D23 Fanniversay Hits the Road Beginning August 9

D23 DISNEY FANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION Begins This Week!

The Official Disney Fan Club Brings Roadshow Event to Burbank, San Diego, San Francisco, Chicago, Seattle, Atlanta, Philadelphia, New York City, Boston, Orlando, and Washington, D.C.

For the third year in a row, D23 will be crossing the country with D23 Disney Fanniversary Celebration presented by Walt Disney Records The Legacy Collection, visiting cities across the U.S. to commemorate dozens of magical Disney milestones celebrating landmark anniversaries this year .The live event will visit 11 cities across the United States and will prominently feature Walt Disney Records The Legacy Collection, playing never-before-heard tracks including “Evil Evil” from “Sleeping Beauty” and a demo recording from “The Little Mermaid.”

Topics that will be covered during each Fanniversary event include:

Donald Duck
Disneyland TV show
Sleeping Beauty
Darby O’Gill and the Little People
Disneyland’s Monorail, Matterhorn Bobsleds and Submarine Voyage
Disney’s contributions to the 1964–65 New York World’s Fair
Mary Poppins
Haunted Mansion 

  The Love Bug 

Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
Disney-MGM Studios Theme Park (now Disney’s Hollywood Studios)
Splash Mountain
The Little Mermaid
Pleasure Island
The Lion King
The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror 

After each show, two rare Walt Disney Archives items will be on display (photography permitted): a hat worn by Julie Andrews in Mary Poppins   

and a “Duckster” award, created in 1952 in the image of Donald Duck to honor those who made significant contributions to Disney over the years.

It all kicks off August 9 in Burbank, Calif., ending up in Orlando, Fla. on October 25.

Here’s the full list of cities and dates for Fanniversary 2014 events:

August 9: Burbank, Calif.
August 10: San Diego
August 16 & 17: San Francisco
September 6: Chicago
September 13: Seattle
September 20: Atlanta
September 21: Philadelphia
September 26: Washington, D.C.
September 28: New York City
October 4: Boston
October 25: Orlando

Tickets and more information are available at D23.com/Events but hurry-many of the Fanniversay events are already sold out.  Which Fanniversay will you be taking in this year?

Join the Magic of D23

D23 UNLOCKS THE MAGIC OF DISNEY WITH A NEW YEAR OF SPECTACULAR MEMBER EVENTS ACROSS THE COUNTRY

In 2014, The Official Disney Fan Club Will Travel to New York City, San Francisco, Chicago, Seattle, Los Angeles, and Other Cities as Well as Walt Disney World Resort

 This year, D23: The Official Disney Fan Club will reach out to fans across the country with a wide array of uniquely magical Disney experiences for members.

DESTINATION D: ATTRACTION REWIND presented by H20 Plus: Walt Disney once said, “Disneyland will never be completed. It will continue to grow as long as there is imagination left in the world.” It’s in that spirit that guests this summer will have the opportunity to visit—or revisit—some of the most beloved Disney attractions of yesteryear. Destination D: Attraction Rewind, held July 26 and 27 at Walt Disney World Resort, will bring Disney archivists, Imagineers, Legends and luminaries together to celebrate fan favorites such as Adventure Thru Inner Space, If You Had Wings, and20,000 Leagues Under the Sea with rarely seen concept art and images; vintage video clips; and revealing stories. In addition, several presentations will be dedicated to the 1964–65 New York World’s Fair, which spawned beloved attractions like it’s a small worldand Carousel of Progress.

D23 Will be fit for Any Princess!

HARRODS’ DISNEY PRINCESS DRESSES MAKE THEIR U.S. DEBUT
AT THE D23 EXPO IN TREASURES OF THE WALT DISNEY ARCHIVES

Plus, New Panels on “The Lost Chords” and Mary Poppins Announced

           A stunning display of exclusive gowns inspired by Disney’s iconic Princesses will make their U.S. debut at the D23 Expo inside the Treasures of the Walt Disney Archives exhibit. These handcrafted designs by world-leading designers will be available for viewing each day of the event, August 9–11 at the Anaheim Convention Center. Included are works inspired by the individual stories of the Disney Princesses by Ralph & Russo (Tiana), Versace (Cinderella), Elie Saab (Aurora), Marchesa (Ariel), Escada (Jasmine), Missoni (Mulan), Roberto Cavalli (Pocahontas), Jenny Packham (Rapunzel), Valentino (Belle), and Oscar de la Renta (Snow White). The stunning dresses were first showcased in an ultra-glamorous set of window displays at Harrods, the luxury store in Knightsbridge, London, during the 2012 holiday season.

      In addition, D23: The Official Disney Fan Club is announcing two additional presentations. As we near the award-winning film’s 50th anniversary, Disney Legend and Walt Disney Archives Chief Archivist Emeritus Dave Smith will host “Behind the Scenes of Walt Disney’s Mary Poppins.” Guests will learn the complete story of how Walt Disney first discovered the book, worked on the script with author P.L. Travers, brought in the Sherman Brothers to write a memorable score, selected an unforgettable cast, oversaw actual filming, and celebrated at a gala Hollywood premiere.

         During “Secrets of ‘The Lost Chords,’” Grammy^® Award-winning producer and resident Disney Music historian, Randy Thornton will reveal some of the secrets behind Disney’s “lost” songs written for classic Disney films by legendary Disney composers (such as the Sherman Brothers) that were essentially lost for decades—until now. Plus, as a special part of this exclusive D23 event, guests will be among the very first to hear songs currently in production from a significant upcoming “Lost Chords” release.

Disney Artist and Historian Stacia Martin will present “Sounds Delightful: An Illustrated Audio Adventure,” which will take guests on an entertaining trip across the decades via vintage Disney Vinyl Recordings from her extensive personal collection. Forgotten favorites from the family turntable of yesteryear will be heard along with rare promotional and production tracks... including never-before-heard musical moments from Walt Disney's own "journey down the Yellow Brick Road."

 

For presentation times, dates, and locations (subject to change), please visit D23Expo.com.

Gayle is a Disney Gal that loves churros for breakfast, still gets giddy with delight at the first sight of the “Disneyland next exit sign”, loves the overwhelming emotions and memories that come with each and every return to the Happiest Place on Earth and dreams of one day being the Captain of the Jungle Boat. To learn more about Gayle, click here

Trailer for Disney's 'Saving Mr. Banks' Premieres

To bring Mary Poppins to life, Walt Disney had to work his magic on children's novelist P.L. Travers.

 

  Inspired by true events, 'Saving Mr. Banks' is the extraordinary, untold story of how the classic 'Mary Poppins' made it to the screen - and the testy relationship that the legendary Walt Disney had with author P.L. Travers that almost derailed it. 

  The following description can be found on the Disney Movies page for 'Saving Mr. Banks.'

Two-time Academy Award®–winner Emma Thompson and fellow double Oscar®-winner Tom Hanks topline Disney’s “Saving Mr. Banks,” inspired by the extraordinary, untold backstory of how Disney’s classic “Mary Poppins” made it to the screen. 

When Walt Disney’s daughters begged him to make a movie of their favorite book, P.L. Travers’ “Mary Poppins,” he made them a promise—one that he didn’t realize would take 20 years to keep. In his quest to obtain the rights, Walt comes up against a curmudgeonly, uncompromising writer who has absolutely no intention of letting her beloved magical nanny get mauled by the Hollywood machine. But, as the books stop selling and money grows short, Travers reluctantly agrees to go to Los Angeles to hear Disney’s plans for the adaptation. For those two short weeks in 1961, Walt Disney pulls out all the stops. Armed with imaginative storyboards and chirpy songs from the talented Sherman brothers, Walt launches an all-out onslaught on P.L. Travers, but the prickly author doesn’t budge. He soon begins to watch helplessly as Travers becomes increasingly immovable and the rights begin to move further away from his grasp. It is only when he reaches into his own childhood that Walt discovers the truth about the ghosts that haunt her, and together they set Mary Poppins free to ultimately make one of the most endearing films in cinematic history. Disney presents “Saving Mr. Banks,” directed by John Lee Hancock, produced by Alison Owen, Ian Collie and Philip Steuer, and written by Kelly Marcel and Sue Smith. Executive producers are Paul Trijbits, Andrew Mason, Troy Lum and Christine Langan.

The film will release in U.S. theaters on December 13, 2013, limited, and open wide on December 20, 2013.

Trailer: Saving Mr. Banks on Disney Video 

What are your initial thoughts on Saving Mr. Banks? Let me know if the comments.