Disney announces that the next D23 Expo will take place in 2022

Sep 28, 2020 in "D23 - Official Fan Organization"

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Posted: Monday September 28, 2020 6:50pm ET by WDWMAGIC Staff

Disney is betting on a return to normal for 2022 as it plans to host its next D23 Expo in Anaheim.

The last D23 Expo was held in 2019

The company announced this evening that the D23 Expo will be held September 9 - 11 2022 at the Anaheim Convention Center.

According to the update, D23 Expo 2022 will be a celebration unlike any other, and will give fans a first look at plans for the 100th anniversary of The Walt Disney Company.

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SpoiledBlueMilkSep 30, 2020

Maybe. I should clarify that by saying I think there are a hardcore base of Star Wars and Potter fans that is sizable, but the MCU pulls from an even larger casual fan base.

Oh, Iger will never leave. Long after all three Splash Mountains have been rethemed, he'll still be there. Ah, yes, the "Iger's great because he's not Eisner" excuse. That's basically like saying "Donald Trump may not be a perfect individual, but at least he's not Adolf Hitler". Yeah, and Iger gave us a million crappy live action remakes of Disney's animated movies (including the incredibly controversial Mulan remake), crappy Star Wars sequels, PIXAR Pier, a Fantasyland Expansion that gave us Seven Dwarfs Mine Train and nothing else of substance, Crack Addict Goofy's Slow-Moving Train Ride, and Muppets Most Wanted. Just sayin'.

dizneycrazy09Sep 29, 2020

I think the IP affects whether or not the attraction becomes “timeless.” Guardians just feels too much like a drop in the pop culture bucket. To your point, no, I don’t think the average guest will care about the IP more than the fact they finally have a roller coaster, but I also don’t think that an original idea on the same roller coaster would be any less popular. And I argue that it helps the attraction stay relevant for a longer time.

UNCgolfSep 29, 2020

As I said above, it all depends on the quality of the attraction. If the attraction is mediocre or bad and relies on the IP to draw customers, then yes, the IP needs longevity for the ride to work. If it's a good or great attraction, then the IP doesn't really matter in the long run because people are interested in the ride for what it is -- Flight of Passage is a good example. The fact that it's themed to Avatar is almost irrelevant; you could replace the video with some new location with similarly beautiful scenery that was completely unconnected to Avatar and the ride would likely be just as popular.

denyuntilcaughtSep 29, 2020

So my question is, how much does that matter? Does the IP need to have longevity in order for the attraction to leave a lasting impact? Wouldn't that fly in the face of the argument that IP-less arguments make a greater impact, at least in theory? Will the average guest be more drawn to the fact that Epcot finally has a roller coaster versus the theme the roller coaster is built around? Have I asked enough questions yet? ;)

SirwalterraleighSep 29, 2020

Even large attendance amusement parks are still a niche market. Rides also cater to a clientele that are already sold on Disney before they get there more or less...so longterm IP appeal isn’t really generated from the Parks. It’s like convincing cows to eat grass

Brer OswaldSep 29, 2020

I truly believe the whole “Guardians operation” from the very was to find heroes they could both incorporate into the MCU and their parks. That’s just my opinion. Even if you think that wasn’t why they chose to make the first film, you can’t deny that, after the film succeeded, that became their MO. And they are going to try to force Guardians and make that their next Spider-Man. Heck, they even tried, and dare I say almost succeeded, to do that in the films with Iron Man and Captain America when they couldn’t get the rights from Sony. You can’t force popularity. Not completely, anyways. Mickey, Snow White, Winnie the Pooh, Star Wars, Spider-Man. The initial successes of these franchises weren’t forced. They reaped the rewards and pushed harder for them afterwards, but the success had to come naturally from somewhere.

brb1006Sep 29, 2020

At least we got Share A Dream Come True Parade

doctornickSep 29, 2020

And one if the big ways to make something “live forever” is to have attractions based on the IP in highly visited theme parks. It becomes a feedback loop of popularity

HauntedPirateSep 29, 2020

I've said for a long time - Lower your expectations for the 50th. Looks like that turned out to be more prophetic than even I thought possible. :(

_calebSep 29, 2020

I agree but TBH surviving the global pandemic economic downturn might be reason enough to celebrate

SirwalterraleighSep 29, 2020

I like that one...it had more of a tangible benefit. It’s much worse than that. He was born in December 1901...so they actually built it and started it for the 100th anniversary of his birthdate...not his birthday...which would be December of 2002. I can remember trying to explain it/have it explained to me at that time internally...it didn’t work well.

UNCgolfSep 29, 2020

Seriously. Take the money they're going to waste on special celebration projects and spend it on actual park maintenance so the regular day-to-day experience is better.

Sir_CliffSep 29, 2020

I can't believe anyone would want to go back to an era of ever-more tenuous pretexts for a 'celebration' every year. That led us down a path to that stupid hat in front of the Chinese Theatre built to celebrate... Walt Disney's 100th birthday?