Mass groups of fans gathered outside the D23 Expo early this morning to catch the highly-anticipated Walt Disney Studios event, the highlight of the convention for film fans. I was one of those attendees eagerly awaiting the event, which delivered on its promise to provide guests with exclusive footage and celebrity appearances.
First, every individual’s electronics were “left behind” via an effecient check-in system. Everything from cell phones to iPads were prohibited from entering the arena, but the staff handled the check-in process with as much ease as one could expect from an event with thousands of attendees.
Let’s dive right into the content. A brief montage of various Disney films commenced the presentation, which featured clips from both past and future projects. The Muppets and Marvel’s The Avengers received the most applause without a doubt – both in this early preview and the later, more in-depth look. Chairman of The Walt Disney Studios, Rich Ross, came out to deliver a short speech. He explained his love for the company, calling this position an “incredible honor.”
John Lasseter led the animation section, in which he encouraged the audience members to “clap for yourselves, come on,” when he referred to the importance of these members of the community in supporting their films. “The studio is its people,” Lasseter said, and this mantra was definitely represented in what we would see and hear. In discussing the upcoming 2013 DisneyToon Studios project, Planes, Lasseter said the idea originated from thinking that “every type of vehicle in my mind is a character.” The story follows a crop-duster named Dusty, voiced by Jon Cryer – who made an appearance during the presentation – who longs to travel the world. Although the trailer for this film had made it online many months ago, the energy seemed high for this amusing endeavor that further explores the world of Cars.
Next up was Wreck-It Ralph, the next feature from the Wlat Disney Animation Studios. We were treated to a 4 1/2 minute story reel – with some animation developed very thoroughly – that showcased the plot of this story. Ralph follows a video game villain subjugated to destroying buildings, but longing to not be considered the bad guy. It starts in a 1983 arcade, but jumping many years to reflect the more modern era of this entertainment form. The clip featured was pretty hilarious, involving Ralph attending a Bad-ANON meeting that featured various villains reciting a bad guy affirmation speech. Director Rich Moore shared details of various locations in the film, such as Game Central Station and a Candyland-like environment called Sugar Rush. Members of the cast, comedian Sarah Silverman and 30 Rock star Jack McBrayer, shared their excitement on working on Ralph. Silverman kept it clean, and the audience roared after her line, “I always wanted to go to Anaheim, but not to Disneyland.” Similarly, she received laughs after saying, “I hate that they (films) make me feel.”
Brave followed this, with more details of Pixar’s next film shared. We understand that Scottish leading character Merida is forced to marry a suitor soon, she encounters a witch at a cottage, a spell goes askew, and she attempts to break this fate. Many mystical elements come into play, and we were shown an entire scene from Brave, in which Merida watches three potential husbands compete in a game of archery. She disobeys her headstrong mother by shooting arrows herself. Kelly MacDonald (Merida) and Kevin McKidd (Lord MacGuffin, one of the suitors) came on stage, joining director Mark Andrews and producer Katherine Sarafian. Andrews even dressed up in a kilt for the occasion.
Monsters University followed, and we’re told “it is an animated college movie.” A technical glitch that provided the audience with just the audio of the beginning of a featurette was fairly-quickly resolved. The video was properly restarted, and we found out that Mike and Sulley were enemies at grade school. Some concept art of the beautiful college campus was shown, and we discovered that many characters will return, including Randall (voiced once again by Steve Buscemi). Director Dan Scanlon showed younger versions of the characters. Sulley now looks youthful and svelte, whereas Mike boasts a retainer. Additional voices in the cast include Dave Foley, Julia Sweeney, Joel Murray and Pixar’s Peter Sohn. Billy Crystal and John Goodman starred in a video, apologizing for not being able to make it… but then, before you could say “Monstropolis,” Crystal emerged from backstage to great applause.
Next up was exactly what I had anticipated, the revealing of the Pixar films to fill those recently-announced release dates for Holiday 2013 and May 2014. The first of these two releases will be directed by Bob Peterson and produced by Dan Walker. Peterson first showcased his various Pixar roles, getting a ton of approval when he shouted “squirrel” as Dug from Up. “Did someone mention paperwork?” he asked eerily as Roz from Monsters, Inc. “The Untitled Pixar Movie About Dinosaurs,” as it was jokingly referred to by the creators, will follow what would have happened had the asteroid not hit Earth and destroyed the mighty beasts. Peterson said he was inspired by Disney’s dinosaurs back at the 1964 World’s Fair in New York.
The next of the two original films to be released will be directed by Pete Docter and produced by Jonas Rivera. Before the movie was mentioned, Docter reffered back to Petersen’s involvement in doing voice roles. Docter said he has given life to many characters – albeit less recognizable. For instance, he voiced the father in Monsters, Inc. who says “good night son” to the fake boy in the opening scene. “The Untitled Pixar Movie That Takes You Inside the Mind” will presumably explore elements of psychology and human thinking. This seems very appealing.
Last, Woody and Buzz came out, as did the whole Pixar creative team from today, and shared cupcakes with each audience member. Confetti was released and D23 staff members passed down cupcakes resembling the famous Luxo, Jr. ball to everyone. We each also received a poster from Brave on our way out.
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