D23, the official Disney fan club, just keeps getting bigger and bigger. Tickets are already on sale for the much-anticipated D23 Expo in August, and the club just announced another huge convention for 2013, this one abroad. The D23 Expo is hitting the road, and will come to Japan on October 12-14, 2013.
The D23 Expo Japan will not just be a carbon copy of the one held in Anaheim months prior. Although there will be a lot of overlap, in merchandise and in smaller events, the Japan expo will be unique. It’ll be held mostly in Japanese, with events planned by senior Disney Japan creative executives. That’ll include a special retrospective feature on Tokyo Disneyland, which is celebrating its 30th birthday this year. It should be quite a party, because the D23 Expo Japan will be held at the Tokyo Disneyland Resort.
The specific program information on D23 Expo Japan will be available in March, which is also when tickets go on sale. I’m curious to know if there will be discounts/early tickets available for D23 members. I wonder if the event is happening in part because there are a lot in Japan; there are myriad benefits of being a member of D23, but many of them — the special events — are only beneficial for people living in the U.S., or especially in the Anaheim area. If D23 Japan is successful, I wonder if we’ll see other Disney conventions in other countries, or at least where there are other international Disney parks.
While we’re at it, let’s look at other Disney D23 news. There’s still no word on the program list for this summer’s D23 Expo in Anaheim, though tickets are on sale now. This next event also isn’t exclusive to D23 members, but following the club’s website gives any Disney fan the inside scoop. “The Lion King” musical will return to Los Angeles’ Pantages Theatre late this year.
It’ll have an eight-week run, from starting November 20 through January 12. Season ticket holders for the Pantages Theater will be able to get a hold of tickets months early, starting March 4. Tickets for the general public go on sale June 3.
There is one D23 members-only event for which tickets are currently available: another tour of the studio. The next D23 Day at the Walt Disney Studio and Archives will be held on May 4. Tours depart every half an hour from 9 a.m. through 2:30 p.m., and they last 2 ½ hours. Each tour is set for 25 people, and those on tours will get to see the original Disney Animation building, historic sound stages from Disney’s live-action golden age in the 60s and 70s, and can purchase D23-exclusive merchandise.
It’s a big year for the Disney Company and for D23 as a whole. What do you think of the decision to extend the D23 Expo beyond Anaheim? Do you wish it came to your town?
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