “D23” pays homage to the exciting journey that began in 1923 when Walt Disney opened his fledgling studio in Hollywood. D23 is the first official club for fans in Disney’s 90-plus-year history. D23 gives its members a greater connection to the entire world of Disney by placing them in the middle of the magic through its quarterly publication, Disney twenty-three; a rich website at D23.com with members-only content; member-exclusive discounts and special events for D23 Members throughout the year.

About H2O Plus, LLC

H2O Plus, LLC is a leading developer, manufacturer, and marketer of prestige, marine-based skincare products for the face and body. Their parent company, Pola Orbis, is the fourth-leading beauty care company in Japan. Celebrating their 25th anniversary this year, H2O Plus continues to develop innovative products based on their heritage of water-based formulas powered by exclusive marine blends and state-of-the-art technology. H2O Plus has a large and expanding global presence in more than 9,000 points of distribution, worldwide. For more information on H2O Plus, please visit www.h2oplus.com

Fans can join D23 at Gold, Silver, and Free Membership levels at D23.com and at www.DisneyStore.com/D23.To keep up with all the latest D23 news and events, follow us @DisneyD23 on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, and YouTube.

Dream It! Do It!

Dream It! Do It! 

A Presentation by Marty Sklar

Disney Gal Judy: This past Sunday, Kelly and I were fortunate enough to have been at the Museum of Science and Industry for a presentation by Marty Sklar for his new book Dream It! Do It! The event was opened by Kurt Haunfelner, VP of Exhibits and Collections for the museum.  This was a great person to open for Marty Sklar as Kurt worked for Disney under Marty many years ago.  Kurt shared many interesting tidbits on Marty's live at Disney such as: 

• Marty started working for Disney part-time a few weeks before Disneyland opened;
• He worked on all four exhibits for the 1964 New York World's Fair;
• He is a 2001 Disney Legend;
• He held many titles at the Walt Disney Imagineering including; Vice President of Concepts and Planning; then he was promoted to President and his last title was Vice Chairman and Principal Creative Executive of the Company; and
• He worked for Disney for 54 years.

Beat the Winter Blues at MSI Chicago

Raise your hand if you are tired of hearing "I'm bored". Keep them up if you think your children have been watching way too much television these past snow-covered weeks. Why not do yourself and your wallet a favor by heading the the Museum of Science and Industries this month. How can you beat this deal:

It’s FREE KIDS FEBRUARY at MSI!

From February 1 through February 28 the Museum of Science and Industry Chicago will offer FREE MUSEUM ENTRY to kids, ages 3-11. This is a perfect time to escape the house, beat the winter blues and experiment in fun at MSI with the whole family!

Free Museum Entry for kids also makes it a great time to purchase tickets to the Museum’s temporary exhibit offering, Treasures of the Walt Disney Archives, presented by D23: The Official Disney Fan Club. Explore nine decades of marvelous Disney innovation and history; see drawings, props, costumes and artwork from famed Disney films and television shows; and even learn to draw a favorite Disney character in the Animation Academy! (NOTE: This exhibit still requires an additional ticket for kids, but the Museum Entry portion for those 3-11 would be waived.)

MSI offers a convenient indoor garage parking to escape the cold—and an exciting day of science-filled adventures. Run in a human-sized hamster wheel. See lightning strike—indoors! Manipulate a tornado. Climb inside a historic locomotive. Dissect a real eyeball. Witness fiery chemistry at work. And much, much more

Free Kids Museum Entry tickets must be obtained on-site at the Museum ticket counter. They cannot be acquired online. Treasures of the Walt Disney Archives tickets can be added at ticket counter. For more information and restrictions, visit msichicago.org.

NOTE: This offer is good for child Museum Entry tickets only (valid for ages 3-11).Up to four free child tickets allowed with the purchase of one full paying adult. Additional experiences, including Omnimax^® films, U-505 Submarine on-board tour, Future Energy Chicago, Coal Mine, Treasures of the Walt Disney Archives and special tours are not included in Museum Entry. They require additional, timed-entry tickets. Offer not valid for groups taking advantage of group pricing or those using any other discount or offer.  No refunds will be given for tickets already purchased for February dates. Parking is not included.

Disney Gal Judy and I were just at the museum Sunday to attend a presentation/book signing by Disney Legend Marty Sklar. It was an inspiring afternoon which we will be posting about later this week. We also had a chance to revisit D23 Presents - Treasures of the Walt Disney Archives. How wonderful to see parents sharing their childhood Disney memories with their children as they walked through the exhibit. Why not share the magic with your children? Make sure your weekend plans include a stop at Chicago's Museum of Science and Industries, you won't be disappointed.

Dream It, Do It... Who is Marty Sklar?

Photo courtesy of MSI Chicago

That is the question many of my friends asked when I told them where I am going. The Museum of Science and Industries in Chicago reached out to Disney Gal Judy to cover Marty Sklar's presentation today, and she's letting me tag along! When I tried to explain to my friends exactly who this man is, words like "Disney Legend" and "He has a window" were met with many confused looks. (Yes, I have friends that are not Disney fanatics, believe it or not.)  Then I thought of the introduction in Marty's book "Dream It! Do It!: My Half-Century Creating Disney Magic Kingdoms", written by none other than the fabulously talented Richard Sherman. He wrote this song in 2009 when Marty retired, to celebrate his 50 years of dedication. If this doesn't fill in the blanks for my friends, I don't know what will. (Maybe Marty's book!)

Sung to the tune of Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious:

VERSE 1:
Before the doors of Disneyland
Were opened to the world
Young Marty Sklar was asked
To have his writing skills unfurled
The Disneyland newspaper
Was first product of his skills
Then PR and Publicity
Young Marty fit the bill...He's...

CHORUS:
Never fearing, Imagineering
Mar-ty Sklar-e-docious
For years he's led Imagineers
With passion so ferocious
Through stress and strains
He's held the reins
With leadership precocious
Never fearing, Imagineering
Mar-ty Sklar-e-docious

VERSE 2:
For Walt he wrote his speeches
And his annual reports
Then moved to WED to help create
Attractions and resorts
From Small World to Space Mountain
To eleven Disney Parks
Our Marty steered Imagineers
With their creative sparks... (and his)

repeat chorus

VERSE 3:
He's first to give out credit
To the great creative teams
His one persisting goal
Was to perpetuate Walt's dream
Succeed he did, and so we stand
As one to give three cheers
To Marty Sklar the champion
Of all Imagineers...He's

FINAL CHORUS:
Never fearing, Imagineering
Mar-ty Sklar-e-docious
For years he's led Imagineers
With passion so ferocious
Through stress and strains
He's held the reins
With leadership precocious
Never fearing, Imagineering
Mar-ty Sklar-e-docious!

We look forward to telling you all about this amazing opportunity this coming week. Keep your eyes on the blog for many pictures and stories!

Guest Author Sunday

Guest Author Sunday

Leanne Tomala

Guest Author Leanne Tomala is back to talk about her experiences in her quest to have dinner with Marty Sklar.  Be sure to stay tuned to the Disney Gals as our own Disney Gal 

Judy has been selected as one of the Media Correspondents covering the event in Chicago!

"The belief in a thing makes it happen."  - Frank Lloyd Wright.  I really like this quote.  It affirms what I have thought all along that sometimes wishing makes it so, especially since today is my birthday.  I am on a quest this year to have dinner with Marty Sklar.  I'm hoping he doesn't think that I am some kind of cyber-stalker.  I'm just a middle-aged woman who has loved Disney her entire life and would like to have a conversation with someone who was there with Walt Disney from the beginning.

The above excerpt was from my blog written on February 1, 2012.  I always thought that if you said things out-loud to the universe, the universe would respond, and it has!

Through my quest with the Disney Moms Panel for 2014, I was touched by so many people in the Disney blog-o-sphere and elsewhere.  Disney Gals, home to one of the new “Moms”, brought me into their fold as a guest blogger. for which I am grateful.  A recent post on Facebook by Disney Gals caught my attention: 

"Do you live in or near Chicago? Would you love to see a Disney Legend? Now is your chance, Marty Sklar is going to be at Museum of Science and Industry on Sunday, February 16!! Check out the information on this upcoming event!"

I live somewhat “near” to Chicago, in St. Louis, and can easily travel by Amtrak.  Here is my chance to meet Marty Sklar!  There will be no dinner involved, but a lecture and book signing are good enough for me and maybe a picture too!  Not wasting any time, I booked the train tickets and told my husband that we’re off to Chicago on February 16^th.  My husband will be with my grandson looking at the trains, the submarine and the coal mine.  I’ll be in the lecture hall listening to Mr. Sklar and getting his autograph on my copy of his book, “Dream It, Do It.” 

Wishes do come true!  Sometimes you just have to wait a bit…  

D23 Presents Marty Sklar

Dream It! Do It!

A Presentation by Marty Sklar

 

(Photo from MSI Chicago)

Marty Sklar, a Disney Legend and Imagineering Ambassador will be at the Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago on Sunday, February 16, 2014; at 1:00 pm. 

Marty worked for the Disney company for 54 years, in many positions including early years of ghost-writing personal material for Walt Disney, to his lead creative role in conceiving and designing the Disney Parks, he was also Executive Vice President and President of Walt Disney Imagineering.  Marty has been at the Center of virtually every major Disney Park initiative for more than 50 years. He also led the creative development of EPCOT Center, Tokyo Disneyland, the Disney-MGM Studios, Disneyland Paris and Disney's Animal Kingdom.