Get Carried Away

It's one of the best things about The Walt Disney Company- almost everyone is a fan. And now, you can be an Official Member of the Fan Club with D23.  (The D is for Disney and the 23 is for 1923, the year that Walt Disney arrived in California and started what would become the Walt Disney Company.)

Animation Building with Walt's original office

It was my total and complete honor to attend a Lunch & Learn about D23 at their unoffical "Clubhouse" the Walt Disney Studios in Burbank.  It's just as magical as you'd expect- even the parking structure is sparkly- and within minutes of walking toward our lunch destination we turned the corner onto the street set for Brothers and Sisters.  No big deal.  Oh, and that building over there?  The original Animation Studio with Walt Disney's office on the top left.  You know, the norm.

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 Am I hiding my enthusiasm well?  Only because I didn't want to completely Disney dork out.  All hope of saving any of my dignity washed away when we were introduced to Goofy.  Not that Goofy, but THIS Goofy...

... Disneyl Legend Bill Farmer, who's been the voice of Goofy for the last 20+ years.  He is an adorable man who regaled us with the story of coming out to LA with a scad of impressions and a few years doing stand-up and the audition for Goofy was his first.  It was supposed to be a one-time deal, but they loved him so much that he'd now voiced Goofy over 3,000 times, including Goofy Movie and every episode of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.  I wanted to squeeze him until I got a good, "Gawrsh."

You can be a card-carrying, pin-wearing member of the coolest club in CA.  D23 offers two levels of membership, gold and silver.  With the gold membership, you get the quarterly magazine disney twenty-three which is "Disney's version of Town and Country" according to Laura, D23 Special Events Specialist. (Only at Disney could a job title include the word "special" twice!)  It is absolutely beautiful, and opening the cover is like looking through your wedding album without all the pictures of yourself- its that exciting.  Plus, with both the gold and silver, you get access to events exclusively for D23 members, including tours of Walt Disney Studios (and there is no other way to get that!)

As if it couldn't get any cooler, in just over two weeks Disney is hosting the 2nd D23 Expo at the Anahiem Convention Center August 19-21.  It's three days of exclusive, amazing entertainment and information about all things Disney.  Here's what I'm stoked about.
-Meeting Jake and the Neverland Pirates in the Disney Channel Pavilion.  Agirl is going to die.
-Disney Legends Ceremony, honoring 5 of the Disney Princess voices and Regis Philbin
-Ultimate Disney Trivia Tournament
-Lion King 3D Advanced Screening
-D23 Live Auction featuring unique experiences, tours, artwork, props, and one-of-a-kind Disney treasures
-Disney Archives
-Musical performance by Dick Van Dyke & The Vantastix.  Yes, that Dick Van Dyke- the one from Mary Poppins and, umm, some other stuff. :)
Here's the full D23 schedule- try not to pass out when you see all the awesomeness.

 I've bought a membership for me, and my sister, and I'm practically drooling over the D23 Expo.
Join us, won't you?

Even the tea cups are cute

Entering the Archives

Julie Andrew's fake driver's license from Princess Diaries

Apple and Sword from Enchanted

Had a little chat with Minnie and Roy Disney.  They told me to say hi.