A Look Back at the 2013 D23 Expo

Disney's D23 Expo returns to Anaheim next weekend, from August 14th through 16th.

This is the fourth D23 Expo, which has been held by Disney every other year since 2009. I've attended all of the Expos to date and will be attending all three days of the 2015 event.

After the 2013 Expo I posted an introduction to my coverage, an overview of the Expo -- including 2013's organizational improvements plus some Day One highlights -- and also two photo posts of an amazing exhibit of MARY POPPINS (1964) production artifacts, including costumes, art work, and props.

A hectic schedule in the weeks following the 2013 Expo meant that time got away from me, and I never shared photos of the rest of that amazing weekend as I'd originally planned. I was looking back through my photos as I prepare for the new Expo and thought it would be fun to go ahead and belatedly share some of my 2013 photos now!

My 2013 overview post included a description of the "Broadway and Beyond" concert and the fun my daughter and I had meeting animators Eric Goldberg and Adam Green at lunch. Below are some other 2013 highlights!

The Parks and Resorts Pavilion is always one of my favorite things, and this year was no exception; I was moved to tears seeing Peter Ellenshaw's rendering of Disneyland for Disney's TV series glowing under "black light." (No photos allowed.)

We did get to see the Haunted Mansion's famous "Hat Box Ghost," which was in the ride when it opened but removed due to technical problems. With technology now much further advanced, the Hat Box Ghost recently made a return to the Haunted Mansion after a decades-long absence.

We also got to see the original marble statues from Disneyland's Snow White's Grotto, which were removed from the park for safekeeping in 1982 and replaced with replicas:

Here's a model of International Street, designed for Disneyland but never built:

Another highlight was "Broadcasts From Buena Vista Street," featuring voice artists who are heard in Disney California Adventure:

Our friend Bob Joles (at the lefthand mike below), who also voices Sallah in the Indiana Jones ride, participated in a live rendition of the radio programming heard at Oswald's Gas Station in Disney California Adventure. We previously got to see Bob in a "Voices of the Parks" panel in 2011.

I also loved Disney historian Stacia Martin's presentation "Sounds Delightful! An Illustrated Audio Adventure," about the history of Disney records and album covers. There's no end to the interesting nooks and crannies of Disney history.

This is one I've had since early childhood:

Another panel was "Leave 'Em Laughing," about Disney humor; it's on YouTube.

There was a big TOMORROWLAND (2015) exhibit, but alas, I suspect the mysterious exhibit we explored was more interesting than the movie, which I haven't yet caught up with:

In the Archives we saw Claude Coats' original Rock Candy Mountain, which has been recreated in the window of Trolley Treats at Disney California Adventure:

We were literally the last people who made the line cutoff to be admitted to the phenomenal concert starring Disney's greatest composers, Richard Sherman and Alan Menken. (I believe they did end up letting a few more people trickle in after we sat down.) We were overjoyed to get in. We'd previously seen Sherman and Menken in individual concerts at Disney's smaller Destination D events, but how amazing to experience them in concert together in a packed hall!

Richard Sherman with host Tim O'Day:

Alan Menken:

Sherman and Menken together for the finale:

I hope everyone enjoyed this look back as much as I did! Now I go back to pondering what to do the second morning of the 2015 Expo: Do I go to the live-action panel and get the scoops on the upcoming Marvel and Star Wars movies, which might include special guests, or do I go see Don DeFore's sons reprise their 2009 Expo talk on their dad's Silver Banjo Barbecue in Disneyland? It's tough but I think the DeFore family is winning...

Related links on the 2009 and 2011 Expos: 2009 can be found here and here; 2011 posts are here, here, and here.