Read on for details!
Destination D: 75 Years of Disney Animated Features is an unprecedented celebration of the art, storytelling, music, voices, imagination, and innovation of Disney’s benchmark films.
From Walt Disney’s groundbreaking Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs to the upcoming Wreck-It Ralph, guests will experience a two-day journey through the art of Disney feature animation — filled with fun, laughter and rarely or never-before-seen artwork, photos and film clips of beloved Disney characters and stories — all the while surrounded by some of the world’s leading animation legends, artists and authorities.
This is a not-to-be-missed event! If you have attended a Destination D event by D23, you know they bring out material never or rarely seen before.
Featured panelists such as Don Hahn, Tony Baxter, Burny Mattinson, Joe Hale, Eddie Sotto, Eric Goldberg, Margaret Kerry, and Andreas Deja will be on hand, along with and many others.
Special one-of-a-kind evening performances include:
An Evening Concert: Dick Van Dyke & The Vantastix – The fun continues into the night with an unforgettable evening of harmony provided by Dick Van Dyke & The Vantastix. The popular vocal quartet is led by legendary television, Broadway and film star Dick Van Dyke, with three renowned west coast musicians — Mike Mendyke, Bryan Chadima, and Eric Bradley.
(Read about the Vantastix performance at 2011’s D23 Expo HERE.)
An Evening With Disney Legend and Oscar®-Winner Alan Menken – The celebration concludes with a rare musical concert by Disney Legend Alan Menken. With eight Academy Awards®, Alan Menken, known for the scores of such Disney classics as “Beauty and the Beast,” has received more Oscars than any living person.
To enter for a chance of winning a pair of tickets to this event, log in using your email address or Facebook account below.
NOTE: Only the pair of tickets to this Destination D event are offered in this contest. Transportation, accommodations and all other costs are the winner’s sole responsibility. Tickets are non-refundable, non-exchangeable and non-transferable so be sure you can attend this event before entering!
The tentative schedule is as follows:
DAY ONE – SATURDAY, AUGUST 11
Walt Disney and the First Golden Age of Disney Animation
Walt and his original team of animators and artists invented an entirely new genre of film-making storytelling. Together they created unparalleled bodies of work that continue to delight audiences around the world.
Join panelists who participated first-hand (or witnessed) the remarkable creation of Walt Disney’s feature animated films:
Joe Hale — 43-year Disney veteran who contributed his artistic talents to such films as Peter Pan, Lady and the Tramp, Sleeping Beauty, One Hundred and One Dalmatians, and Mary Poppins.
Burny Mattinson — Disney Legend and 50-year veteran of Disney animation who contributed his artistic talents to such “Golden Age” favorites as Sleeping Beauty, One Hundred and One Dalmatians, and The Jungle Book.
Ted Thomas — Son of legendary Disney animator Frank Thomas and director/writer of the acclaimed documentaries Frank and Ollie and Walt & El Grupo.
Roy E. Disney and the Second Golden Age of Disney Animation
Roundtable discussion of Roy E. Disney’s influence on the “Second Golden Age of Disney Animation” — from The Black Cauldron and The Great Mouse Detective through the modern-day classics of the 1990s.
Join panelists who participated first-hand (or witnessed) Roy E. Disney’s remarkable stewardship of Disney’s contemporary animation renaissance:
Dave Bossert — Author of an upcoming book on Roy E. Disney, and creative director and head of special projects at Walt Disney Animation Studios; artistic coordinator and visual effects supervisor on Fantasia/2000 and associate producer of the short “Destino” among many other accomplishments.
Roy P. Disney — Son of Disney Legend Roy E. Disney, former Disney Imagineer, and first-hand witness to Disney animation’s second “Golden Age.”
Don Hahn — Noted author, Disney animation historian, and producer of some of Disney’s most successful animated films of the second golden age, including Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, and The Emperor’s New Groove.
The Greatest Disney Animation You Never Saw
Enjoy a “Behind-The-Magic” peek at the art of Disney feature animation. Academy Award®-nominated film producer and author Don Hahn and Creative Director for Walt Disney Animation Studios David Bossert present rarely seen (or never before seen at all) Disney artwork and animation from more than 75 years of Disney animated features.
Animating The Disney Parks
Disney Parks owe a great deal of their creative development and design to the roots of Disney animation. Join current and former Disney Imagineers as they discuss how legendary Disney Imagineers, including Marc Davis, Mary Blair, Claude Coates, Herb Ryman, John Hench, and many others, successfully transferred their skills and talents from the world of Disney feature animation to “animating the Disney Parks.”
Join panelists who personally worked with many of these Disney animation and Imagineering greats:
Tony Baxter — Senior vice president, Creative Development at Walt Disney Imagineering, whose project credits include Disneyland Paris, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Indiana Jonesâ„¢ Adventure, and Splash Mountain.
Eddie Sotto — Noted experiential designer, mixed-media producer, conceptualist, and former Disney Imagineer, whose projects included the design of Main Street, U.S.A. at Disneyland Paris, early work on Indiana Jonesâ„¢ Adventure at Disneyland, plus Mission: SPACE at Epcot and Pooh’s Hunny Hunt at Tokyo Disneyland.
An Evening Concert: Dick Van Dyke & The Vantastix
Exclusive Screening: Walt & El Grupo — The Director’s Cut – Presented exclusively for D23 Members and their guests is the definitive director’s cut (not available on DVD) of the acclaimed 2009 film documentary Walt and El Grupo. Hosted by Director Ted Thomas and Producer Kuniko Okubo, the film chronicles the amazing 10-week trip that Walt Disney and his hand-picked group of artists and film-making talent (later known as El Grupo) took to South America in 1941 at the behest of the U.S. Government.
DAY TWO – SUNDAY, AUGUST 12
Wacky and Wild Disney Animation
Go on a wacky and irreverent ride through some of the most psychedelic and visually stunning animation ever put on film in this fun and humorous retrospective of Disney feature animation. Along the way you’ll learn of the contributions of such “characters” as Disney Legend Ward Kimball, renowned artist Salvador Dali, and many others.
Your hosts through this animation “Wonderland”:
Jerry Beck — Well-known animation historian, with 10 books and numerous articles to his credit. Jerry is an animation producer, and industry consultant to Warner Bros., and has been an executive with Nickelodeon and Disney and is also a popular blogger on the subject of animation.
Eric Goldberg — A veteran director, designer and animator, his Disney credits includes being the supervising animator of Genie in Aladdin, co-director of Pocahontas, animator of Phil in Hercules, followed by Fantasia/2000, which he directed, wrote, and animated two critically acclaimed sequences: “Carnival of the Animals” and “Rhapsody in Blue.” His animation work can also be seen in the Tokyo Disney Seas attraction Magic Lamp Theatre and the recently unveiled Gran Fiesta Tour Starring The Three Caballeros at the Mexico Pavilion at Epcot.
Tinker Bell: The Evolution of a Disney Character
Have you ever wondered how a character becomes a Disney character? Take a fascinating trip through the decades in a presentation filled with never-before-seen art, photos, and film clips, and you’ll see how Tinker Bell developed into one of Disney’s most iconic characters.
Your tour guides include:
Mindy Johnson — Author of the upcoming book Tinker Bell: An Evolution (new for Fall 2013 from Disney Editions).
Margaret Kerry — Live-action reference model for Tinker Bell in Walt Disney’s 1953 animated film classic Peter Pan.
Disney Feature Animation Stars-Drawing With Personality
The Walt Disney Studios is often credited with perfecting “personality animation,” creating paper and pencil characters that seemingly live and breathe. In this entertaining and educational presentation you’ll discover the secrets behind the creation of some of Disney’s most beloved animated stars, plus you’ll get the chance to design your own Disney animated character, under the guidance of a master Disney animator.
Your instructor: Andreas Deja — 30-year Disney animation veteran, whose impressive body of work includes serving as supervising animator on characters in several classic Disney animated features, including Gurgi in The Black Cauldron, Gaston in Beauty and the Beast, Jafar in Aladdin, Scar in The Lion King, Mickey Mouse in Fantasia/2000, Lilo in Lilo & Stitch, Mama Odie in The Princess and the Frog, and Tigger in Winnie the Pooh. He’s also a noted Disney animation historian and authority on the work of legendary Disney animator Milt Kahl.
Hearing Voices: A Salute to Disney Character Voice Artists
Meet the artists behind the voices, the many men and women who have supplied some of the most familiar voices ever to grace movies screens. This unique reunion of Disney character voice talent highlights some of the great voices of the past as well.
The roster of Disney character voice talent stars include (to date — more to be confirmed over the next few weeks!):
Dick Jones – Voice of Pinocchio (Pinocchio, 1940)
Kathryn Beaumont – Voice of Alice (Alice in Wonderland, 1951) and Wendy Darling (Peter Pan, 1953)
Lisa Davis – Voice of Anita (One Hundred and One Dalmatians, 1961)
David Frankham – Voice of Sergeant Tibbs (One Hundred and One Dalmatians, 1961)
Bruce Reitherman – Voice of Mowgli (The Jungle Book, 1967) and Christopher Robin (Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree, 1966)
Chris Sanders – Stitch (Lilo & Stitch, 2002)
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs: Still “The Fairest of Them All”
Walt Disney’s animation masterpiece Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs introduced an entirely new film-making genre — the Disney animated feature — and put in motion the creation of an unparalleled library of films that remain unrivaled in their artistic and storytelling achievements.
Salute this groundbreaking film with a rare west coast appearance by 93-years-young Marge Champion, the live-action reference model for the character of Snow White. Also joining the presentation will be Gabriella Calicchio, CEO of The Walt Disney Family Museum, to provide insights on the museum’s upcoming Snow White exhibition and an exciting new D23 opportunity.
An Evening With Disney Legend and Oscar®-Winner Alan Menken
Exclusive Screening: Waking Sleeping Beauty – The Director’s Cut
Presented exclusively for D23 Members and their guests is the definitive director’s cut (not available on DVD) of the acclaimed 2010 film documentary Waking Sleeping Beauty. With screening hosted by director Don Hahn, the film chronicles how by the mid-1980s the fabled animation studios of Walt Disney had fallen on hard times. Waking Sleeping Beauty is the true story of how Disney regained its magic with a staggering output of hits — The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, The Lion King, and more — over a 10-year period.
WOWOW! What an awesome opportunity :)This would be amazing!
This sounds super awesome! Hope you will post an article for us who can’t make it 😀
This sounds absolutely amazing!
D23 is an awesome event!
Thanks for the contest!! I would love to win tickets for D23’s Destination D! I love all things Disney!
Very excited about the event!
That would be so much fun to go!
Just joined D23. Hope I win the tickets.
I would absolutely love to win, it would be a dream come true!
The D23 Expo is very exciting, it would be great to win your tickets! Thanks for all your information!
My fiancee and I are heading there for the first time at JUST this time period. I’m ready!!
Who wouldn’t want to win?!
I don’t have a Facebook page or a Twitter account, so this comment is it for me, I’m afraid. I’m just glad that there IS an alternate way to enter this contest, because in many cases these days I am out of the running altogether. It sounds like an awesome event and I’m sure that everyone attending will have an amazing time. I would be so jazzed if one of those people was me!
My birthday is that weekend, and what an AMAZINGLY MAGICAL gift this would be!!! 🙂
This sounds absolutely amazing.
What I wouldn’t give to win these! Thank you for the opportunity.
This would be an amazing opportunity for me to hear storytelling history from my favorite storytellers! Disney is such a huge part of the creative spark that keeps me motivated in my career – this would be nothing short of a dream come true.
Thank you Deb for offering this contest! I sure hope you pick me, the Disney Commando! 🙂
This would be awesome!!
I hope I win.
Crossing my fingers!
A dream come true if I won. It’s my sister’s birthday and it would be so awesome to get to go with her!
Thanks for the great contest!
looks like fun!
I would love to win tickets!
i would literally jump up and down weeping if i won this trip! hoping for some pixie dust my way – keeping my fingers crossed! 🙂
This would be an amazing and magical experience
I raised three children(all boys)& they now have children of their own, giving me 6 wonderful grandchildren. My family & I attended Walt Disney World as often as possible by driving from VA. When my husband died of cancer, I thought Disney World would never happen again. But,I met a wonderful man with a 13 yr. old son, who dreams of seeing Walt Disney World. I long to feel the joy again & I want to share that special Disney Magic with this man & his son, that I once experienced with my husband & my family “way back when”.
I have not been to Disneyland since 1967 and would love to go to this event.
Thanks for doing this!
THANKS DEB I LOOK FORWARD TO YOUR EMAIL EVERY TUESDAY…I TELL AT LEAST 5 PEPLE A MONTH ABOUT YOUR SITE..I WRITE IT ON MY BUESINNES CARD…IF ALL OF US WOULD DO THIS YOU WOULD HAVE 1,000 MORE TO E MAIL TOO…DEBBIE
I would love to visit Disneyland.
What a great prize!
Woo hoo 😀
wow! This would be AWESOME!!!!
I can hardly imagine how exciting this would be!
Would to win this contest.
I havew been wanting to attend a D23 event
This is a great giveaway
How fun!!!
Keeping my fingers crossed! We so need some sort of vacation! We love Disney!
What a great opportunity this would be!!!!
I wanna go so bad! I went to D23 last year and hope to again next year.
Winning would be awesome. Can never find enough new ways to get my Disney “fix”.
I would LOVE to go this year. Sadly for this life-long fan, I’ve never been to Destination D.
I’d LOVE to win this!!
This is great I hope I win. I have never gone and my parents don’t have enough money. And if I don’t win then congrats from me!! 🙂
what an awesome opportunity.
Would love to win this & bring back something special for the Batts family…… Hook me up Tim! :o)
here’s hoping
How fantastic! Thanks for providing this to two extraordinarily lucky people! 🙂
Awesome prize! D23 does the best events.
Oh how I would love to have the chance to go to D23! I can dream it, now let me win to do it!
I would love to attend this!
This would be an amazing event for any disney fan!
Fingers crossed!
What a great prize!! Would love to win. Love Disney events!
Would love to attend this!!
Headed to Disneyland for the first time. cannot wait !!
Exciting!!
good luck!
thank you for sponsoring this!! I hope I win 🙂
I absolutely LOVE Disney animation! This is a Disney lover’s DREAM event! I hope I win!
“Fantasy, if it’s really convincing, can’t become dated, for the simple reason that it represents a flight into a dimension that lies beyond the reach of time.” -Walt Disney *I want to see Disney Feature Animation Stars–Drawing With Personality. Andreas Deja will never go out of style!
An awesome opportunity! 🙂
Would love to win!!!!
I would absolutely love to go to this convention! I would be so happy if I won the contest!
So cool! I would love to go.
Entering this for my son! Of course I would enjoy a lot of the wonderful activities too. We are all the way in NC but I would figure out a way to pay for flight to get there! Good luck to all! What an opportunity to learn so much and have so much fun!
This looks amazing!
Awesome giveaway! 🙂 Thanks! 🙂
Thanks for running this awesome contest!
I need this so bad i love disneyworld
What an awesome opportunity!
I’d love to go!
Saw Dick Van Dyke and the Vantastix at the Expo last year–they are fantastic!
This would be amazing if I won because my birthday is the 13th of August and my friend and I were planning a trip to DL anyway around that time!
I LOVE everything Disney and would really love to win this to spend time with my mom. We both are Disney fanatics!!!
extemely generous of you. What an amazing offer!! Good luck everyone
Hope we win. Go Disney!!!!!!!
thanks for the opportunity!
This would be awesome to win!
Hope I win!
These tickets would be awesome!!
Awesome contest! Thanks! Fingers crossed!
This is a fantastic prize to win!!!
Would love to win this contest. My daughter moved to Anaheim last week to be near Disney and it would make a great reunion for us!
the best continues to emerge from Disney! #1 in Orlando!
I would love to win these tickets!! This event looks so magical! 🙂
Thanks for a awesome opportunity!
I’ve never been to D23 and I only heard about it for the first time about one year. I can’t wait to go!
Ah I really hope I win i’ve always wanted to go to one of these conventions!
Performances by two Disney icons: Dick Van Dyke and Alan Menken?? I would love to be there. This will be an incredible show!
Thank you, hope I win!!! 🙂
How did you know I already have airfare & accommodations for August but no Destination D tickets? Suspicious, very suspicious 🙂
Alan Menken, wow.
Really hoping to win these tickets! I’ve wanted to attend Destination D since I first heard about it!
Looking forward to it!
This would be such a great prize!! 🙂
hope to win your drawing. just started following your page. love it. just got back from DCL cruise on the dream. have disney fever right now!
I’m obsessed with Dick Van Dyke. Swoon.
The D23 events all look awesome!! I wish I could get to this one,it looks Vantastic haha but Im doing the Studio tour in September so that will make up for it 🙂
It would be absolutely dreamy to win this!! I was just telling my husband last night how badly I wanted to go.
What a great opportunity! Fingers crossed 🙂