Every two years Disney fans descend on Anaheim for D23 Expo to be the first to fans in the world to see all the best that Disney has to offer. Over the years the Disney umbrella has expanded to include news from Pixar, Marvel, and Star Wars—giving fans even more magic to experience than ever before.
This year’s D23 Expo continues through today, and day one was already jam packed with tons of amazing Disney goodness. Hang on to your Mickey ears, because we have a rundown of the most magical things you won’t want to miss.
The most amazing cosplay you’ve ever seen
Disney fans go above and beyond when it comes to deep cut references for their outfits. They also happen to be some of the craftiest cosplayers around, spending months handmaking each and every detail of their costumes. The winner of this year’s Mousequerade cosplay contest was Tina Elliot, who not only created a Big Thunder Mountain ride dress from scratch, but her husband John helped her to get the train actually move around the tracks. The biggest feat of all is that she walked the con floor all day, happily obliging for photos with fans who were in awe of her masterpiece.
Celebrity sightings
Simply wandering the floor, you’d have a good chance to run into your favorite Disney star. Whether it’s signings, a random parade, or even just shopping in the stores, seeing your favorite actor or actress up close is part of the whole experience. We saw the cast of Descendants 2, ran into Mark Hamill and Stan Lee as Grand Marshalls of the Ultimate Fan Street Party, and saw Black Panther’s Chadwick Boseman running to his meet and greet. It was always good to keep an eye on the D23 app for surprise appearances.
Free coffee. No, really
Free swag is standard at cons but it’s usually relegated to posters or a way too large t-shirt. D23 Expo swag is next level: free cold brew coffee, fresh from the spigot, emblazoned with the Disney image of your choice. Created with an innovative Coffee Ripples maker, your drink options include getting a cup of joe with Spidey’s face or even Darth Vader himself. The dark side runs on caffeine.
Shop til you drop
Shopping is a sport at D23 Expo, with fans lining up overnight just for a peek into the stores. Once you’re inside you’ll be handsomely rewarded for your efforts with a first look at some incredible merchandise. This year we told you Disney Store offered up heroes and villains Star Wars Elite Figures but that’s just the beginning; inside the store we found Disney/Pixar’s The Incredibles figures, stormtrooper pin sets, and even John Lasseter’s special Pixar Hawaiian shirts—all available for purchase.
Get ready for your close up
Walk around the con floor, attendees could find many an Instagram-worthy photo opp. This year featured the mother of all instapics: a photo opp of yourself jumping into Scrooge McDuck’s money pit. You can also find fun props like a lifesize playable arcade from Wreck-It-Ralph and the cars from Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. All around the convention there’s always something to help increase your likes on social media.
Check out even more photos from day one of D23 Expo in the gallery below.
Were you heading to D23 Expo this weekend? Let us know in the comments and follow @justjenn on twitter for more from the expo!
