This past Friday, Saturday, and Sunday completely flew by — but that only makes sense, considering the saying goes that time flies when you’re having fun at D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event. Myself and thousands of other Disney fans arrived at the Anaheim Convention Center for three days of unrivaled celebration across the Disney parks (and beyond), seeing new things, getting to experience new things, and learning about what’s in store for the future (and there’s a lot of it coming soon).
It’s hard to pick just one or two things that were the highlight for the weekend, so instead I’ve gone ahead and chosen a handful of things that really WOW-ed me. In no particular order, here’s everything I loved seeing across the three-day event.
Haunted Mansion cosplay
Lots of ghosts materialized this year at D23 Event 2024, bringing with them ghoulish delights. Though we might not have seen 999 of them roaming the halls of the Anaheim Convention Center, they were out plenty, greeting those who dared to get close. If you’re ready for more scares, Halloween season at the parks is right around the corner…
The Legends Ceremony
On the closing night of D23, 14 new Disney Legends were honored at the Honda Center, including Former Imagineer Joe Rohde and the first Black Disneyland Tour Guide Martha Blanding.
“It’s a great honor to be counted as a Disney Legend…to even be considered in the same breath as the other honorees this season,” Joe told the crowd. “None of this is done alone, I owe everything that I am to others.”
As for Martha, she explained during her inductee, “Never let other people determine your future…I promised myself that I wouldn’t cry, but that’s hard because becoming a Disney Legend is something I never thought would happen to me. When Josh called to give me the news, I was speechless. And anyone who knows me, knows I am never speechless.”
Not only did we see these two newly minted Disney Legends up on the stage, but they were assisted by the Disney Ambassadors from across the globe!
Everyone meeting Mickey
There were stars on stage during the Horizons: Disney Experience Showcase, and then the big cheese was backstage — Mickey Mouse, of course. The celebrity presenters and performers stopped by to pose with Mickey, a highlight for everyone’s night. Who can say no to snapping a pic, or two, with Mickey?
Parks cosplay
The hitchhiking ghosts weren’t the only impressive cosplay we saw out on the floor. Disney Parks fans put their creative juices to work coming up with inventive ways to show off their love for their favorite attractions, locations, and things. I loved seeing all the attention to detail, and all the little things added into outfits to really make them pop.
Cast Member Meet-Up
Even Disney Experiences Chairman Josh D’Amaro stopped by the Cast and employee “meet up” during D23 Event 2024. There, some working — and some visiting the Anaheim area — gathered for a big group picture in front of the dazzling Sorcerer Hat statue in front of the convention hall.
The BDX droids
Venturing outside of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, the BDX Droits made a splash on the show floor interacting with those going in and out of the Imagineering pavilion. They also took time to venture outside of the pavilion space, heading over to the Star Wars pavilion to experience the Void themselves (which is a technological marvel you need to see to believe!).
The Imagineering Reveal rooms
Speaking of the Imagineering pavilion, while you might have been able to get into the space and see everything, you couldn’t really get the full experience until Sunday. That’s when curtains came down for the secret reveal rooms at the back of the space, showcasing announcements made the night prior during Horizons: A Disney Experiences Showcase. Getting up close with the newly revealed models was really the perfect way to end the weekend — and get excited about everything in progress right now around the world.
Want more D23 Event 2024?
Catch up on all the exciting announcements out of Horizons: Disney Experiences Showcase now!
